1. Freshen up your chopping board by sprinkling salt all over the surface, then rubbing a cut lemon over it. This will get rid of residual odour from onions, garlic and raw meats.
2. If you’ve put your food processor through heavy-duty onion and garlic chopping, neutralise the aroma and clean up at the same time by whizzing the juice of half a lemon with warm water and a few squirts of detergent.
3. To deodorise plastic food containers, run a halved lemon all over the inside of the box and lid, and rinse.
4. Grating your own cheese is cheaper than buying ready-grated cheese, but cleaning out the box grater can be trying. Run the cut side of a halved lemon along the grater to dislodge the stuck bits. The lemon pulp rinses off easily too.
5. If your chrome bathroom fixtures are looking lacklustre, rub a wedge of lemon all over to get them sparkling again.
6. Soak off rust specks on your knives with good ol’ lemon juice. Place the knife in a tall glass or a ziplock bag, ensuring the blade is coated fully. Soak for 10 minutes, then scrub off the spots.
7. Clean your microwave and neutralise lingering food smells by microwaving a mug of water with a tablespoon of vinegar and a few drops of lemon juice for two minutes, or until the water starts to steam. This helps to soften the stains, so you can wipe them off easily.
8. You can also use a soup bowl in place of the mug, and microwave your dish sponge in the solution to sterilise it.
This article was originally published in the digital issue of Simply Her September 2015.