One of my favorite things about winter time is the abundance of citrus. Citrus is the perfect thing to be in season during the long winter months because it is very refreshing and uplifting. It doesn’t get much better than the nice pop of lemon in a creamy chicken piccata, but there is so much more to citrus!

Rather than throwing away the peels, there are so many uses for them. Here is a round-up of some of the best citrus hacks for you to use this winter:

REPEL BUGS

Did you know that bugs do not like citrus? You can cut up your citrus peels and place them in corners, near doors, windows, or really anywhere that bugs are likely to find a way in. This works to repel ants, fleas, and cockroaches.

GARBAGE DISPOSAL CLEANER

Toss lemon, lime, or orange skins into the disposal before turning it on. The oils and juice from the peels will help clean and deodorize the inner walls.

DEODORIZER

Not only can the peels help deodorize your garbage disposal, it can help deodorize other places around your house. Put your citrus peels in your fridge, in the dishwasher, or in the bottom of your trash can to help bug down on bad odors.

CLEAN YOUR MICROWAVE

I have always put vinegar and water in a bowl and heated it up in the microwave for about 5 minutes as an amazing and quick way to easily wipe down the microwave. The only downside to this was the stinky vinegar smell after that fills the whole house. Instead, I’m going to start using citrus peels with my water and it will instead fill the house with a cleansing and refreshing smell, but still cuts the grease the same as the vinegar. Imagine that!

POLISH

You can actually polish some of your fancy metal items naturally with lemon peels. Put sea salt on your metal objects, then scrub them with a lemon peel. When you’re done, just rinse the object off and buff it until it shines.

DEEP CLEAN YOUR HANDS

Sometimes you get those super stubborn stains on your hands that no amount of soap seems to get off. Lemon peels to the rescue! Try scrubbing the stained area with a lemon peel and watch the citric acid scrub the stain away. If the citric acid leaves your hand tingling, just wash your hands with normal soap and water.

I cook a ton with garlic. If a recipe calls for 2 cloves of garlic--that means 5 or 6 to me :) However, that definitely leaves my hands smelling very strongly of garlic. If I want to get rid of that smell, this same method with lemon peels works beautifully.

BROWN SUGAR SAVER

Do you have a bag of hardened brown sugar? Add an orange peel to soften it overnight or add a peel to new bags to prevent future hardening.

COFFEE STAINS--GONE FOREVER!

Do you have a ring around your favorite mug? Rub the stain with the pithy side (the white side of the peel) of a citrus peel for easy removal. If you’ve got yourself a really stubborn spot, add a pinch of salt to the peel before scrubbing.

What is your favorite way of using leftover citrus peels? Please share any other tips you have in the comments below.