Editor's note : OrilliaMatters is partnering with Sustainable Orillia to publish a weekly tip. Check back here every Tuesday night for new advice. More information is available on the Sustainable Orillia website .
Almost now, many of us feel the need to do some serious spring cleaning on our homes. There's something about the sun that comes in through our windows and shows those attention grabbing and overlooked corners.
Before looking into some cleaning products you might have used in the past, however, Sustainable Orillia believes it's a good time to start promoting the green benefits of lemons as part of your spring cleaning routines this year.
Lemons, as you probably know, are a very versatile fruit. They are native to parts of Asia and came to Italy around AD 500. From there they spread throughout the Mediterranean. In 1492, Christopher Columbus brought lemon seeds to the New World, where they literally took root!
Although most people don't eat raw lemons, the fruit has become a culinary staple both as a flavor and an ingredient in many of our recipes. It is also known for its medicinal properties, especially as a source of vitamin C.
Less known, however, is how this versatile member of the citrus family fits into your cleaning routine and makes your home sparkling clean and fresher than ever.
How can you use lemons for greener cleaning in your home? A fast internet network gives you dozens of uses, which we have narrowed down into the five that seem to have the broadest use for all types of households.
Windows . It's a no-brainer, and many of you have probably used some version of a lemon juice and water solution to clean your windows. Just fill a spray bottle with water, add a few tablespoons of lemon juice, and you're done. If you have old newspapers lying around, they make great window cleaning cloths. It's a great way to reuse yesterday's news.
Ovens This trick works for both traditional oven and microwave cleaning and suggests that you use lemons in place of some of the harsher chemicals commonly used to clean ovens.
For the microwave, fill a small to medium bowl with microwaveable water and add a few tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Also add lemon peel if you have one. Microwave the bowl for three to five minutes. However, do not open the door yet. Leave the bowl in the microwave for another five minutes to allow the steam to do its job.
Then remove the container and clean the inside walls. For traditional ovens, follow more or less the same process: fill an ovenproof container with a solution of water and lemon similar to the one above and place it in the oven at 250 ° F for 30 minutes. Let the oven cool down, take out the pan and clean the inside of the oven. If there are stains that require more attention, apply a paste of lemon and salt to finish the job.
Furniture polishing . Make sure to test this on a less visible surface first, as wood surfaces can vary with different treatments. Prepare a mixture of two part olive oil and one part lemon and rub it with a clean cloth. Then lightly apply to wooden surfaces, polish and your furniture will shine!
The floors . Adding lemon juice to your bucket of water not only absorbs dirt, but also makes your floors look shiny and fresh. Just add equal parts of vinegar and lemon juice to the water and whisk.
Target cleaning l. Lemon juice can break down mineral build-up around faucets. Just spray it on the storage container. Leave on for 15 minutes and clean. To remove tarnish from your copper, aluminum, or brass pots, sprinkle some coarse salt on the cut side of a lemon, then rub it gently on the metal surface. And let's go!
We hope you try lemons as a natural and sustainable cleaning option that, along with salt, vinegar and baking soda, are eco-friendly partners to ensure eco-friendly and chemical-free cleaning in your home.
If you do decide to dispose of the chemical cleaners currently in use, be sure to read the recycling guidelines in your area to ensure proper disposal.
And keep some lemons on hand. No other detergent looks as good on your kitchen counter as a large bowl of cheerful lemons.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire