Green Cleaning for Dummies - Week 5 Citrus Cousins

**Green Cleaning for Dummies is an 8 week series
WEEK 5:  Introducing Salt and Lemon (and Citrus Cousins)

Lemon and Salt

This week is really simple.  You can substitute lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit for vinegar in any recipe thus far.  Though it is much better to just add lemon to the vinegar cleaning products you've already made for a fresh citrus scent addition.   Oh, they are also very tasty -- I love lemons!

First, purchase yourself a little palm sized grater for zesting if you don't already have one: 

Use Lemon and/or Salt to:

• Scrub your cutting board:  Pour on salt and scrub with half a lemon.
• Freshen the disposal:  The lemon you just used?  Throw it in the disposal.
• Clean Copper:  Pour on the salt and scrub with the lemon or lemon juice.
• Remove wine/grape juice stain:  Pour salt on the stain, let sit to absorb, vacuum
• Stubborn grape stain on the counter:  Let a disc of lemon or lemon juice sit on the stain, cover with baking soda and then scrub it away.
• Natural Sunny Bleach:   Add lemon juice to the rinse cycle of white clothes instead of vinegar then hang out to dry.  The lemon juice acts as a bleach booster for the sun.  (also works to lighten your hair)
• Grapefruit and Salt:   Dip half a grapefruit into salt and scrub your counters free of stains.
• Cold Garbage Disposal Cleaner:   Freeze used lemon bits into ice cubes and throw a few in the disposal and turn it on.   It cleans the blades and freshens (its kind of noisy!)    If you want the cubes to do double duty, you can make them water, lemon juice, and lemon zest so they can be plopped into an iced tea or other refreshment.
• Groady Fixtures and Shower Head:   Make a paste of 3 parts salt, 1 part baking soda, and enough water to make a paste.  Schmear it on the fixtures and let it sit for a while then rinse away with vinegar.  Shiney!
• Citrusy House:  Peel the lemon or lime before using (I prefer a knife to get nice thin slices of all zest and dry them out in the oven).  The house will smell good and then you can take the dried pieces, cut them into smaller pieces and put them in your vinegar solutions to scent them over time.

Recipe!   Baking Soda Carpet Deodorizer

In a jar with holes punched in the lid or in a Parmesan cheese dispenser, fill with baking soda and add lemon zest, or orange zest, or lime zest, or dried lavender flowers, or mint, or cinnamon, or potpourri of your choice.     

Sprinkle on carpet, let sit for a few hours if you can, then vacuum.

SMART TIP:  To keep the smell contained and prevent spills, cover the jar mouth with a round piece of paper, foil, or plastic before putting the lid on for storage.