Believe it or not, lemons are actually a handy tool to clean your home.
By Emily Hsieh

We touched on this earlier when we suggested cleansing your garbage disposal by tossing in leftover lemon wedges, but as it turns out there are plenty more uses for this naturally antibacterial, supremely refreshing fruit around your home.

lemonsCountertops. Squeeze a few drops of juice directly onto stains and scrub with baking soda. Wipe away the mixture with a damp sponge. Don’t do this if you have really delicate, porous marble countertops though—lemon juice is powerful stuff and could cause discoloration.

Copper Pots and Fixtures. When it’s time to give your copper pots or hardware a little love, slice a lemon in half and dip it in some salt before rubbing it on spots.

Faucets. To fight lime scale, apply some lemon juice and let it sit overnight. Wipe away with a wet rag, or use an old toothbrush to slough off any stubborn bits.

Dishes. Adding a little bit of lemon juice (about a teaspoon) to your dishwashing detergent can help boost its grease-cutting power.

Cutting Boards. If you’ve got lingering stains on wood or plastic cutting boards, slice a lemon in half and squeeze juice onto the spots, rub, and let it hang out for 20 minutes before rinsing.