Over time our once shiny metal cutlery and glasses can soon become dull with limescale and dirt with dishes never coming out as clean as we'd want.

Whether it's having hard water, using too much detergent, not enough detergent or overloading the dishwasher there are plenty of reasons for our cookware to come out looking cloudy.

But one cleaning influencer has shown a thrifty tip that uses the remnants of a common food making frosty glasses a thing of the past.

Posting to her 1.5million TikTok followers, Chantel Mila (@mama_mila_) revealed that she adds citrus peels into her washer.

Just using a few slices of old orange or lemon peel can not only give your old tableware a shine but also give them a fresh citrussy smell.

Chantel's cheap trick has some solid science behind it too. The citric acid found in lemons, limes and oranges works to break down limescale and deodorise while also helping to tackle grease and grime.

With 60 to 65 per cent of the UK struggling with limescale from hard water, washes can often become blocked and glass crusty with the limey residue.

The acid is also antibacterial and antiseptic. This means lemons can kill bacteria and remove mould. The steam inside the washer will also take on some of these properties leading to a cleaner, and much better-smelling washer.

For those wanting to give the trick a go, make sure you leave the peel in the top rack of the appliance so it is much less likely to get washed away and end up cleaning the drain rather than your dishes.

The peel can be particularly potent if it harbours most of the lemon's essential oils - which gives the fruit its characteristic smell.

For those with some leftover citrus who want to cut down on their food waste, the whole lemon, orange or lime will also work -simply cut it in half and place it on the top shelf for the same effect.

However, the kitchen hack does come with a warning - using citrus' in every wash may cause some damage to the washer itself. The acidic nature of their juice can break down the rubber that seals your dishwasher, over time leading to leaks and various other issues.

Consumer experts Which? also warned against using lemon or vinegar. They recommended using a proper dishwasher cleaner but warned against using apple cider vinegar and lemon for cleaning.

They said in an Instagram post: “Do not chuck in apple cider vinegar or lemon juice; it’s a quality piece of engineering, not a fish supper. Course it helps to use the very best dishwasher tablets in the first place.”