Woman shares surprisingly simple tip for completely deodorizing your home: 'This is genius'

You don't have to spend loads of money buying different kinds of cleaning products or candles. One TikToker, Laura (@LauradeBarra), shared a simple trick she's used to get rid of smells in her many rental properties before, using something most people have in their kitchens: lemons.

The scoop

"It's literally as simple as adding some lemon to water and boiling it," she said as she squeezed lemon juice directly into a small saucepan of water.

@lauradebarra This works so well if you wpuld like to rid a room of any odour you dont like #cleaning #cleaninghack #badsmellhack #clean #cleaningtiktok #cleanwithme #cleaningtips #ecocleaning #naturalcleaning #gaffgoddess ♬ original sound - LauradeBarra

Lemon's citric acid content makes lemons an effective natural cleaning product. Citric acid can cut through grease, grime, and mineral deposits, CNET reported. It also helps kill the bacteria responsible for body odor, according to Cleveland Clinic.

"The acidity of the lemon can basically break down molecules in the odor," Laura explained.

Instead of masking the smell with different cleaning products, lemons target the root cause of the odor, thereby eliminating it. If you don't have lemons on hand, "vinegar works as well," Laura said.

She warned not to have the range hood fan on while targeting the odor, as it defeats the purpose of targeting the odor molecules. However, turning the fan on can help loosen the grease and grime in the range hood for a deep cleaning afterward. 

How it's helping

Natural cleaning products like lemon and white vinegar are cheap alternatives to popular cleaning products. People have used lemons to clean ovens, sinks, wooden cutting boards, and dishwashers.

They clean effectively without the added harmful chemicals that cause dangerous health problems, including respiratory and reproductive issues.

Store-bought cleaning products, like air fresheners, also typically come in single-use plastic containers that are meant to be thrown out after use. DIY natural cleaning products, like a lemon juice simmer pot, can help reduce the amount of plastic garbage around the home, minimizing plastic consumption that contributes to landfill waste and microplastic pollution. 

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What everyone's saying

TikTok users were thrilled to learn about this cleaning hack, with some sharing their experiences of using citrus fruits for controlling odors.

"This is genius," one user wrote.

"I always put a pot of boiling lemon water on while frying food. It just seems to trap the smell," another commenter shared.

"Even sliced lemons in smelly areas draw the bad odours. Spilt milk in my car and it worked in a day," a third user shared.

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