6 Ways to Use Leftover Lemon Peels Around Your House for Cleaning

Lemons are a commonly used cooking item that offer tons of benefits even when they’re not being consumed. The next time you’re using lemons to cook or prepare cocktails, don’t throw away their peels. Lemon peels can play an extremely useful role in all kinds of household cleaning tasks, whether you’re using them on their own or in combination with other ingredients.

Here, two cleaning professionals share six clever, simple ways to reuse lemon peels to make your home look and smell fresher in no time. You won’t believe you haven’t already been implementing these clever solutions.

Deodorize the Garbage Disposal

The garbage disposal sees it all and could likely use a bit of a refresh. Jessica Gonzalez, a cleaning expert and the chief operating officer at Sparkly Maid San Antonio, likes to use lemon peels to deodorize your disposal in a flash. All you will need to do is grab a couple of lemon peels, place them down the drain alongside some ice cubes, and run the disposal—Gonzalez will let some cold water run at the same time.

“The lemon will freshen your sink while the ice helps to knock off the light buildup on the blades,” she says.

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Help Your Kitchen Smell Good

Your kitchen can be home to all kinds of smells, but many people find the smell of lemon to be fresh and soothing. Gonzalez likes to repurpose lemon peels within her cooking space by placing them inside of a stovetop simmer pot (no, they’re not just for the holiday season), along with some water and a tiny amount of vinegar, and letting the resulting fragrance fill the room.

“It smells clean and also helps cut down stubborn cooking odors,” she says.

Clean Your Microwave

A simple use for lemon peels is to use them to steam clean your microwave. Scott Schrader, a cleaning expert at CottageCare, will place some lemon peels in a bowl of water and then heat everything in the microwave for three to five minutes in total. The steam from the water plays a key role here in helping to remove food stuck to your microwave plate and also eliminating odors, he says.

After you have heated up this mixture, just remove it and grab a paper towel to wipe down any residue that has collected inside your microwave as a result.

Tackle Water Spots

If your kitchen faucet is showing signs of water spots, lemon peels may be the solution you’ve been craving. Gonzalez rubs the surface of a lemon peel directly onto your water stains and wipes them clean, no need for any type of chemical cleaner.

Create Your Own Scrub

If you’re running short on cleaning scrub but have lemon peels on hand and prefer a nontoxic option anyway, you’re in luck. Gonzalez likes to grind dried lemon peels into powder before mixing them alongside some baking soda. The end result? A helpful, pleasant-smelling scrub that you can use to polish the inside of your sink.

That said, Gonzalez notes that the scrub is on the milder side and therefore is best for smaller tasks.

Create Your Own Spray Cleaner

You can also DIY an all-purpose cleaner using lemon peels as a base. Gonzalez will place some inside o mason jar and cover them with white vinegar. Just keep in mind that this isn’t an instant fix, as you will want to allow this mixture to steep for a week.

Once the time has passed, strain it and pour it into a spray bottle so that you can use this cleaning solution all throughout the house as you please. Gonzalez especially likes to spray it on bathroom counters and to degrease her kitchen.