Laundry is one of the most consistent chores of adulthood. But even if you have one of the best washing machines, that doesn’t mean you're doing it the right way. There is a lot of conflicting advice on how to clean clothes most effectively, from whether you need to separate your lights and darks to whether it’s better to use bleach and fabric softener or not.
When the risks include potentially ruining a beloved item of clothing, it is understandable why so many of us stick to our tried-and-tested systems. But, there’s a fail-safe option that is probably in your kitchen right now, that could improve the quality of your laundry routine immediately: lemons.
Lemons are acidic citrus fruits and therefore surprisingly effective at lifting stains, brightening whites and killing bacteria. They’re also entirely natural and sustainable compared to most laundry detergents; many chemical products in the market promise to make clothes cleaner, fresher and brighter than before, but they involve harsh ingredients that can be toxic to humans. Many commercial cleaners can also be expensive and their different applications mean you may find yourself buying a range of different products just for the simple task of washing your linens.
So, if you want to give your laundry a little boost, consider skipping the cleaning aisle to see what fresh lemons could do for you. Here are some clever tips.
1. Keep your whites bright
Bleach is the most obvious and common choice when it comes to getting your white clothes as bright and unblemished as possible. However, this chemical can cause damage to colorful items and is toxic for humans, so must be stored safely in the home.
Lemons, meanwhile, are incredibly effective at brightening up whites, without the concerns of color-bleeding or toxins that bleach poses. This is because lemons have a high volume of citric acid, which is able to break down the stains on clothing and lift them from the fabric. Simply by adding half-a-cup to a cup of lemon juice to your laundry, alongside your regular detergent, you can get the benefits of bleach without any of the dangerous chemicals or the sharp smell. In fact, you may find yourself enjoying the light citrusy scent that perfumes your clothes. Just be careful to do a spot test on any precious items to ensure that the material won’t react adversel
2. Soften fabric
Fabric softeners are a newer product for an age-old concern: wanting our clothes to be as soft and gentle against the skin as possible. Using harsh cleaners, combined with hard water or rough tumble drying, can leave clothes feeling scratchier and heavier. While you can buy a separate softener treatment for your laundry, why not try using lemon juice instead?
When mixed in with the rinse cycle of your washing machine, the acidity of the lemons is able to break down any grime or dirt that may have caused the fabric to stiffen. The pleasant aroma of lemons is also a natural replacement for any of the synthetic perfumes that are often included with commercial fabric softeners.
3. Remove detergent residue
Although laundry cycles tend to finish with a rinse cycle to remove any lingering cleaning products, it isn’t uncommon for some detergent to remain on the material surface. This residue may stiffen the fabric, leave discoloration on the material underneath, and even irritate the skin, either due to abrasion or skin sensitivity.
If you or anyone in your household has sensitive skin, then you’ll know the pain of pulling on a favorite item of clothing only to find there’s a layer of itchy chemicals inside. To avoid this risk, consider adding some lemon juice to the rinse cycle. Just as the citric acid breaks down stains, it also removes any detergent remnants that may be stuck to the fibers. The result is cleaner, softer and fresh-smelling clothing.
4. Remove odors
While we wash our clothes to remove the visible dirt and grime, there is also an invisible benefit: the removal of odors. Odors can cling to fabric just as stains can, creating a similarly unappealing effect that hints at general uncleanliness. We all want to smell good, which means wearing clothes that are free of any bad odors – and ideally scented with a pleasant aroma. Many commercial detergents can achieve this, but the fragrances will be synthetic and maybe too powerful for some.
With lemon juice, you can break down the bad odors on the clothes and be left with a light, citrusy scent that isn’t overwhelming. There’s a reason why so many brands chose a lemon scent for their cleaning products: it’s the universal smell associated with freshness and cleanliness. So what could be better than using lemons themselves?
5. Naturally disinfect clothing
Cleaning clothes isn’t just about the superficial aspect; it’s about removing dirt and bacteria that could fester into something foul and potentially harmful. Especially if you have young people in your household, you’ll know how easy it is for clothes to track in germs from the outside.
Lemon juice is a natural disinfectant and therefore a useful tool to kill any bacteria that may be found on your linens, to give you peace of mind. The acidity of lemon juice and therefore its low pH is undesirable to most microbes, who prefer to grow in more moderate conditions. The inhospitable environment created by the lemon juice therefore discourages any bacteria from growing and can even kill any existing microbes. While you shouldn’t replace all your antibacterial products with lemon juice, this is a useful benefit as part of your laundry routine.
6. Combat hard water
Lemon juice is a popular home remedy for hard water deposits on stainless steel fixtures, so it shouldn’t be surprising that it is also effective at combating hard water in the washing machine. Hard water refers to water with a high volume of dissolved minerals in it, which can make soap less effective and lead to build up of cleaning products. This means that washing clothes with hard water can be a real challenge – unless you utilize lemon juice.
The citric acid in lemon juice naturally dissolves these mineral deposits and prevents them from staining clothes, but also allows soap and cleaning products to do their job better. If you have stains inside your washing machine from the hard water, then the lemon juice can also be useful at removing these.
7. Make laundry more sustainable
As mentioned, many current chemical cleaners include powerful agents that are damaging to our health and also to the planet. They may be very effective at removing stains, but these toxins eventually reach the water supply and may contaminate the local environment.
While you can’t replace all your cleaning supplies with lemon juice, using lemon juice to supplement your detergent is a sustainable, natural way to get the results you want from your laundry, without loading up on more chemicals. Even if lemon juice simply reduces the amount of fabric softener you use, this small change will add up to meaningful environmental benefits over time and also reduce your family’s exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
