The lemon is arguably one of the most adaptable fruits available today. It's likely that you use freshly squeezed lemon juice in one or more of your do-it-yourself projects.
But by throwing away lemon peels, you are actually missing out on a lot. Lemon, orange, and other citrus fruit rinds, along with their juice, have multiple uses.
Here are 20 amazing uses for lemon peels you probably didn’t know!
1. Culinary Uses
You’ll discover several techniques in this list where lemon peels can be prepared for eating purposes.
However, the culinary uses of lemon peels are actually much more extensive than those mentioned. Typically, you’ll find that lemon can be used as an ingredient for numerous dips, sauces, garnishing, and the like.
Following are some of the things you can do with lemon peel combined with other ingredients:
- Citrus soy vinegar dipping sauce
- Lemon and rosemary compound butter
- Lemon zest
- Citrus spice seasoning salt
2. Lemon Gratings
Lemon peels are edible and there are several ways of introducing them in your diet.
Another technique is by freezing the peels and grating them into really tiny pieces. When you’re done, sprinkle them all over your food and eat as you wish!
The citrus zest actually lends a fruity taste to the meal that lets you enjoy your food better. Note though that the pits are bitter so make sure those are scraped off before freezing.
3. Lemon Ice Cubes
Try making ice cubes from lemon infused water.
Fill a pot with hot water and just dump all your lemon peels inside, leaving it for an hour until you’re sure the lemon is completely infused in the water.
Use this for your juices and you’ll enjoy a completely different taste for each mixture.
4. Skin Toner
After a hard day outdoors, grab some lemon peels and gently rub them on your face, carefully squeezing the peel so that a bit of juice will come out.
This not only tones the skin, it also helps brighten the surface and clean the pores. Wash out with warm water afterwards and enjoy the new smoothness of your face!
5. Whitens Teeth
When you’re off to a big event, a white, sparkling smile is always an asset!
Just rub the inner portion of lemon peel on your teeth to get an instant shine! Note though that this can cause damage to the enamel and may make your teeth sensitive so don’t do this often!
Reserve it for occasions when you’ll need a really bright smile.
6. Remove Age Spots
Lemon holds a whitening effect from its vitamins and minerals, which is why it’s included in many skin care products today.
You can rub the citrus rinds on the surface of your skin where age spots and uneven skin tone is apparent. Do this on a daily basis and pretty soon, your skin should look perfectly even.
7. Hair Lightening
You can also use lemon peels as a hair lightener. Just scrub the inner portion to your hair to create a lighter shade of color – perfect for brunettes who want their locks to look a little more blond or brown.
8. Tea Lemon Peels
Yes, you can make tea from lemon peels, and it’s delicious to boot! To do this, just dry the lemon peels and use them for tea the way you would dry leaves.
For those who want the drying done quickly, an oven should be able to do the job at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Store them in a cool and dry place afterwards to be used for lemon peel tea making whenever you wish!
9. Simmering Water
Let’s say you’re cooking something on the pot and the water is just simmering.
Place some lemon peels on top of the pot and this will bring about a sweet smelling scent all over the room! This would be better than the vanilla technique!
10. Lemon Soak
Boil lemon peels in water and add olive oil and almond milk into the mix. Pour in some cold water to make the temperature more bearable for your feet. Soak and enjoy the experience of the lemon oil – but is actually the combination of ingredients that will help your feet relax and soften the skin.
11. Hard Water Stains
If your faucet or sink is stained with white materials coming from hard water, it’s time to do a completely clean up!
Freshly peeled lemons will take care of the problem – just rub them on the surface of the stainless steel to remove the white covering. Note though that if it has been there long, you might need to repeat the process several times.
The good news is that lemon peel makes the faucet shine so make sure to rub it all over!
12. Anti Dandruff
Rub lemon peel all over your scalp, making sure that it reaches problematic areas where dandruff typically comes out. Do this repeatedly for several days or even weeks until the problem is resolved.
13. Ant Pests
Is your home constantly being invaded by ants, roaches, and fleas?
Lemon peels are their natural enemy – somehow, these pests do not really like the smell of lemon and will avoid it at all costs.
Try placing some of the lemon peels in areas where these pests tend to hang out or whatever passage they use to enter your home.
Of course, you can always spray some lemon juice on these areas but this can harm the paint in your walls! Lemon peel would be a safer option.
14. All-Purpose Cleaner
Works by removing grease and bacteria, lemon rinds are as effective as lemon juice for all around household cleaning.
Just soak the peel in water for about two weeks together with white vinegar. Once the two weeks is over, combine one part of the lemon-vinegar mix with one part water and just start cleaning all over the house with this concoction!
This works best for glass windows, effectively getting rid of any grease and stains on the surface.
15. Dog and Cat Repellant
If you have a garden that seems to be a favorite spot of dogs and cats, using lemon peels can help deter them from ravaging the vegetables.
Just combine some old coffee grounds with lemon peel and scatter them around your plants. The combination of these two scents will prevent animals from coming plus, it also works as an organic fertilizer for your plants!
16. No More Fruit Browning
If you’re the type of person who constantly wants ready-cut fruits for making shakes, then lemon-peel soaked water would be very useful addition.
Just combine lemon peels and water, place cut-up fruit parts inside and keep them in the fridge for as long as needed! This prevents them from browning plus, it actually gives a citrusy taste to your shake.
17. Kettle, Coffee Pot, and Coffee Mugs
Lemon peel has been known for its ability to remove stains resulting from coffee, tea, and other beverages. To use them, just fill your coffee pot with water, add some lemon peels and turn it on.
The combination of heat and lemon peels should release acid that melts the stain and lets you pour it out later. Follow the same principle with the kettle and mugs.
18. Remove Pet Stains
Cats and dogs can get dirty after a day of just playing and lazing under the sun. When you notice dirt spots however, there’s no need to give them a full-on bath.
Just rub the lemon peel on their fur and this should get rid of the problem. This works wonderfully well for white fur, giving your pets an excellent shine.
19. Deodorizer
Lemon peels are also a great way to remove bad smells in your dishwasher and fridge. Just add a few of the peels inside and do what you usually do.
Adding the lemon not only removes the smell but replaces it with a clean and fresh scent. This also works for your garbage disposal, garbage can, and anywhere else where a stink happens to be pervasive.
20. White Fingernails
If you need a quick way to clean your fingernails, rub the inside of the lemon peel on them for a fresher look. This also works well on your feet and should keep you flip-flop ready.
