John Myers
Whether as a descaler, stain remover, fabric softener, or cleaning agent: citric acid is a real jack of all trades. And a sustainable one at that – instead of a collection of cleaning agents, you only need this powder in the cardboard box. Here we give you our best tips!
Citric acid: cleaning aid from nature
Citric acid is an extremely useful helper in the household. The white powder can be used both as a descaler and for removing stains, as a fabric softener or cleaning agent. Even if lemons can often be seen on the packaging: Citric acid is an industrially manufactured product that is produced when mold fungi break down sugary molasses or glucose. Citrus fruits are not involved in this. But they were more than 200 years ago when Carl Wilhelm Scheele first extracted the carboxylic acid in pure form from lemon juice. Our grandmothers still used citric acid – because back then there wasn’t a special cleaning agent on the market for every surface and every stain. With a growing awareness of sustainability in everyday life, citric acid is gaining in importance again today: instead of various special cleaners in plastic bottles, a cardboard box with citric acid in powder form is sufficient for many applications (it is also available in liquid form, but then mostly in plastic packaging). Read our best tips on how to use the old home remedy here. We have also put together a list of home remedies that are effective against mold.
Citric acid for descaling and cleaning
Similar to vinegar, citric acid is also great for descaling kitchen appliances, such as cleaning your kettle, bathroom faucets, or a hard water-contaminated drain.
Descale kettles, egg cookers, or coffee machines: Mix 2 to 3 tablespoons of citric acid in 1 liter of water and allow the solution to take effect. Pro tip: Although manufacturers often state otherwise on the packaging, do not overheat the solution. It is better to leave them on cold or lukewarm. Otherwise, new deposits of calcium citrate will form. If the descaling program on your coffee machine causes the water to run through very hot, it is better not to use citric acid for descaling.
Descale the washing machine or dishwasher: Put 6 to 8 tablespoons of citric acid in the empty machine and let the program run through completely at a medium temperature.
Descale the faucet or shower head: Dissolve 1.5 tablespoons of citric acid powder in 250 ml of water and allow the solution to work on the scale – or soak the part in it. Then rinse thoroughly and wipe dry.
Descale the drain: Mix 1.5 teaspoons of citric acid with a little water and pour the mixture down the drain. After an hour, rinse with 1 liter of boiling water.
You can also use citric acid as a cleaning agent, for example for the toilet bowl. Simply spread 3 tablespoons of citric acid in the bowl, leave for a few hours, then brush and rinse. Or for burnt-on pots and pans: Mix 1 tablespoon of the powder with a cup of warm water, leave on the bottom of the pot or pan, then rinse thoroughly.
Citric acid as a fabric softener and stain remover
As a fabric softener: Dissolve 5 to 6 tablespoons of citric acid powder in 1 liter of water and add approx. 50 ml of this to the fabric softener compartment for each wash. Caution: Only use on white laundry, as citric acid has a slightly bleaching effect and is therefore not suitable for colored items.
As a stain remover: The bleaching effect makes citric acid the ideal remedy for sweat or deodorant stains on white T-shirts or shirts. To do this, add 15 g of powder to 1 liter of water and soak the laundry to be cleaned (only for non-sensitive textiles) in it for a few hours. Then wash in the washing machine as usual.
Can you freeze lemon juice?
Freezing fresh lemon juice and thawing it later is easy – we have a guide for you. First, you should strain the juice, then pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it.
How to do it step by step:
- After juicing the lemon, first use a fine sieve. This frees the liquid from the pulp and seeds.
- Then pour the juice into the chambers of an ice cube tray for easy later portioning.
- Ideally, you fill the chambers differently. So put two teaspoons of juice in one and just one in the next. So you have exactly the right amount ready for every recipe.
- Finally, fill the released frozen ice cubes into a frost-resistant container. Finished!
To thaw, either place the ice cubes in the fridge or put them directly into a pan, saucepan or glass.
The Benefits of Freezing Lemon Juice
The simple procedure has several advantages. In this way, when you freeze lemon juice, you preserve both the vitamin C and the unmistakable sour aroma of the sunny yellow fruit for many months. And you save money because you never throw a moldy lemon in the garbage again.
Frozen lemon juice has a shelf life of one year. However, after about six months, the flavor of frozen lemon juice gradually loses intensity.
And speaking of shelf life: Which fruits feel best at room temperature and which types of fruit belong in the fridge? We clarify.
Good to know: If you primarily need lemon juice when cooking, freeze the juice separately. If, on the other hand, you want to preserve lemon zest, simply store the whole lemon in the freezer.
Down to the last drop: juicing tips
Whether for flavoring sweet lemon fondant cakes, as a flavor boost in salads, or as a vitamin bomb in a morning smoothie: lemon juice always works. So if you want to freeze lemon juice for your recipes, be sure to save every last drop of the fruit.
And this is how you are guaranteed to get every milliliter out of the lemon: lemons produce a particularly large amount of juice at room temperature. So put cold fruits in warm water for 30 seconds to warm them up. Also, roll the fruit in advance with pressure over a firm surface. This causes the cell walls to burst and the juice to dissolve more easily.
Citric acid for cooking?
Citric acid occurs naturally in many fruits and is also produced in our bodies. However, it is rarely used on its own in the kitchen. The 5 to 8 percent citric acid contained in fresh lemon juice is sufficient for recipes such as this hot lemon sauce. You can also use the juice of limes instead, read here what distinguishes limes from lemons.
The citric acid powder is only used in some recipes for preserving jams or for making syrup. Then be sure to buy it food grade. Food-grade citric acid is also particularly suitable as a preservative for cosmetics that you have made yourself.
