When you prepare lemon water and leave it on the counter – such as when you're serving guests – the lemon slices become soggy and undesirable-looking after a few hours at room temperature. Under refrigeration, however, lemon slices in water can keep for up to three days. To use and reuse your lemon slices longer, prepare your infused water and pour servings from the refrigerator.

A refreshing, cold pitcher of water with lemon slices makes an eye-pleasing presentation on the table; lemon-infused water also is just nice to have around. You can add other fruits, vegetables and herbs to the water for extra flavor. The high vitamin C content found in lemons, and in most fresh produce, provides the preservative needed to keep the slices fresh in water when chilled. When you use all the water in the pitcher, add more water without replacing the lemon slices for two to three days or until you believe the existing slices are no longer adding adequate flavor.