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More Lemon Peel Uses Than You Can Shake A Stick At!
To understand how I feel about lemons, you don’t need to look much further than my lemon-themed Pinterest board and its 400+ pins. But really, who can blame me? Lemons are an amazingly useful fruit, and every part can be put to good use in a myriad of ways!
In this post, I wanted to focus on the usefulness of lemon peels specifically. That fragrant, sunshine yellow zest has a lot of useful properties, which made it easy to track down some brilliant uses for lemon peels!
21 Uses For Lemon Peels
1. Make Lemon-Scented Cleaning Vinegar
If making big pitchers of homemade lemonade is a summertime staple for you, you’ll have a steady supply of lemon peels you can use to make your own lemon-scented cleaning vinegar. It’s an easy process, and so worth it (both because it smells divine and works great for all sorts of cleaning tasks!) Learn how to make lemon-scented cleaning vinegar.
2. Brighten Skin
Lemon makes a great natural skin brightener, thanks to its naturally high levels of citric acid, a well-known bleaching agent. Apply lemon peels to your hands, elbows, heels and other areas to brighten skin and tighten pores.
3. Deodorize Your Garbage Disposal
You can clean the blades of your garbage disposal and make your whole kitchen smell fresh and clean with the help of a few chunks of lemon peel. Learn how to use lemon peels and vinegar to make disposal-cleaning lemon and vinegar ice cubes that will eliminate odors and clean the blades.
4. Ant-Proof Your Kitchen
Scatter small pieces of lemon peel along thresholds, windowsills, and near any cracks or holes where ants or pests may be entering your home. Ants don’t like lemon and will be deterred by it. (This also works with roaches and fleas too.)
5. Simmer On Your Stovetop
Along with cloves, cinnamon sticks, and orange peels, lemon rind makes a wonderfully fragrant addition to a simmering stovetop potpourri. Not only is it a great way to make your home smell nice, but it helps restore moisture to dry air too!
Related: This Is The Best Way To Make Your Home Smell Like Christmas
6. Remove Stains From Coffee Cups
Put a section of lemon peel into a stained coffee mug and add water. Let it sit for several hours, then wipe with a cloth. The stains should disappear.
7. Lemon Dust Cloths
With a few lemon peels, some olive oil, and a bit of vinegar, you can make a jar of lemon dusting cloths that grab onto dust and leave behind a fresh, clean scent. These cloths makes my least favorite chore a lot more pleasant!
8. Freshen Your Refrigerator
Cut lemon in half and stash it in your fridge to absorb any lingering food odors.
9. Clean Your Kettle
For mineral deposit build up in your tea kettle, fill the kettle with water, add a handful of thin slices of lemon peel, and bring the water to a boil. Remove from heat (or turn off) and let the kettle sit for an hour, then drain and rinse well.
To clean a coffee pot, add ice, a splash of white vinegar, and a handful of sliced lemon rind to the empty pot. Swish and swirl for a minute or two, then dump and rinse.
10. Clean Your Microwave
Add lemon rinds to a microwave-safe bowl filled halfway with water. Cook on high for 5 minutes, allowing the water to boil and the steam to condense inside. Carefully remove the hot bowl and wipe away the condensation and loosened grime with a damp towel.
More Ideas You'll Love
Related: How To Clean A Microwave With AND Without Vinegar
11. Polish Chrome, Copper, Brass & Stainless Steel
Cut through mineral deposits on chrome fixtures by rubbing them with a previously-juiced half of a lemon, then lightly buff with a soft cloth. Brighten copper, brass, or stainless steel by dipping a previously-juiced lemon half in salt (or baking soda and cream of tartar) and rubbing it on the affected area, letting it sit for 5 minutes, then rinsing with warm water before polishing with a dry cloth.
12. Makeshift Humidifier
If your home suffers from dry heat in the winter, put lemon peels in a pot of water and simmer on the lowest stove-top setting to humidify and scent the air.
13. Refresh Cutting Boards
The antibacterial properties of lemons make them a good choice for refreshing cutting boards. After disinfecting give the surface a rub with a halved lemon, let sit for a few minutes, and rinse. You can remove stains from cutting boards as well, with just half a lemon, salt, and sunshine!
14. Use The Zest In Food And Drinks
Zest is simply grated citrus peel, and you can use it fresh, dried, or frozen. If you don’t have a zester, use the smallest holes of a box grater. To dry zest, spread it on a towel and leave out until dried, then store in a jar. To freeze, use a freezer-safe container. Use zest in salads, marinades, baked goods, grain dishes, etc.
For lemon twists, use a vegetable peeler or a knife to cut a lemon peel into long strips, cutting away the bitter white pith and storing in a freezer-safe container or bag. Add them to cocktails, sparkling water, or tap water!
15. Make Lemon Powder
Using the method for lemon twists described above, dry the strips skin-side down on a plate for 3-4 days, then use a blender or spice grinder to turn it into a powder. Use the powdered peel in place of extract or zest in recipes, add it to pepper to make a great lemon pepper, or add to sugar as a delicious addition to drinks or homemade cookies.
16. Make Candied Lemon Peel
Candied lemon peels can be eaten plain, or dipped in melted chocolate, used in cake, cookie, candy, or bread recipes.
17. Create A Lemon Sugar Scrub
A lemon sugar scrub not only smells delightful, it brightens and softens your skin as well. All you need is some sugar, chopped lemon peel, and enough olive oil to make a paste. Use your DIY lemon sugar scrub before shaving or showering for silky smooth skin.
18. Soothe Travel Sickness
Suck on a piece of lemon skin to soothe a queasy stomach and overcome feelings of nausea.
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19. Make Fire Starters
Bake discarded orange or lemon peels until they darken to turn them into natural, fragrant fire starters.
20. Clean Your Grater
Remove dried food from your grater by rubbing with the pulp side of a cut lemon.
21. Trash Can Deodorizer
Throw a few lemon peels in the bottom of your garbage can from time to time to keep it smelling fresh.
For even more lemon-scented tips and tricks, check out these 22 uses for lemons.
Looking For More Posts Like This?
- I’ve written dozens of blog posts about creative alternative uses for everyday items, and now there’s a quick and easy way to peruse them!
- Check out all of my “Uses For” posts here.
Do you have a favorite use for lemon peels?
