Lemons have become a staple of my kitchen lately. I have always loved lemons, but usually just to squeeze in my water and on my fish fillets. Occasionally, I would grate the peels to make lemon zest, but that was pretty much the extent of my lemon use.
My ignorance of the incredible uses of lemons went unknown til recently, and now I can't get enough! Love lemons! My favorite thing to do is save every single peel after juicing. I use A LOT of lemons now that I make fruit snacks for my kiddos every week. I feel so resourceful! :) I place the peels in jars of plain ol' cheap white vinegar. I put them on my window sill and wait a couple weeks and then make a delightful household cleaner. I no longer have to spend money buying kitchen cleaners, which is so great!
So how do I make the cleaner? Well, all you do is strain off the lemon infused vinegar mix with water (50/50, or to your liking) and then I add about 10-15 drops of lavender and rosemary essential oils to make a disinfecting powerhouse cleaner! (Please take note: essential oils are very potent and should be used and selected with care. Also, if you are worried about lavender as a hormone disruptor in males, take a look at this post and decide for yourself.) The solution smells wonderful, and the best part I feel perfectly at ease letting my kids clean with this concoction.
Speaking of kids cleaning! :) I have finally set up a "Montessori-esque" cleaning center located near their kid sized table. Boy, oh boy what a wonderful little addition that has eliminated a lot of mess stress. This was one place in the house that really bothered me with the amount of mess and lack of personal accountability on my children's parts. How could I ask them to clean up their spills, crumbs and general messiness if the tools were not readily available and safe? Check out the cleaning center below! All these items were purchased at the dollar store. So for $7 I created a little space that fosters a little bit of responsibility for my kids and eliminates an everyday stressor for me.
My ignorance of the incredible uses of lemons went unknown til recently, and now I can't get enough! Love lemons! My favorite thing to do is save every single peel after juicing. I use A LOT of lemons now that I make fruit snacks for my kiddos every week. I feel so resourceful! :) I place the peels in jars of plain ol' cheap white vinegar. I put them on my window sill and wait a couple weeks and then make a delightful household cleaner. I no longer have to spend money buying kitchen cleaners, which is so great!
So how do I make the cleaner? Well, all you do is strain off the lemon infused vinegar mix with water (50/50, or to your liking) and then I add about 10-15 drops of lavender and rosemary essential oils to make a disinfecting powerhouse cleaner! (Please take note: essential oils are very potent and should be used and selected with care. Also, if you are worried about lavender as a hormone disruptor in males, take a look at this post and decide for yourself.) The solution smells wonderful, and the best part I feel perfectly at ease letting my kids clean with this concoction.
Speaking of kids cleaning! :) I have finally set up a "Montessori-esque" cleaning center located near their kid sized table. Boy, oh boy what a wonderful little addition that has eliminated a lot of mess stress. This was one place in the house that really bothered me with the amount of mess and lack of personal accountability on my children's parts. How could I ask them to clean up their spills, crumbs and general messiness if the tools were not readily available and safe? Check out the cleaning center below! All these items were purchased at the dollar store. So for $7 I created a little space that fosters a little bit of responsibility for my kids and eliminates an everyday stressor for me.
And in closing check out this great link for additional lemon use ideas! Happy Lemon Cleaning!