When you think of green cleaning ingredients, baking soda, white vinegar and Castile soap probably immediately come to mind. But what about less obvious choices for your green cleaning toolkit? The kitchen pantry is home to some of our favorites, like salt, and we were admittedly kind of surprised at how many uses for cream of tartar we found.
Cream of tartar is the popular name for Potassium bitartrate, a byproduct of wine and grape juice making. The odorless powder is not only indispensable in baking (hello, pavlova!) and making playdoh but also a must-have ingredient for non-toxic, homemade cleaners, due to its acidic nature.
If you don’t already have cream of tartar in your pantry, go ahead and add it to your shopping cart. We’ll wait. Then scroll down to see some of the many ways in which you can use it to clean your home naturally.
8 Ways to Use Cream of Tartar
1. Clean Stainless Steel
For stubborn sink or stainless steel stains, combine with a bit of hydrogen peroxide to make a paste and apply it to the stain. Let it sit for about 5 minutes then scrub and rinse off.
2. Remove Rust
Rust stains on the tub? Make a paste by mixing 1 tsp cream of tartar, 1/4 cup baking soda and a little hydrogen peroxide. Let it sit on the rust spot for 30 minutes before wiping down.
3. Clean Whites
To presoak your whites, add a teaspoon of cream of tartar to every quart of water. Similarly, you can tackle foundation or sunscreen collar stains by sprinkling cream of tartar on the moistened fabric and brushing before putting it in the laundry as normal. Need something even stronger? Just add lemon juice to make a paste.
4. Deter Ants
You know how ants don’t like salt? They don’t like cream of tartar either! Liberally sprinkle it at their entry points and gathering places to keep them away.
5. Remove Scratches from Dishes
Scratched dishes can still be salvaged! You only need cream of tartar and water, mixed in a paste and scrubbed with your fingers or a soft sponge.
6. Clean the Coffee Pot
A stained coffee pot makes your morning coffee less tasty. Clean it by sprinkling cream of tartar inside, then adding boiling water. Allow to cool down and rinse, and you’re done.
7. Clean Copper
As beautiful as copper may look, it’s not the easiest to clean. Mix 1 tbsp of lemon juice to every 2 tbsp cream of tartar and rub onto the surface, then wipe with a damp cloth to finish up.
8. Quickly Clean the Toilet
Give the toilet bowl a quick refresh by sprinkling cream of tartar inside. Scrub with the toilet brush and flush to rinse.
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