Food for Thought: Food Items that Double as Efficient Cleaning Agents
Have you ever encountered that stain on the kitchen sink or on the carpet that just won’t go away? You decide to clean it up vigorously but to no avail. Finally, you leave it for a week in the hope that something would just take away the stain. Then finally, after a week’s past, you walk along and see that darn stain. You become hopeless as the stain feels like staring back at you.
You consider to call in the big guns or the professional cleaners but decide that it’s too expensive or it’s too much force for just one annoying stain. You feel hopeless again. However, the situation isn’t as hopeless as you think. As you begin to sulk in the corner, a yellow glimmer comes shining at the corner of your eye: The Lemons.
A lot of people think that lemons are just for making lemonades and lemon cakes. However, the humble lemon can do all sorts of magic when you want to clean up. In fact, a lot of food can become a useful tool for cleaning almost any stain or mess. If that’s not enough to excite you, certain food items can also fill the air with their sweet and fresh scents.
Before you pick up that lemon and finally say goodbye to that nasty and annoying stain, here’s a list of food items that are just probably sitting in your fridge.
Lemons
Remember that first bite of a lemon as a kid? Remember how your face would swell up due to the sourness? Well, that’s what that annoying stain will get to experience. Lemons contain citric acid which has cleaning and antibacterial properties. Lemons are probably the most versatile food item in this list which has a lot of cleaning purposes.
Cut a lemon in half and rub it smoothly on a stain or even on brass kitchenware. For a fresh and lemony scent all around your house, try adding chopped lemon rinds to a vinegar solution and clean away!
Baking Soda
Baking Soda is the second most versatile cleaning ingredient in this list. Its power is most useful when combating foul odors, without any damage to any surfaces. Baking soda is also abrasive, which means it can leave a surface clean and smelling good without leaving any scratches or stains behind.
Another use baking soda excels in is when you have pets living in the house. These cuddly companions of ours will inevitably leave their scents, urine stains, and poop in the house. Try adding baking soda to it and smell the foul odors vanish.
For clogged pipes that emit a bad smell, try pouring vinegar and baking soda down the drain and cover it for a few minutes. Vinegar and baking soda have violent chemical reactions which can certainly make clogs and oily residues soften up. After the popping and crackling stops, pour in hot water to finish off the job.
Vinegar
Vinegar has two main components: Water and Acetic Acid. Acetic acid is a strong acid that when used on stains, works wonders in removing them. Although vinegar is a good cleaning material, it’s sour scent can sometimes discourage people in using it as a cleaning liquid. To prevent that vinegary smell from acting up, try diluting vinegar with water and add heavy scented ingredients to the mix.
You can add lemon rinds, basil leaves, tea leaves, and other scented ingredients, so you won’t have to worry about that pungent smell that pure vinegar leaves behind.
Table Salt
Due to its abrasiveness, salt is a perfect addition to your cleanup arsenal. Brass kitchenware or other brass type items with time, lose that shiny and attractive look. To make any brassware as good as brand new, squeeze a cut lemon on a sponge and add salt. Rub it vigorously on the brass surface, and rinse it with water thoroughly. Salt dissolved in water also creates saline, which most bacteria and fungi hate.
The Unusuals
Believe it or not, there are more unusual food items that can also be good cleaning materials. Ketchup is one example of this food. Just add salt and brush away silver and other metal kitchenware. After cleaning, rinse the item with water, and it will get its brand new glow from before.
Mayonnaise is another unique food item that doubles as a cleaner and is also a good thing to use to shine the leaves of any indoor plants that you have. Use a clean cloth to apply the mayonnaise on the leaves and leave it on for at least three to five minutes. Afterwards, use a damp cloth to wipe away excess mayonnaise on the leaves. The leaves will look more healthy and vibrant for weeks to come.
See that rust stain inside the toilet bowl? Ever wonder how to get rid of such an annoying stain? Here’s another quirky food ingredient you can cleverly use to remove that awful stain. Try mixing powdered juice and water and brush the stain with the mixture. Not only does the citric acid in the powdered mix help with softening up the stain, but it’ll also make your bathroom smell fruitily fresh.
Takeaway
Who would have imagined that a lot of food in your fridge could double as reliable cleaning materials? In humid areas, some may find turning the ac in Houston as increasing the pungent smell that these food emit when used as a cleaning agent. However, with a little tweaking here and there, these scents won’t be a problem.
From lemons to powdered fruit juices, the list of unusual cleaning items goes on. Even ketchup is a good cleaning material if properly applied to silverware. With a little research and ingenuity, checking the fridge for food won’t be the same anymore.