This is Day 24 of the 31 Days to Green Clean series.
I have read a lot about green, natural and homemade cleaning over the past five years or so, and I thought I knew about pretty much every green and frugal cleaner out there. But, of course, the Ah-mazing Pinterest recently opened my world to a new green cleaning product that I had never heard of before.
Cream of Tartar.
Yes, that’s right, the stuff that’s in your spice cabinet and used in what? Snickerdoodle cookies? What else is Cream of Tartar for? I really don’t know.
Well, anyway. I use it in my homemade playdough recipe, and I had actually bought some in bulk and happened to have quite a lot of it on hand. So, when I came across this Pin I knew I had to try it for myself.
And all I can say is, Wow! This stuff is as good as baking soda (but not quite as cheap, even when purchased in bulk). Who knew?!
According to the post from the pin, Cream of Tartar is a natural bleaching agent. I used it for cleaning my bathroom sink, tub and shower and it made quick and easy work of it. I also tried cleaning the grout on my bathroom floor with it, which has become dirty and stained to the point that I’m not sure if it will every be truly clean again. And while it wasn’t a miracle maker, it definitely left the grout looking cleaner and brighter than I have seen it in a while.
I now have dedicated a spot in my cleaning cupboard for a shaker of cream of tartar and can’t wait to try some of these other ideas for using it for cleaning (laundry stain remover!), along with finding even more ways to use it to clean all around my home.
Have you heard of using Cream of Tartar for cleaning? If so, what is your favorite way to use it?
Go here to read all the posts in the 31 Days to Green Clean series.
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This is one I have never heard before! My mom makes biscuits with cream of tartar, but you are right, I only use it in play dough 🙂
I never heard of the bleaching properties of it–I’ll have to give it a try!
I mix it with a little vinegar and let it soak in dishes to easily get off things like baked-on-egg. It works really well!
And you can mix it with baking soda (I forget the ratio) to use as a substitute for baking powder. I actually think that’s why it’s called for in snickerdoodle cookies, and the cinnamon is what gives them that tang. But I don’t know for sure! 🙂
I had zero idea what cream of tarter was for, now I do! Would never have guessed cleaning!
The way I was introduced to Cream of tartar was for cleaning out electric coffee pots, run it through with water and the pot sparkles and there is no after taste; like other cleaners leave. Safe to drink after, too.
Well,I had read about cream of tartar being used in diy cleaning products, but I never used it until a couple days ago. I had a rust stain on my stove drip pan. I mixed some cream of tartar with white vinegar and the rust stain was gone. But then I noticed something else. The greasy stains on the drip pan was also gone. So I grabbed another greasy, stained drip pan and mixed up some more cream of tartar and vinegar. I let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes ad now my drip pans look sparkling brand new!
But the real test was my daughter’s drip pans. Her’s were worst than mine, but no more. Her drip pans are so shiny and bright! My youngest daughter’s stove and drip pans are THEE WORST. I’m going over to her house in a couple of days, and since I’ll be visiting for a few hours, I’m gonna surprise her and clean her stove and oven. I am 53 years old and I never thought the day would come when I would actually enjoy cleaning an oven and stove.