5 household essentials for removing stains

A clean home is a happy home. But if you have kids, you already know the struggles of keeping chemical-heavy cleaning products at home. Their fumes may cause eye or skin irritation. What’s worse? Your kids may (try to) consume them when you’re not watching.

If chemical-heavy supplies aren’t the ultimate answer to removing stains at home, what alternatives do you have? Short answer: Use household essentials like cornstarch and vinegar. The long answer is to read on to learn how to use natural products to clean your home.

Tips for using household essentials as cleaning products

Keep these tips in mind before using home essentials for cleaning. 

1. Label every item

Generally, household products are non-toxic and effective. However, some products share similar physical appearances with digestible food items. To avoid home accidents, label home essentials and store them in a cool, dry place away from edibles.

2. Always read instructions

As a rule, you shouldn’t use or mix products without guidelines. Read the labels for guidance before using any product. 

3. Wear protective gear

Like cooking at home, always wear protective materials (e.g., gloves, face masks, and aprons) while using household products for cleaning. Ensure proper ventilation to remove any smoke or fumes from your apartment after use. 

4. Test before use

Before using household cleaning products, test them on an unwanted area to know if they’re compatible with the intended surface you want to clean. Certain products may cause bleaching when used improperly.  

5. Watch where you buy household materials

Buying home essentials from non-verified sources is a disaster waiting to happen. Non-accredited sources sell counterfeit products that don’t adhere to safety requirements, making them unreliable and unfit to use at home. This is why you must buy home essentials from accredited organizations like Pricepally that adhere to food and other relevant regulatory bodies. 

5 household essentials for removing tough stains

1. Baking soda

Baking soda isn’t new to home bakers. It’s a leavening agent for activating baked products like biscuits and chin chin. 

But there’s more to baking soda than pastries. It comprises sodium bicarbonate, a weak alkali that can neutralize acidic materials. As a result, it’s an effective stain remover and deodorizer for kitchen sinks and appliances, refrigerators, and tile grout. 

To remove tough stains from kitchen burners, follow the steps below. 

• Mix 1-3 spoons of baking soda with lemon juice on the burner. 
• Add hot water and leave it for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 
• Use a brush to scrub the dirt. Rinse thoroughly with warm water to remove any white films. 

Not convinced it works? Watch Tspices Kitchen make her dirty kitchen burner look new with baking soda. 

@eugeefoods_

Weekend Kitchen chores activated❣️💃 this your style?🤩 baking soda, lemon juice and hot water Have you tried same method?? You can share other methods less learn together 📹 credit @tspices_kitchen #eugeefoods_

♬ original sound – Eugeefoods_

Cleaning tip: Don’t use baking soda to clean glass and natural stone surfaces because it’s slightly abrasive and may scratch or damage the surface. 

2. White Vinegar (distilled or spirit vinegar) 

Standard white vinegar contains 4-10% acetic acid and water. White vinegars are typically used for food pickling—preserving food in an acid solution—and as leavening agents in baked foods. 

White vinegar with high acid content (above 10%) is a cleaner and disinfectant for surfaces and appliances. It removes stains from countertops, toilets, floors, dishes, windows, and glass surfaces. 

Here’s how to use a white vinegar solution to clean a glassy surface: 

• Mix half a cup of water and vinegar in a bowl. 
• Heat the mixture for 3 minutes. Allow it to cool for 15 minutes to remove the odor. 
• Add 1-2 drops of essential oils and rubbing alcohol for a refreshing scent and quick drying. The faster the vinegar solution evaporates, the fewer spots and streaks you’ll see on your glass material. This step is optional. 
• Pour the solution into a spray bottle for use when you need it. 

Dust and dirt on wooden furniture can become sticky over time. White vinegar is a powerful agent for removing grease and grime from wooden surfaces. Alternatively, mix baking soda (half cup) with vinegar (one cup) to remove wooden dirt. 

Vinegar cleaning tips: Avoid using vinegar on natural stone surfaces (unless the manufacturer recommends it), hardwood floors, and electronic screens. Always dilute vinegar with water because it’s harsh at full strength. Look out for damages or discoloration when performing spot tests before using vinegar solution for cleaning. 

3. Lemon juice

There’s more to lemon juice than lemonade, smoothies, and teas. It’s a natural bleach that contains citric acid, a weak acid that cleans mineral deposits and rust stains. Its refreshing and pleasant citrus flavor is another sticking point. 

Lemon juice is suitable for cleaning the following materials: 

• Faucets: Few pieces of equipment accumulate dirt and dust as fast as faucets. Living in a region with hard water worsens dirt accumulation because the deposits are challenging to remove. But lemon juice can do the trick. 

