Life Hacks, Featuring Lemons

If you think lemons taste good, wait till you see how well they spruce up your home.

For that new-home smell:

• Grind a lemon peel in your garbage disposal and say goodbye to lurking scents.
• Cut a lemon in half and rub it over a cutting board. Rinse, dry and forget all about what you were chopping up.
• After cooking, rub your hands with a lemon wedge. Not only will it get rid of lingering grease and oil, it’ll also keep your hands nice and soft. Smooth move.

For that new-home look:

• Fact: Aluminum pots and kettles discolor. Also fact: lemons can make them look good as new. Just fill with water, add fresh lemon juice (or slices) and boil. Magic, kind of.
• Not to keep talking about discoloration, but you can also clean pots with a cloth dipped in lemon juice and then rinse with warm water to get them back in tip-top shape.
• For anyone with glass kitchenware (that’d be everyone), here’s a tip. Make your decanter or coffee pot sparkle by rubbing it with a cut lemon or by soaking it in lemon juice and water. Rinse well and dry with a lint-free cloth.

For everything else:

• Remove stains from clothes by mixing 1/3 cup of lemon juice with water. Soak the stain, wash, rejoice in all the adulting.