citric acid
Ditch the harsh chemicals from a bottle, forget the toilet gels, bombs and sprays that leave your eyes watering and head for one of our favorite cleaning ingredients: CITRIC ACID!
As with most organic acids, citric acid is a weak organic acid, with a pH level between 3 & 6. Why do we think it’s fantastic for helping you naturally clean your home? It tackles soap scum and removes hard water build up. It also works great at removing coffee stains, yellowing, browning, discoloration, as well as water & shi-shi (urine) stains.
Citric acid also combats bacteria and mold without the harsh chemicals. It can be used on metals but we do recommend you thoroughly rinse and dry after cleaning on metals to prevent rust.
Often hailed as one of the most diverse natural cleaning agents, citric acid is the perfect addition for cleaning your toilet. Because of its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, de-greasing and whitening power has been used by thousands of people across the globe. But just in case you’re not familiar with it, we’re going to give you a “how-to” on cleaning with citric acid.
It’s important to note that citric acid, while it derives from fruits such as lemons, *can* be harsh on your skin. So be sure to wear gloves while cleaning with it for extra protection.
FOR TOILETS
• Take your toilet scrubber & scrub a little bit and then plunge some to the bottom of the toilet to lower the water level.
• Sprinkle 1-3 Tablespoons of citric acid then follow with pouring 4-6 cups hot (but not boiling) water. Swirl around & let sit 1-2 hours; Give it a decent scrub, swirl and flush and you’ll have a MuCH cleaner toilet!
• For extra duty you can let it sit overnight; then scrub & flush in the morning and flush.
FOR THE COFFEE MAKERS
• to descale your kettle and coffee maker: mix two tablespoons of citric acid with one liter of water and run the cycle on the lowest heat setting (using water that’s too hot with citric acid could potentially damage your machine). Run the machine a second time with plain water to ensure removing all the citric acid.
TO CLEAN BURNT POTS/PANS
• Add a tablespoon of citric acid with a cup of warm water and leave it to soak until the burnt bits are easily scrubbed off.
TO DESCALE YOUR DISHWASHER
• Fill the detergent cup with three to four ounces of citric acid crystals and run the dishwasher on a normal cycle. Repeat if necessary.
TO DESCALE FAUCETS & SHOWER HEADS
• Dissolve approximately 1½ tablespoons of citric acid powder in a 1 cup of warm water and spray onto the affected areas, or place the hardware directly into the solution. Afterwards, wipe off and rinse well & pat dry.
TO DESCALE YOUR WASHING MACHINE
• This works very similar to cleaning a dishwasher with citric acid. Just add approximately ⅓ cup of the powder to your washing machine and run it on a normal cycle using cold or lukewarm water.
AS FABRIC SOFTENER FOR LAUNDRY
• FOR WHITES ONLY! Dissolve five to six tablespoons of citric acid powder in about a quart (4 cups) of water and pour about 1/4 cup of this liquid into the fabric softener compartment with each wash cycle. Avoid using citric acid on colored laundry as it CAN have a slight bleaching effect!
AS STAIN REMOVAL
• To remove stains from white laundry, remove yellowish stains, like deodorant or sweat stains, soak the clothes in a citric acid solution (one tablespoon citric acid to 4 cups of water) for a few hours and wash them in the machine as normal. Note: This method is not suitable for colored clothing or sensitive textiles!
Please note: While citric acid is great for cleaning MOST areas in your home, it should NOT be used on natural stone surfaces or to clean brass items. Citric acid may end up damaging those items instead of cleaning them!