When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Right? WRONG! When life gives you lemons, start cleaning. There are lots of cleaning benefits to be had from lemons so let's get squeezing now. Firstly, lemons have a deliciously clean, natural aroma. Most cleaning products offer a lemon scent option and this is for good reason. They're simply irresistible. Ooo! Aah!

Secondly, lemons are naturally acidic and can provide some antibacterial properties for cleaning. But beware, the acid can be super powerful so we must take caution when using the lemon juice. Let's not get too wild.

Thirdly, and this may be a bit off topic but must still be mentioned, lemons are a hilarious snack to feed to babies. Watch this for proof.

Now that we have some newfound respect for lemons, let's get practical. How will I use lemons in my everyday life? Here are a few ways:

1) Copper - cut the lemon in half, dip it in some salt, and use it to clean the copper bottoms to your pots and pans or your favorite copper vase. Or pennies! Make Lincoln shine like the brightest star out there.

2) Countertops - drop some lemon juice on countertop stains for a few minutes (no more than 5), and then rub the stains out using baking soda. The lemon's acid combined with baking soda will make the stains magically disappear.

3) Drains - freshen up your kitchen drain with some lemon juice mixed with hot water. We allow all sorts of nastiness to get sent down our drains to the world below, so a freshening up every so often will keep them from developing a stink. I wonder if fish make silly faces if they eat lemons.

4) Bleaching - believe it or not, lemons are powerful enough to act as a bleaching agent. Put lemon juice on stains and allow your clothing to dry in the sun. The stains will be bleached away. You can also apply lemon juice and then wash the garment in cold water for the same results. Clorox, who?

5) Microwaves - I bet you have some food crust in your microwave (meatballs are always guilty of microwave explosions that leave a mess). Mix 4 tablespoons of lemon juice with a cup of water in a bowl and boil it in the microwave for five minutes. The mixture will create a steam that is easy to wipe away leaving your microwave smelling lemony fresh.

6) Hands - garlic hands? Onion hands? That's enough to make a man lose his mind. Get rid of hand odor by rubbing a lemon on them. But steer clear of cuts and open wounds - that smarts.

True story: In eighth grade, I used to bring lemons to school as a snack. I wish I could tell you that I used to bring lemons to school and go around cleaning everyone's desks. But that wouldn't be a true story.