Here’s how to use lemon to clean coffee pots and tea kettles, faucets, and cutting boards:  

• 1. Cut a lemon into two. 
  2. Rub the lemon juice on the affected areas of the faucets and cutting boards. Leave it for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 
  3. Rinse with water. 

@danfoxlifehacker

This is the best trick ever 😱🦊 #lifehack #cleaninghacks #cleantok #household

♬ original sound – Dan Fox Lifehacker

For coffee pots and kettles:

• 1. Mix lemon juice with 1–2 cups of water. Pour the juice solution into the pots and electric kettles. Then heat to boil. 
  2. After boiling, leave it to cool. Rinse the juice from the pots. 
• Toilet: Lemon juice is a mild antiseptic that inhibits the growth of bacteria and mold. As a result, it’s suitable for cleaning hard water and mold stains on toilet seats. Here’s how the process works: 
  1. Mix one cup of lemon juice with half a cup of water
  2. Spray the toilet bowl and other affected areas with the lemon solution. Leave it for 20–30 minutes  
  3. Use a toilet scrub to remove the stains
• Ovens and wooden furniture: To polish wooden furniture, mix two parts of lemon juice with one part of olive or coconut oil. Spray the solution on the wooden surface and use a damp cloth to clean it.
• Similarly, lemon juice and water remove tough stains from ovens. Heat the solution for 30 minutes in the oven. Allow it to cool, and wipe away any grease or grime.

4. Coca-cola

A can of Coke is more than a high-calorie drink. It’s also an effective home cleaner because it’s acidic with high sugar content, usually high fructose syrup. Although sugars aren’t cleaning agents per se, the stickiness they create removes adhesive residues. 

Soak Coca-Cola in a solution for at least 30 minutes or mix it with superior cleaning agents like baking soda and vinegar for high cleansing efficiency. Coca-cola is suitable for cleaning toilets, rusty equipment, kitchen drains, and tiles. 

5. Cornstarch

You’re most likely familiar with cornstarch if you’re a big fan of white and oha soups.  It’s made from maize and used as a food thickener in Nigerian soups. 

But cornstarch isn’t for cooking alone. It removes oily and greasy stains from walls. Moreover, it’s excellent for cleaning the following items: 

• Carpets and rugs: Add cornstarch to the carpet. Leave it for 30 minutes before cleaning it with a vacuum. For stuffed animals and clothes, rub cornstarch on the stain and let the materials absorb it before scrubbing it off.
• Silverware and rubber-made toys: To revive the shine of metallic materials, do this: 
  1. Mix cornstarch with water
  2. Use a damp cloth to rub the cornstarch mixture on the silverware or toys
  3. Rinse the surface when you’re through 

• Oily and greasy walls: Add cornstarch to the oily surface. Leave it for 10-20 minutes before wiping it.

Natural cleaning products are cheap and better for your health. However, synthetic products have near-instant effectiveness, unlike natural products which may take some time before working. If you prefer synthetic cleaners because of this, they’re also available on Pricepally. Here’s a short list of household essentials you can buy on Pricepally: 

1. Dishwashing liquid, e.g., Morning Fresh and Mama Lemon. 
2. Detergents, e.g. Sunlight 2 in 1 and Viva Plus 
3. Hand wash, e.g. Carex antibacterial hand wash
4. Vim Shine All Multipurpose Cleaning for removing dirt from faucets, pots, and kitchen utensils. 

FAQs about natural cleaning products

Can I drink vinegar?

Vinegar is generally considered safe for consumption and cooking.  The exceptions are vinegar used for cleaning and agriculture. The former is strictly for cleaning, while the latter contains high acid content (20-30%) for weed control. Check the labels and instructions before using vinegar, or speak with your doctor if unsure. 

Can I use lemon juice to remove rust?

Lemon juice can remove rust (Iron oxide) from metal surfaces because it contains a weak organic acid. The acid reacts with the rust surface, making it easier to remove. To remove rust, apply or soak the affected surface in lemon juice. Leave it for 30 minutes or 1 hour before scrubbing it with a clean cloth.  Watch how it works in this short Tik-tok: 

@jmac8781

Rust be gone!#kitchenhacks#rustremover#naturalcleaner#cleankitchen#tiktoktips#over30#over40#over50#over60#over25#helpfultip

♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

Can I mix baking soda with laundry detergent?

Mixing baking soda and laundry detergents increases cleaning power and eliminates odors because baking soda is an efficient deodorizer. However, the combination may reduce the lifespan of your fabrics because of over-washing caused by excessive cleaning action.  Use small quantities of baking soda with your laundry detergents to reduce the risk of damaging clothing materials.