A TikTok went viral after sharing an environmentally friendly method to degrease kitchen areas.
The video created by Love of Earth Co. (@loveofearthco), a content creator and shop focused on zero waste, shared the hack to show a cost-effective yet sustainable option to beat a greasy kitchen. If you have stubborn grime, this hack eliminates it.
@loveofearthco 🍋 HACKS! Like & comment for part 2!👀🌟 #zerowaste #zerowasteliving #allnaturalcleaner #allnaturalcleaning #ecofriendlyliving #ecoliving ♬ Chill Vibes - Tollan Kim
The scoop
To get started, you'll need a lemon wedge, new or old. Preferably, using up an old wedge gives the lemon another life before getting tossed. Taking the interior side first, begin scrubbing the greasy surface, using the harder peel side for tougher grime.
The acid from the lemon breaks up tough grease in nearly every part of the kitchen. After showcasing the lemony-clean results from the stove and sink, the voiceover mentions, "I even use it on my backsplash because that thing gets so dirty."
Once the lemon takes the grease, the video shows how to use a wet rag afterward to ensure nothing feels sticky. For the sink, in particular, rinsing with water and buffing it out with a dry rag leaves a clean finish.
How it's helping
For those who already have an old lemon in the fridge, this hack saves time and money from costly degreasers that can take a while to work. However, there's a bigger health benefit to using environmentally friendly degreasers like lemons.
Chemicals in industry, solvent-based degreasers are non-biodegradable, absorbed in the ground, and cause irreparable damage to the environment and human health, especially when airborne. Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs, are also often common in traditional degreasers and can form smog in the atmosphere if combined with combustion emissions.
Opting for degreasers like an old lemon wedge gives us a clean without hazards to our health or the environment around us. Plus, it allows a lemon that would've gone straight to the trash to gain usage.
What everyone's saying
Numerous people comment with their own experiences cleaning with leftover lemons under the post, with one Tiktok user sharing, "We put them in the disposal, and the plumber said we had the cleanest and nicest smelling sink ever lol."
Another user adds, "I put them in the dishwasher so it smells nice."
The end of the video goes on to say that the used lemon still has life even after getting the job done, leaving many users commenting to ask for a "part 2."
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