Ways to clean dishes yourself and products that don't actually work

Cleaning dishes from carbon deposits and old grease can be difficult. Often even detergent cannot cope with such stains. However, housewives from all over the world have invented dozens of effective folk methods of dealing with dirt. Today I will tell you about ways to clean dishes from grease and soot yourself.

Soda is the head of everything

The notorious white powder is really capable of a lot. Even an ordinary food grade version can be used instead of detergent. However, this is far from the limit of the capabilities of this universal substance.

The most famous way to use baking soda is in combination with citric acid. The components are mixed in a ratio of 50 to 50 and spread on a dirty surface. After a couple of minutes, both grease and carbon deposits readily come off the metal. A method that has been tested even by me personally.

A little less known is the combination of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Here you need a different proportion: a cup of powder per one or two tablespoons of liquid. Stir until it reaches the consistency of whipped cream. Works no worse than acid. The most important thing is to throw away the sponge after any of these recipes, and wear gloves when using.

Mustard, soap and coals

However, not all home remedies are as popular as baking soda. For example, not many people know that salt left in dishes softens fat. This is not enough for it to simply slide off on its own, but it will help in the “battle.”Crushed activated carbon works in a similar way. And if you dilute it in warm water, you get a good alternative to soda.

Laundry soap can also be used as a cleaning agent. And no, you don’t need to rub the dishes with its bar to do this! However, you will have to grate the latter. After this, the shavings need to be filled with water and brought to a boil in a container that needs cleaning. The main thing is to open all the windows and not stand above the steam.

Another extraordinary folk method uses mustard. A few grams of mustard powder should be mixed with the same amount of soda, a tablespoon of ammonia and liquid soap. The resulting creepy solution should clear any dirt in no time. However, you can do without alcohol. The main “stars” of the mixture are soda and mustard.

What methods don't work?

Among all kinds of “life hacks”, there are also those that are completely useless. Fortunately, there are not so many of them, but people continue to believe them. One of them is toothpaste. Yes, you can use it to polish dishes. However, removing a layer of fat or carbon deposits is no longer so easy. In addition, not all pastes have the same effect. Aggressive ones work best for teeth whitening.

For some reason, the advice to soak dishes in Coca-Cola is also popular. Apparently, this is a relic of the myths that the drink causes ulcers. In fact, sweet water works no better than ordinary water. Moreover, it will also leave its sticky spots on the surface. This legend was even tested in the famous program “MythBusters”! As you might guess, it was not confirmed.

Another discovery for many will be... The uselessness of soda mixed with vinegar! As they say, how old were you when you learned about this? The fact is that such a solution “quenches” the powder without creating any useful chemical bonds. It is much more effective to use pure vinegar or even a light solution of hydrochloric acid.