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There are a surprising number of regular, everyday pantry items that also clean. You might already know about some of them, but there are others you probably don’t. If you’re into using less chemicals and more natural cleaning products, you need to keep reading. You can also save a lot of money by cleaning with pantry power. Who doesn’t like that?

Pantry Items That Also Clean

It really is possible to clean your dirty laundry and your dirty house with items straight out of your pantry. These items are all inexpensive, readily available, and powerful cleaning and/or disinfecting agents. Are you ready to see what they are?

1. Most people realize that baking soda has lots of uses other than leavening your baked goods. Polish silverware, scour out a sink or clean out a slow drain, just to name a few.
2. I’ll bet you didn’t know that yogurt has the power to clean your copper pans! All you need to do is coat the copper with a layer of plain yogurt {save the fruity yogurt for your belly}. Let it sit until you see the yogurt turn green, which takes about half an hour. Use an old cloth to remove the yogurt and buff the copper. Shiny!!
3. Lemons are another of the pantry items that also clean. In fact, did you know that lemon is a powerful whitening agent for the laundry? It’s also much safer for you than corrosive bleach. Use one cup of lemon juice per each average size load. Just add it to your wash cycle, and see how much brighter your whites are.
4. Speaking of surprising, try fighting grease stains with….oil? Yes, you read it right. A little vegetable oil on an absorbent cloth is the best way to remove greasy fingerprints and spatters from your kitchen cabinets.
5. Vinegar does more than dress your salad. A lot of people know that vinegar is excellent against hard water and mineral stains. If you have hard water, add it to your laundry for instantly softer towels. Vinegar is also a natural disinfectant for countertops in the kitchen and bath. To improve the scent, just add a few drops of essential oil such as orange, lemon or lavender.
6. If you’ve got cast iron pans, the best thing to clean them with is the salt from your pantry. Salt is abrasive enough to remove sticky food residues, but gentle enough not to strip the natural non-stick finish of a seasoned cast iron pan.  For extra cleaning power, use half a lemon to work the salt around the surfaces of the pan.

Using pantry items that also clean is a great way to protect yourself, your family and the environment from harsh chemicals. Try them today!