thrifty-lemon One of the most popular posts on Miss Thrifty is the Make Do and Mend post, which features some of the choicest nuggest from the Ministry of Information’s wartime compendium of household tips. Those nice people at John Lewis have just published their updated take on this book. Sadly they haven’t sorted out their online PR and I can’t find a link to the book anywhere, but the Daily Mail ran a selection of its tips today.

Two of the ideas that caught my eye featured that most useful of fruits: the lemon. Lemons are what, 22 pence each? If you are like me, you will cut one into wedges for fish, or into slices for boozy drinks – but there will often be some left over. Leave it in the salad drawer or on the fridge shelf and it withers away. So here are some of my favourite ideas for leftover lemons:

  1. Rub chopping boards with a cut lemon to banish lingering onion or fish smells.
  2. To remove lingering smells from your microwave, put half a lemon in a bowl of water and heat on low power for a couple of minutes. (These first two tips are from the John Lewis book.)
  3. Do what Frugal Grandma does: squish leftover lemon wedges against the bases of your bathroom taps and remove them after an hour or so. The citric acid dissolves limescale.
  4. Don’t waste a whole lemon if you only need a drop. Stick a skewer into the lemon and squeeze out the juice you need. Wrap the lemon in foil and keep it in the fridge. (From the original Make Do And Mend.)
  5. Deodorant! My first job after university was at a very swish fashion magazine. The glamorous beauty editor did a fine line in luxury spas and the like; when it came to deodorant, however, she swore by the humble lemon. Every day she cut a slice and rubbed it under her arms. According to this beauty editor, it isn’t sticky and works just as well as factory chemical deodorant. (Another advantage is that unlike factory chemical deodorant, lemon doesn’t contain potentially harmful neurotoxins.) I must admit that I had forgotten all about this until I came to write this post; reckon I should give it a go! I shall report back…
  6. Cleaning copper cookware. Slather a lemon wedge with salt – and begin scrubbing! It works well and is cheaper than the abrasive, smelly gunk sold as commercial copper cleaner.

Any other tips to add? Let us know in the comments.

UPDATE: If you like shiny shiny saucepans, please also see Frugal Grandma’s thrifty lemon tips, which have a cookware theme.

Image credit: James Bowe.

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