Use all the parts of citrus fruits to add flavor, cleanliness to your home


Here’s THE DEAL

Elaine Morris Roberts

After the baking is finished or the party punch made, there are often the remains of oranges, lemons, limes — and even grapefruits — that can be put to many other good uses.

If you’ve juiced citrus fruit and have halves remaining, don’t toss them. They can be used in many ways to clean and freshen your home. You can even serve dessert from them.

• Stud orange halves with a few cloves, wrap in cheesecloth and hang to freshen a room or keep moths out of a closet.

• Grind citrus remains through the garbage disposal to get rid of stale odors.

• Add half a lemon to the dishwasher load for sparkling, spot-free, clean smelling dishes.

• Place half a lemon or an orange in a dish can help freshen a room.

• Polish copper by rubbing it with a lemon juice soaked cloth and buffing it dry.

• Rub lemon on your faucets and porcelain to remove lime scale, hard water stains, and soap residue.

• Rub citrus halves on cutting boards, kitchen sinks, stovetops and countertops the kitchen surface, letting some of the leftover juices and skin oils loosen the dirt and help remove stains. Rinse or wipe clean with a damp cloth.

• Freeze juiced citrus shells (oranges and grapefruits work best) for use as a decorative bowl. After juicing, scoop out the remaining pulp and cut a thin slice from the bottom to make a flat base. Freeze. When you’re ready to use them, pull out of the freezer and fill with pudding, ice cream or sorbet, garnish with mint leaves and serve with cookies.

If you have citrus peels remaining, try some of these tips around the house — or in your teacup.

• Place dried citrus peels inside cheesecloth or a used dryer sheet. Use as sachets in drawers, closets and even the car to keep things from smelling musty.

• Add dried citrus peels to your favorite cup of tea or chai tea. Place peels on a baking sheet in a 200 degree oven until dry, then store in an air-tight container.

• Simmer citrus peels with cinnamon and star anise or cloves to make the house smell wonderful. Or, place orange peel and broken cinnamon sticks on a cookie sheet inside a warm over. Leave the oven door ajar until the oven cools.

• Use citrus peels as a fire-starter and to add a nice fragrance as your wood burns. Slightly dried peels work best, so leave the peels in a bowl on the counter for a couple of days before you use them.

• Make an orange peel birdfeeder. If you peeled an orange in a circular pattern – creating one long twisty strand – cover it with peanut butter and birdseeds, then hang it in the backyard.

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