There are a lot of great cleaning products on the market today that are less harmful to the environment and still effective. However if you want to really stick to the basics here are some tips to help get a sparkling clean kitchen using only our favourite citrus mate, lemon.

• If you want to clean your stovetop, mix together 2 tbsp of lemon juice with 2-3 tbsp baking soda to make a sort of paste. Apply the paste to the stove top and rub down with a warm, damp cloth. Make sure the cloth is not too abrasive and won’t scratch any ceramic surface.

• To remove smells from your fridge, quarter a lemon and place in a small bowl. Chuck a pinch of salt on to the lemon as well as a couple tsp of baking soda and let sit in the fridge for at least 3 (up to 5) days.

• To give your dishwasher a once-over, mix 2 tbsp of lemon juice and 1 cup of white vinegar together. Pour directly into the bottom of your empty dishwasher and run for one cleaning cycle.

• To help clean the inside of your microwave mix together 2 tbsp of lemon juice and 2 cups of water in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high for 2 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool down then use it to clean the inside of the microwave.

• To rid the inside of your oven from greasy grime, mix two tbsp. of liquid dish soap and two tbsp. lemon juice with 1 pint water. Apply the mixture to inside of oven and leave for one hour. Then rub down with an oven safe scouring pad.

Tags: Appliance Cleaning, Lemon for Cleaning