Most of us are fond of eating citrus fruits given the sweet and refreshing sour taste. Having this in a form of juice and ice is especially popular during hot weather.

However, do you know that citrus fruits such as oranges and lemon can also be useful cleaning agents at home? The main substance in citrus fruit which is often used as a cleaner is basically the limonene. Here we explain why such citrus fruits can be used as a powerful cleaning agent.

What is Limonene?

This is a natural compound that is commonly found in the skin of some fruits and plants. Some examples of this would be in oranges or lemons. This is used in cleaning products for two reasons. First they have a pleasant lemon-orange aroma and both of them function as solvents to help cleanse your whole house.

This material comes from a large family of natural substances called terpenes, has no colour and is of relatively low toxicity. However, when it reacts with ozone in the air, it undergoes changes that release a small amount of other compounds, including formaldehyde.

Lemon as a Cleanser

If you have ever bitten a lemon, you will know how sour it tastes.

Chemically, what your tongue means as an acid is citric acid. Lemon is quite acidic over orange juice and black coffee and this is the key to its effectiveness as a cleaning agent.

Although many types of soap are alkaline (not acidic), acid can be more useful in cleaning. They can remove stains caused by other acids, or combine with alkaline compounds to create strong chemical reactions.

1. Lemon Contains Antibacterial Substances

You may or may not know that lemon is a powerful antibacterial. Its acidity creates a hostile environment for many types of bacteria, including those that cause many diseases in humans such as salmonella and E. coli bacteria.

It is important to note, that not all pathogens or bad bacteria can be killed using this lemon substance on all pathogens or bacteria. Some of them don’t even disappear and only make this pathogen inactive.

2. Lemon Can Eliminate Stains

Many things can tarnish clothing, including coffee, lipstick, paint, and acidic sweat. Just like ordinary solvents, the colour that attaches this requires acidic water-based solutions and the same principle applies to food-stained surfaces such as cutting boards, plates or bowls.

Lemon juice can also remove alkaline “stains” such as crust, calcareous white matter that often accumulate on water equipment or in sinks and bathtubs, and of course can remove rust. The acidity of lemon juice reacts with the impurities (calcium carbonate) or rust (iron oxide) to soften and dissolve deposits.

3. Lemon Can Neutralize Odour

Some types of bad odours (such as the residual aroma from cooking fish or vegetables that rot in the trash) that are alkaline can be removed using lemon which can cause acidity that neutralizes even the bad smell.

If the aroma comes from one place, such as a landfill, try putting a piece of lemon there. If the smell comes from the sink, squeeze the lemon and spill the lemon juice to make your sink fragrance again and fresh.

If the whole room smells unpleasant or foul-smelling, try boiling lemon peel to get fragrant acid to get rid of the bad smell in the air. Another powerful tip to get rid of odour is to rub the lemon on your fingers after holding garlic to prevent the stench from sticking.

Lemon is a great helper for house cleaning agent.