It is no coincidence that lemon and salt have been the star duo in kitchens for generations. Mixed together, they become a formidable trick. This lemon and salt trick is simple, effective and frankly amazing. What you are about to discover may make you look at these two ingredients in a completely different light.
Have you already transformed your kitchen into an ecological maintenance laboratory? An unlikely duo, the lemon and salt trick, may be hiding in your cupboards, ready to replace half the chemicals in your bathroom. From burnt pans to invading ants, this acidic and abrasive mixture acts like a natural Swiss army knife with no Latin labels to pronounce. A neighbor even swore to me that after trying it, her family silverware sparkled “like something out of a Jane Austen novel.” Intrigued? Here’s how to make the most of this winning combination.
Goodbye stubborn odors, hello lemony freshness
The lemon and salt trick starts with a childish gesture: cut a lemon in half, sprinkle it with salt, and let it sit in your fridge. In a few hours, it absorbs the smells of cheese or fish with the efficiency of an olfactory vacuum cleaner. A friend tried it after a raclette evening: “The next day, it was as if I had changed the appliance.” For stubborn stains, rub the salty pulp directly on the sides of the microwave, goodbye splattered sauce residue. And if you’re looking for a trash can deodorizer? A slice of salted lemon in the bottom of the bin neutralizes odors before they set in.
Clean, shine, and even… repel unwanted guests
The lemon and salt trick doesn’t stop at smooth surfaces. On a frying pan soiled by years of failed pancakes, the duo transforms sticky oil into soapy water. Rub the fleshy side of the salted lemon vigorously, leave it for five minutes, and watch the fat melt away under hot water. The same goes for wooden chopping boards, often stained by onions or beef. As for silverware, a bath of lemon juice and salt on a soft cloth erases years of tarnish. A colleague brought back cutlery she inherited from her grandmother: “It looked like it had just come out of the shop.”
The lemon and salt trick: an unexpected ally against little critters
Ants love picnics, but hate the lemon and salt trick. Sprinkle lightly salted slices near windows or doorways, and watch them go around the obstacle. The lemon disrupts their pheromones, and the salt creates a physical barrier. One internet user even shared a tip for drains: pour a boiling mixture of lemon and salt into the sink to dissolve greasy residue and keep cockroaches away. The result? An apartment that is less welcoming to intruders, without the use of pesticides.
We tend to look far and wide for solutions that are under our noses. This age-old mixture was already used by our grandmothers. You don’t need to be a chemist or a DIY enthusiast to use it in your daily life. You just need to give pride of place back to these ingredients that we thought were only for cooking. Lemon and salt tip: remember these words, they could well become your new household routine. Clean, healthy, simple. Everything we love.
