How To Dry Lemon Peel And 5 Ways To Use It

Why throw away lemon peels when they can be as useful as the lemon itself. Like lemons, lemon peels can also add a citrus flavor to your food with added nutritional benefits.

Lemon peels are rich in vitamin C, potassium, and calcium. They can make your skin glow, and also reduce dark spots and wrinkles. Lemon peels are great cleaning agents due to their antimicrobial properties. These citrus peels can add a refreshing smell to your room, closet or car and remove the bad odor.

Drying lemon peels will help you store them for long, either as a powder or as it is.

How To Dry Lemon Peels?

• Use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to peel the lemon skin.
• For drying the lemon peels, leave the lemon peels at room temperature for a few days till the peels are stiff and dry. Another method to dry it is by placing the lemon peels on a baking tray and leave them in the oven for 2 to 3 hours at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Once the lemon peels are dry, store them in an airtight container. You can also grind them to get a fine powder.

Using Dry Lemon Peels

1. Skin

Lemon peels are rich in vitamin C that can protect your skin from damage caused by the UV light, and de-tan your skin.¹ As an antioxidant, vitamin C gives your skin a natural glow and can also reduce sun burns. Pectin and antioxidants in lemon peels can make your skin firm and remove wrinkles and fine lines. Dry lemon peels are also effective in reducing dark spots, and acne by cleansing the oily skin.

To reap the skin benefits of dry lemon peels, use the dry lemon peel power to make face packs and scrubs.

2. Cleaning

Lemon peels are natural antimicrobial agents.² Dry lemon peel powder can be used to remove stains, kill bacteria and give your house a refreshing smell.

How to use dry lemon peel powder for cleaning: 

• Add 2 tablespoons of lemon peel powder to 1 cup of baking soda and 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide.
• Mix them together and store in a jar or bottle.
• Use this mix to scrub stains around your house or to disinfect.

3. Air Freshener

Not only do fresh lemon peels have a refreshing smell, even dried lemon peels can add a lemony scent and help you get rid of a bad odor. Throwing in some dried lemon peels to your fireplace can give a fresh smell to your room and help the wood burn for a longer time.

Adding some dried peels to your garbage bags or refrigerator can remove the bad smell. You can use the dry lemon peels as a car freshener too.

4. Insect Deterrent

Spread dry lemon peels in your closet, in between your clothes, and in the corners. The strong smell of the dry peels can keep moths, cockroaches, and insects from entering your closet and can also make your clothes smell good.

Unlike pesticides that can lead to health problems, dry lemon peels can be used in any part of the house, without any side effects.

5. Cooking

Dry lemon peel powder can be used in a variety of dishes and even for baking. It can be used in place of lemon zest for the same bitter and sour taste.

You can use it to make candies, as a seasoning, and also to add flavor to your tea. Adding dry lemon peels to cocktails will give it an extra zing. Dry lemon peel powder can be an excellent topping for cookies and pies for an additional texture.