Top 5 Uses for Lemon in Laundry & Clothing Care

There are some excellent uses for lemon juice in laundry and clothing care and tons of other applications. Check out our favorite 5 lemon juice tips in laundry and clothing care.

1. Bleach Alternative
If you feel like your whites aren’t clean unless they come out smelling faintly of swimming pool, then you’ll be happy to know that a little old lemon is a great bleach alternative. Not to mention, it smells a lot better. The citric acid in lemons helps to break down stains and get those dingy whites back to bright. And unlike bleach, lemon juice is safe for colors, too. Just add one cup of lemon juice to your wash load. See other methods here.

2. Eliminate Rust Stains
Boil some water in a tea kettle or on the stove and wet the rust stain with lemon juice. Hold the stained area directly over the steam for a few minutes, taking care not to get a steam burn. Then just wash the garment as you normally would.

3. Remove Juice Stains
A mixture of 1/3 cup lemon juice with 2/3 cup water will get that juice stain right out. Simply soak the stain in this solution and then wash.

4. Mold and Mildew
A paste of lemon and salt is a great spot treatment for tough mildew stains. Simply apply the paste to the stain, set the item in the sun to dry and then wash as you normally would — preferably in hot water to kill any remaining mold spores.

5. Shoe Shine!
To keep leather shoes in good shape, they need regular cleaning and shining. A soft cloth dampened with lemon juice is great for cleaning your favorite shoes, while leaving them nice and shiny as well.