Great Natural Stain Removers for the Toughest Stains

Cleaning products can be toxic, and sometimes are quite pricey. Use these great natural stain removers and cleaning mixtures instead. You won't regret it!

Coffee stains:

For fresh coffee stains, blot up as much liquid as possible before treating. Then, beat an egg yolk in cold water and spread over the stain. Rinse fabric with cold water, repeat if necessary, and let dry. Baking soda and white vinegar are good alternatives if eggs aren't available.

Food stains on plastic:

To get food stains out of reusable plastic containers, pre-wash plastic, and then apply lemon juice or baking soda to the stain. Place the container outside in direct sunlight and let sit until the stain has faded. Rinse with cold water and repeat if necessary.

Oily food stains from cloth:

Sprinkle corn starch or powder on a fresh stain, then soak the fabric in a mixture of baking soda and water. For tougher stains, dab rubbing alcohol on the fabric before washing. You can also spray dish detergent, and leave for an hour before washing it.

Color stains:

To remove colored stains, like those from wine, juice or berries, first blot up as much liquid as possible. Then, soak stained area in lemon juice or white vinegar to lift the stain from fibers. For red wine, soak stain in club soda, milk or white wine to remove the color.

Gum: 

Put the fabric in the freezer, wait until the gum is frozen and then pull it off of the cloth.

General cleaner on countertops, ovens, bathtubs and sinks: 

Mix baking soda with a bit of water and scrub it.

 

Getting rid of mold:

Add 1 or 2 teaspoons of essential oil to 2 cups of water in a spray bottle, or 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract to 1 quart of water.

All purpose surface cleaner:

Mix together equal parts white vinegar and salt. Scrub surfaces with a natural cleaning cloth.

Cookware cleaner:

Coarse salt does wonders for scouring copper pans and ceramic baking dishes.

Clean tile and grout paste:

1 cup water and 3 cups baking soda mixed into a paste works great for cleaning tile and grout. Use a toothbrush to scrub the paste into grout.

Sources: Green Living Ideas and Daily Green