Cream of Tartar — The Cleaner You’ll Swoon Over
October 27, 2008|Comments (24)
In my little world, items like cream of tartar (potassium bitartrate) are not simply a super way to stabilize egg whites but also scandalously inexpensive cleaning secrets. This long-forgotten gem of a cleaning agent may be used with a little water or vinegar to lift even the most stubborn stains. Unattractive grout driving you batty? Mold and mildew stains got you reaching for the Prozac? Burner pans and casserole dishes giving you fits? Cream of Tartar is your new best friend.
Cream of tartar is one of nature’s best bleaching agents. Cream of tartar, a.k.a “crusted wine,” is mixed with baking soda to create baking powder (bet you didn’t know that.. okay, some of you probably did, you smartypants). While it is an acid, it’s not harmful. It’s an acidic salt which comes from grapes. Why is commercial laundry detergent never grape scented? I want to know. Someone please contact Tide. We need answers! Actually, we don’t need answers. We can scent our own homemade detergent (I haven’t bothered but that’s not to say that you couldn’t… after all, you knew about that baking powder thing — you smartypants). Anyway, back to the important stuff:
Use a few tablespoons of cream of tartar with hot water or hydrogen peroxide and clean any aluminum pans which have discoloration or any rusty drains, pans, or stains.
Do you have copper kettles? Mix some cream of tarter with lemon juice and rub the copper with it. Rinse and be amazed!
How about a porcelain sink, tub, commode? Rub the porcelain surfaces with cream of tartar and watch the stains disappear.
Fabric stains? No prob. Mix a few teaspoons of cream of tartar with some glycerin and use like spray-and-wash. The results? Well, I’m here to tell you that this stuff cured the ring around Joshua’s shirt collars.
Just need a great nonabrasive cleaner? Mix 2 teaspoons of vinegar and 2 teaspoon of cream of tartar in a small dish (use 3 or 4 teaspoons of vinegar and 3 or 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar if you have more items to clean). Apply with your cleaning rag or scrub brush and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Scrub. Wash with hot soapy water.
Please pass these recipes to your friends. They really are wonderfully easy and inexpensive. And while we’re chatting…. what stain is currently plaguing your happy home? What stubborn stain taunts your cleaning efforts by refusing to surrender?
Want to know more about cream of tartar? Click here.
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I had no idea! Thanks for all the great tips!
I’m going to give this a try on my favorite Washington State University t-shirt. I just haven’t been able to part with it. Thanks for the tips.
seriously where do you learn this stuff?
Well Lacy, I knew about the copper kettle, as I’ve done that over the years, but the others? And tile grout?
Just may have to give it a try tomorrow!
Thanks my dear…Momma Barb
Good stuff to know! =D
You are always amazing me with these cleaning tips! Thank you!
I have got to tell my MIL she has been trying to get a rust stain out of a Tub! I wonder if she has tried this????
Good to know! I had no idea about any of it! You’re such a smarty!
Holy cow!!!!! I never knew.
Thanks so much, I’ll have to clean something today.
OK, maybe not today. Perhaps this weekend, if all goes well. And maybe not this weekend either. But maybe I could get Husband to clean something. Just to test it out.
Honestly cream of Tartar- where have you been all my life? I thought you only made snickerdoodles and play-dough….
AMAZING tip- thanks !
Come on lacy you are starting to sound like an infomercial!!!! now can you tell me how to make someone to do the cleaning for me!!!! my kids are catching on!!!
Okay…WOW. Have NEVER, ever heard of this!! Amazing!! JUST LOVE IT. Thanks for this. Who KNEW? Not me, obviously!
Great tips! Thanks, Lacy. I have some old aluminum cannisters that belonged to my husband’s great grandmother. They’ve gotten discolored and I can’t wait to try this on them!
I did know that about the baking powder;-). What a great number of things to use it on. I am not sure about there, but here in the stores Cream of Tartar is very expensive. For a tiny 2 ounce box, it is $5.00. I did find a place to get it for less, at a cookware store where they also carry candy making supplies and organic foods.
Happy Halloween!
I never knew you could use cream of tartar to clean stuff! That is good to know because despite the little jars I always buy it to make one little thing then it just sits unused for ages! There’s a very stubborn stain on our stove that has refused to come off with anything, perhaps I will try cream of tartar on it tomorrow! (Or tonight, if I can’t take the waiting to try it out, cause I’m insane like that. LOL)
Great information. My little container has lasted so long because I only thought egg whites were it’s best friend. I’ll get it out and give it a try. Thanks again … enjoy your site.
Thank you! This amazing mixture is working on the cuffs of my husband’s work shirts.
My toughest problem, though, is the fryer grease stains he gets on those shirts. I can’t seem to get rid of those with anything I’ve tried.
Cream of tartar is also great for keeping your peeled potatoes from turning brown. Just add about a teaspoon of cream of tartar to your peeled potatoes…and you can soak them for a long period of time without them turning brown..
THANK YOU for the great baking pan cleaning tip utililizing cream of tartar. I’m going to make sure I always have a lot on hand now. I love using less caustic products to clean, especially to protect my hands!
Thanks for all the great tips! It was the only thing that cleaned my old bathtub after all else failed. Now I need help finding glycerin. It used to be in the baking aisle of the grocery stores, but none of the stores have it anymore. I live in Massachusetts, near Boston. Does anyone know where else I could get it?
rita-you might find glycerine at your local pharmacy-sometimes kept in the back,you might have to ask for it.a friend found some at a local nail salon…..all of it is food grade,i think.i used some in a recipe for homemade cordial….yum!
I’ve seriously burnt apples/ while making apple sauce/ in a magnolite aluminum pan. How much cream of tartar would I have to use to get the blasted stuff off one of my favorite pans?
You could email me back if you have an answer to the question.
Thanks for the help.
Stephen
[...] it a great leavening agent, but that’s a story for another day. For now, try using it to clean your aluminum pans or remove hard water [...]
P e n z e y s d o t c o m has Cream of Tartar for around $7.50 a pound. Great source for spices. We love their cinnamon (cassia).