Most of us use washing powder and fabric softener to keep our clothes clean, as well as stain remover when they get dirty.
What’s more, we regularly clean our washing machines with a descaling agent to get rid of limescale.
However, it turns out that all of these products can be replaced with one ingredient: citric acid.
Here’s how to use this versatile product in your home.
What is citric acid for?
Although citric acid is commonly used in the kitchen to regulate the acidity level in drinks, sauces, processed meats and baked goods, few of us realise that it can also be used as a household cleaning agent.
The action of citric acid is similar to baking soda – it fights dirt. What’s more, it has bleaching properties, which makes it an ideal addition to washing white clothes. Just add two tablespoons of this powder to the washing machine, and your clothes will be snow-white.
Citric acid can also be used as a fabric softener. Dissolve 2.5 tablespoons of the product in 100 ml of warm water, add a few drops of your favourite fragrance oil and that’s it – you have a homemade fabric softener that will make fabrics soft and fragrant.
But that’s not all citric acid can be used for. This incredibly versatile product can also be used to clean your washing machine. Just pour 120g of powder into the washing machine’s tank and run a regular program to get rid of limescale.
Citric acid is also useful for cleaning other household appliances, such as dishwashers, electric kettles and coffee machines.
It can also be used for everyday cleaning of sinks, and toilets, and for removing various dirt in the bathroom and kitchen. Additionally, citric acid is great for removing scale from cups cutlery, and even silver jewellery. Just mix it with warm water.