Easily keep your kitchen organized and clean with a few simple tips. Did you know that much of the grease and grime that builds up in a kitchen can be removed with a natural cleaner such as fresh lemon? The natural acidity found in lemon is ideal for cleaning grimy cooking surfaces, deodorizing refrigerator odors, and even freshening up your sink drain. You can easily keep your lemons and other produce fresh in Rubbermaid FreshWorks storage containers, designed to maximize the life of fresh produce. I’m excited to share how!
This post was written by me on behalf of SheSpeaks/Rubbermaid®. All opinions are my own.
Keep Lemons and Produce Fresh with Rubbermaid FreshWorks
I’ve often purchased lemons, only to have them dry out and become unusable after a week or so. If you like buying lemons in bulk (which I do) it’s helpful to store them in an airtight container to maximize the life of your fresh produce.
Rubbermaid FreshWorks produce saver is cleverly designed to keep produce fresh up to 80% longer* than traditional store packaging. These storage containers have an inner CrispTrayTM that provides a space at the bottom of the container so your fresh produce doesn’t touch any moisture or condensation that can build up. If you rinse your produce, the CrispTray allows any extra moisture to drain without touching your fruits and veggies. The airtight lid is easy to take on and off and these Rubbermaid FreshWorks containers come in 6 sizes so you can store a variety of fresh produce.
*Based on strawberries in FreshWorks™ containers vs. store packaging. Results may vary depending upon produce and use.
Rubbermaid FreshWorks produce storage container with inner CrispTray
Rubbermaid FreshWorks in 6 sizes!
FreshWorks keeps produce such as lemons and cucumbers fresher longer using a patented Rubbermaid FreshVentTM technology, which naturally regulates the flow of oxygen and CO2 to create the optimal environment to keep produce nearly as fresh as the day it was picked. The CrispTray at the bottom elevates produce away from moisture and promotes proper airflow to help reduce spoilage.
- Reduces Waste: FreshWorks minimizes wasted produce by extending the life of your fruits and veggies and reducing spoilage.
- Saves Money: Americans waste $24 billion worth of produce every year because of spoilage, an average of $192 per household.**
- Easy to Use: Simply move produce from store packaging and into a FreshWorks container before refrigerating. The lid filter lasts a lifetime, no replacements needed.
- Dishwasher safe.
- Made in the USA and BPA-free.
- Available in six sizes to hold all types of produce!
For best results, don’t cut or rinse your fresh produce before storing in FreshWorks and make sure to remove existing produce packaging. You can easily store lettuce, green peppers, cucumbers, berries, and lemons; any produce ingredients you want to have on hand to whip up a fresh stir-fry or gourmet salad.
** Source: USDA 2014
Use Fresh Lemons for Cooking & Cleaning
Fresh lemons are useful for so many things. Lemon water is delicious to drink. Lemon juice is a zesty addition to steamed broccoli and baked fish. Fresh lemon is also a natural cleaner for grungy sinks, greasy stove tops, and grimy ovens. I use fresh lemon in my cooking and save the squeezed lemon halves to scrub my sink and drain insert before throwing it away. You can also make a natural cleaning spray by combining 1 cup water, 1 cup white vinegar, and 1 lemon (juiced) to spray down your counter tops and refrigerator shelves.
Make Natural Lemon Cleaning Spray
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 lemon (juiced)
Combine ingredients in a spray bottle and generously spray the surface you want to clean. Allow your homemade cleaning spray to sit for a moment and wipe off the surface with a clean hand towel or kitchen towel.
Clean Food Prep Areas with Lemon
Homemade lemon cleaning spray is ideal to clean many areas of your kitchen and it doesn’t leave harmful chemical residue behind in your food prep areas. Lemon cleaning spray is useful to degrease the following areas:
- Countertops
- Stovetops
- Refrigerator shelves
- Cabinet doors and shelves
- Linoleum or tile kitchen floors
- Microwave interiors and doors
- Oven interiors and doors
- Wood cutting boards
Clean your sink — Use the halves of your freshly squeezed lemons to scrub your kitchen sink. To further maximize your lemon cleaning power, you can dip half of a lemon baking soda or salt to make the lemon a bit more abrasive before scrubbing your surfaces clean. Rinse with water and rub the surface dry with a clean kitchen towel.
Garbage disposal getting funky? You can take that just-used lemon and shred it to pieces in the disposal. Fresh lemon will clean any and all moving parts and get your sink garbage disposal smelling super fresh. The smell of fresh lemon in your kitchen is a lovely benefit too!
Scrub your faucet sparkling clean — You can also use lemons to remove hard water stains from your faucet. Lemon pulp can be a little messy but the acidic cleaning agent works well.
Fresh lemon is a great basic kitchen essential for cooking and Eco-friendly cleaning — you can use your fresh lemons for cooking and then scrub your kitchen clean!
Do you have any favorite uses for fresh lemon?
Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 3 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, taking photos and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!
Thanks for the awesome tips. I love using lemon as a natural cleaner and it does wonders in my microwave to eliminate odors.
I love using lemon around the house! My favourite has to be to removing water stains from taps! It’s just so therapeutic!
I always used lemon and baking soda for cleaning my gas stove and kitchen. and it’s pretty cool and safe. Than using any chemicals that harm our health
I love everything lemon scented! Especially in the kitchen and my bathrooms. I love the fresh scent. Lemon is really great for your skin as well!
I’ve been using lemon and baking soda also for cleansing in a kitchen. Very cheaper and easy to do. No chemicals that harm us.
I have heard that tip before but had forgotten about it… also how cute are those boxes. I need ALL of them.
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These are really some great ideas. I’m going to try the cleaning recipe.
I’m totally trying this lemon trick out!! I clean my cutting board with lemon and baking soda with dish soap but I never thought of this!
I need to try that lemon spray! I knew lemons worked well with deodorizing and preserving some foods, but I never thought of making it into a spray!
Those containers seem really helpful, especially because of the different sizes & eco-friendly. I don’t eat lemons, but I should still keep them around to use for cleaning. I do use lemon essential oils pretty often.
Hi Katie Im one of the people who rush to the shops as soon as my washing up,cleaning up or whatever detergent is out. Thanks for sharing this post,it make me feel guilty in a way, all the half used lemons always landing in the bin but then,I did not… Read more »
I do love lemons for so many reasons, I also like to use them on my skin as a scrub. I didn’t know about keeping them in air tight containers to make them last longer, that is really great advice! I also like to use them for cleaning 🙂
Definitely going to check out the Freshworks containers. I like to buy produce when it’s on sale but an often disappointed when it goes bad before I have a chance to use it. If I can just get a couple more days of mileage out of my produce these containers… Read more »
You are so correct! Been using this method for many years now. It really is so effective, cleans better than that supermarket soap I used to use. Putting some lemon in your fridge is a plus, I’ve never had a stinking, moldy fridge ever again. Love reading you point of… Read more »
I’m always looking for natural cleaning solutions so when my children want to help out I don’t have to fear them ingesting nasty chemicals. Maybe a little vinegar or lemon but at least it won’t chanc making them ill.
What a great natural cleaning element! I bet it smells amazing too, and is affordable. Chemicals are so rough on us, that this is a great alternative!
I love lemon for many things. Growing up we always used to put the peels in the fridge for a fresh smell and I used to love it.
Fresh lemons are the best. We’re really luck to have a huge lemon tree in our back yard so we have a constant supply of all natural cleaning products ready to be used at anytime.
Great tips, The only thing I been doing so far is putting the lime, oranges and lemons peels on the sink, that eliminate odors
I have been using lemon and baking soda for many of my DIY cleaning and it is cost saving too.