5 Ways You Can Use Grapefruit (Besides Eating It)

This was a tough subject to tackle for us because we love grapefruit so much at Pittman & Davis, we can’t imagine eating every bit of it (and yes, that includes the skin)!

It makes sense…grapefruit (specifically, the sugar-sweet, Rio Ruby™ Red Grapefruit that made us famous and continues to be a bestseller year after year) is how we got our start, and we’re committed to bringing our customers the absolute best grapefruit possible. Our grapefruit is grown in the best regions possible for such fruit: the Texas Rio Grande Valley Florida’s Indian River region. We source our grapefruit from farmers who care for their trees meticulously, carefully feeding, water, pruning and generally pampering them so they produce the best fruit possible. We take the extra step of leaving the fruit on the tree until it’s fully ripened so it can soak up every drop of sweet sunshine possible before we pick it by hand, inspect it by hand, pack it by hand, and rush it out so you and your gift recipients can enjoy it within days of it being on the tree. With all that effort and the extraordinary fruit it produces, we have a hard time imagining doing anything with our grapefruit other than sinking our teeth into it, using it in our favorite recipes, or sipping its vibrant juice!

But we recognize that yes, sometimes you may have more fruit than you can use, or that maybe you started a medication that interacts with grapefruit and so have to abstain. That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this amazing fruit in other ways. Apart from being a delicious superfood, grapefruit is also very practical!

5 Things You Didn’t Know You Can Do with Grapefruit

Grapefruit is a natural antibacterial agent with an uplifting scent – in fact, many commercial cleaners and skin care products employ the scent of grapefruit in their products because it’s light and energizing, but not overpowering.

You can use fresh grapefruit in your DIY cleaning and beauty products to get the same scent without the chemicals…here are just a few ways to use grapefruit for home care:

1. Save money by making your own chemical-free cleaning products. Put grapefruit peels in a jar, cover them with distilled white vinegar, seal tightly and store in a dark place for a month or so. Remove the peels, pour the mixture into a spray bottle, add water and shake. Voila! You have your own fresh-smelling, all-purpose spray cleaner!

In place of using a bleach-based abrasive cleaner to scour your sink or sub, use half a grapefruit with ¼ cup of kosher salt sprinkled over the cut side instead. Once the fruit’s natural pH level has eliminated the stains, rinse with warm water. You’ll love the fresh scent left behind, too!

Food splatters can be safely and easily removed from your microwave by placing a half a grapefruit in a microwave-safe bowl, covering it with water, and running it on high for three minutes. Let the bowl sit another three minutes inside the microwave to let the steam do its work, then (carefully!) remove it and use a damp cloth to remove the lingering stains.

Mold and mildew are no match for grapefruit! Mix up half a cup of grapefruit juice, a cup of distilled white vinegar, and a half cup of borax in a spray bottle and shake it up. Spray stubborn mold stains with the mixture, then let it sit for an hour before wiping it away with a damp sponge (bonus: the mixture actually kills mold and mildew so it doesn’t return).

2. Make an all-natural air freshener. Even if you don’t like the taste of grapefruit, most people love the smell – a light, refreshing scent that energizes you. No wonder grapefruit essential oil is often used in aroma therapy!

Instead of cloying candles that trigger migraines and present a fire hazard, make your home smell fresh by simmering a cup of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice plus a half cup of tap water on the stove.

Skip the chemical-based fabric odor eliminators and mix fresh grapefruit juice with distilled water in a spray bottle to mist your towels, bed linens and mattress, curtains and clothing instead. And if the drain in your kitchen sink is smelling funky, toss grapefruit peels down the garbage disposal and run it with hot water to release the oil.

3. Keep critters out of your garden. Is the local feral cat colony turning your flowerbed into a litter box? Most animals aren’t fans of the smell of citrus, so a small mesh bag filled with grapefruit peels, strategically placed in among your plants, is a humane way to deter them (this is especially useful if you don’t want to use chemicals in your vegetable patch).
4. Exfoliate your skin. Instead of spending a fortune on expensive skin products you can make your own all-natural exfoliating scrub! Mix some granulated sugar and about a cup of fresh grapefruit juice with a little grapeseed or olive oil and use in the shower on your whole body, especially your feet. The grapefruit juice will revive your spirits and tone and tighten your skin and the sugar will gently exfoliate. (This easy-to-make scrub is even safe to use on your face.)
5. Add nutrients to your compost. There are many benefits of using grapefruit in compost…it warms up the compost, adds nitrogen and a host of other nutrients, and helps improve soil structure. Plus, the oil in the grapefruit peels is a natural pest-deterrent (though you may want to remove the peels as they contain d-limonene, which can take longer to decompose). If your grapefruit has seeds (our Rio Ruby™ Reds generally don’t!) you should remove these first to keep them from sprouting; then, chop up the flesh of the fruit and toss it in. To prevent overloading of the compost-creating organisms, be sure not to use too much grapefruit in your compost at one time.

Grapefruit: An All-Around Useful Fruit

These are just a few ways to use grapefruit that don’t involve your stomach! And remember, grapefruit gift baskets and gift boxes from Pittman & Davis are another great use for this wonderful, healthy, universally loved fruit…browse our complete collection of popular grapefruit gifts using the link below:

SHOP Pittman & Davis Grapefruit>>