Did you use lemons as a holiday centerpiece? Are you now wondering what to do with an enormous pile of the fruit? You could eat an ocean of fish, drink lethal amounts of espresso, or you could usher in the new year with this natural whitening tip from Martha Stewart Living:
To whiten cloth napkins, linens, and even socks, fill a large pot with water, and drop in several slices of lemon. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Add the linens, and let them soak for about an hour. Then launder as usual.
Have you experimented with this citrus trick? Jump down to share your results and to find out one of our concerns...
Boiling white cotton should be fine. I actually pour a pot or two of hot water from my electric tea kettle into the washing machine sometimes to help get things whiter and cleaner. In the old days, people boiled their clothes to get them cleaner so its not a new concept. Today's garments aren't always contructed as well as they could be, but in my experience, boiling hot water hasn't hurt my whites a bit.
view rose's profile
If you let the water cool to warm would it still work? That could get around adding linens to super hot water.
Another use for old lemons is a natural flea repellent and skin toner for your pet. Bring 1 pint of water almost to a boil. Add 1 thinly sliced lemon. Let it steep overnight. Next day, remove the lemon and either sponge liquid on pet's skin or put it in a spray bottle and spray on pet's skin (have to get it down to the skin, not on top of fur to be effective).
view monroe's profile