By AUDREY ENJOLI
Run A Used Lemon Through Your Dishwasher For Extra Cleaning
Placing a leftover lemon peel or wedge on the top rack of your dishwasher can result in shiny, speck-free dinnerware because lemons have a natural compound called citric acid.
Besides giving citrus fruits their signature bitter taste, citric acid has powerful cleaning properties. For this reason, it's also commonly used in household cleaning products.
In the case of the dishwasher trick, the acid helps deodorize your machine and get rid of pesky limescale. A clean dishwasher, in turn, ensures your dishes will come out sparkling.
Citric acid tackles mold and mildew by lowering the bacteria’s pH levels. It’s a natural de-greaser that binds with the metal ions that cause limescale buildup.
By binding with those ions, citric acid effectively helps prevent them from forming those clumpy deposits that can end up leaving a film on dishes during a wash cycle.
However, be sure to remove the lemon seeds to avoid clogging the pipes, and note that the acid may tarnish metal items like silverware and fade patterned dishware if used too much.