Everyday Uses for Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is a delicious addition to many salads, and it makes a great, refreshing twist on water, but as it turns out, food and drinks aren't the only places lemon juice shines. Check out these awesome ways to use lemon juice in your home and everyday life. Score some holistic living points just by using lemons creatively! 

Refresh Your Kitchen

Lemon juice is actually very useful in refreshing various parts of your kitchen, from your smelly refrigerator to that worn-in cutting board. After removing anything moldy, unusable or just super smelly from your refrigerator, squirt some lemon juice on a cotton ball and let it camp out for a few hours inside. Then enjoy a fresher smell when you open the door. 

This trick works for cutting boards too. If you cook at all (and even if you're raw), you probably use your cutting board for a variety of fruits and veggies, ranging from onions to peppers to ginger to tomatoes...the list goes on. Chances are, no matter how clean your cutting board is, it doesn't smell too good. Lemon juice to the rescue! Just rub a clean cutting board down with half a lemon, or wash it in lemon juice for a kitchen tool that smells like new! An extra perk to this is that lemon juice disinfects as well! No salmonella in this kitchen!

Refresh Your Skin

Lemon juice, with water, can work wonders on your skin. It works like this: lemon water reduces the body's production of free-radicals, the bodily critters responsible for all sorts of age-tattlers, including wrinkles and sunspots. Simply put, reduce these substances in the body, and you reduce your skin's tendency to succumb to fine lines and sun damage. It's as easy as adding a little lemon to your daily agua intake.

Heal Yourself

This one is especially important, since we're heading into fall and winter, the season for colds, sore throats and every other life-hindering ailment one can think of. When you start to see symptoms of bacterial infection (sore throat, cough, etc.) take a few hits of lemon water for quick results. Lemons have a certain anti-bacterial characteristic which makes them super helpful in these situations! Much cheaper than a doctor visit!

Lemon juice is exceptional for detoxification as well. Most of us want to eat a better diet, but many of us don't. And even if we do, there are still a number of toxins that make their way into our bloodstreams on a regular basis. Not a fan of toxic blood? Up your daily lemon water intake to combat this naturally. While you're at it, take note that drinking lemon water also helps keep the digestive system on track, strengthens the immune system, balances out our body's pH balance and so much more! 

Did you have any idea you could do so much with a lemon? And they're some of the most affordable fruits available! Load up on these goodies and keep a collection on hand for staying healthy and keeping a fresh home year round. 

by Anjie Cho


Perks of Apple Cider Vinegar

I'm a huge fan of white vinegar. I use it in almost every non-toxic cleaner I make and also use it to clean my shoes and furniture. It's a very helpful item to have in your holistic home toolbox. But white vinegar isn't the only kind that can be used for various purposes around the home. Check out these holistic hats for apple cider vinegar!

Dandruff Cure

I've yet to meet the person who is a fan of dandruff, but store-bought shampoos, like many popular hygiene products, can include a huge number of chemicals that, while effective on dandruff, may not be so great for the rest of your body. Instead of bringing more toxicity into your home, try mixing equal parts apple cider vinegar and water together in a spray bottle. After shampooing, spray the mixture on your hair, then rinse after about 15 minutes. Twice a week with this all-natural cure is all is takes!

Sunburn Soother

Though we're getting ready to say goodbye to the sun for a while, at least in New York, it will be back, and it will bring its old friend, Sunburn, with it. There may not be anything worse than enduring the pain after spending a little too much time in the sun and not re-applying sunscreen often enough. Trouble putting on clothing? Check. Trouble turning over at night? Check. Excruciating pain at the lightest touch? Check. Using apple cider vinegar at bath time can effectively reduce sunburn symptoms and actually restore the body's pH balance. Just a cup or two is all you need!

Laundry Buddy

Most of us wash our clothing on a regular basis, but sometimes soap and water alone are no match for smelly clothes. Ever pulled your gym clothes from the dryer to find they still smell like yesterday's squats? Have animals who consistently mark "their" territory? Apple cider vinegar to the rescue! Combine one part apple cider vinegar with four parts water for a natural laundry deodorizer. For an average load, 1/2 cup of this mix is enough. 

Vinegar of All Trades

You can even substitute apple cider vinegar for white vinegar in some cases. It works just the same. Try apple cider vinegar as a multi-purpose cleaner, mold-removing agent or coffee-pot scrub. The uses are almost endless! 

Are you already an apple cider vinegar user? What's your favorite non-kitchen use for this miracle substance? If you haven't already tried it out, get to the kitchen, grab a bottle and see what good can come! 

by Anjie Cho


eHow.com Video: How to Use a Food Processor For Leftover Soap Pieces

How to Use a Food Processor for Leftover Soap Pieces

How to Use a Food Processor for Leftover Soap Pieces

Learn how to recycle leftover bits of soap into new, original bars using a food processor

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Video Transcript:

I'm Anjie Cho, and this is how to use a food processor for leftover soap pieces.

I love using bar soap, especially super nice, natural soap. Bar soap is more eco-friendly because you can use less of it and it lasts longer. And you don't have the disposable containers. But you do end up with those leftover soap pieces. I'll show you how to recycle your leftover soap pieces using a food processor.

First, you need a processor, some leftover soap pieces, a saucepan, some oil and a soap molder of some sort. First, grease your soap mold, mine is a glass bowl. You can also use a fancy soap mold or a paper cup.

Second, place all your leftover soap pieces in a food processor and pulse until you have grated soap pieces. Place these in your pan over low heat with just enough water to cover. Here's where you can get creative and use milk, tea, coffee, water, it's up to you.

Milk can give a creamier, moisturizing soap. Different herbal teas can add the benefits of the herbs. Such as peppermint, which is tingly and invigorating. Coffee and caffeinated teas can help wake you up and make your skin firmer. And then, there's water for the purists.

Once you have a smooth texture, take your mixture and let it cool a bit. After it's cooled to the touch, at this point you can add other things such oatmeal, coffee grounds. etc. And you can add some scrubbing power. Or you could just add some essential oils.

Pour it into your mold and cover it with plastic wrap. You can leave it out or put it in the fridge. When it's set after a few hours, you can take it out and let it cure, meaning dry and harden for at least a week. Maybe longer if you used a lot of liquid.

This is a great way to use leftover soap pieces and make a special bar that's all your own.

by Anjie Cho