A homemade citrus cleaner is a great way to minimize your carbon footprint. We scoured the Internet for some of the best alternatives for lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruits. There were so many ideas that we separated them by fruit, allowing you to search your pantry and use what you already have on hand. Our first blog in this series focuses on:

Lemons

Nothing beats a tall glass of homemade lemonade during the hot summer months. Their tart flavor revitalizes you even during the most brutal heat waves. As it turns out, you can also use lemons to:

• Polish copper. Copper is one of the first metals that humans began turning into tools, currency, and baubles. Soak a cloth in lemon juice and then rub away at copper jewelry or trinkets. Give it a good buff and it’ll be good as new.
• Polish brass and stainless steel. Sprinkle salt on half of a lemon. Rub this along brass or stainless steel figurines and fixtures. Remember to give it a good rinse so the items don’t become sticky.
• Clean faucets. Lime scale, hard water stains, and soap scum are unsightly, but common in most bathrooms. While harsh cleaners can work, you can also run a lemon along the faucet, let the juice sit for a few moments, and then rinse it off.
• Remove underarm stains. During the summer, you might see an increase in underarm stains in your clothes, especially if you wear a lot of white. Luckily, removing these stains is easier than you thought. Mix equal parts lemon juice and water, scrub at the stain, and then throw the clothing in the wash.

We try each day to minimize our carbon footprint and promote a green company. Keep an eye out for the next blog in our citrus cleaner series! What fruit do you think we’ll feature next? Feature Image: http://www.shutterstock.com/