Cream of Tartar: The Best Nontoxic Mildew Cleaner Around

Let me tell you, I had tried nearly every nontoxic mildew cleaner around. Baking soda and vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, tea tree oil. Nothing seemed to be effective in removing the stains from my shower. In fact, the peroxide left behind this awful yellow stain. All of the methods I read about and tried seemed to take more elbow grease than anything else. Maybe the mildew in my bathroom is some super strain, but I wasn't about to shower in some toxic sludge left by a chemical cleaner.

I found my new love on Pinterest, cream of tartar. You know, that stuff you use about once every year or so to stiffen egg whites but otherwise just sits in your cabinet neglected while you reach for the bottle of cinnamon or nutmeg sitting next to it. I must say when I read about using cream of tartar to clean the mildew out of my shower I was skeptical after all my other failed attempts, but this really did work!!! Simply make a paste with it using a little water and apply to the tiles using an old toothbrush to scrub the hard to get areas in the grout. It even removed the yellow stains the peroxide left behind! I now wish they sold it in larger bottles. Maybe bakery supply stores?

I have read that you can add hydrogen peroxide to make the paste instead of water. I haven't tried it yet, but it is also supposed to be a great stain remover on clothes as well. I imagine it works quite well.

What the heck is cream of tartar anyway? Turns out it is a byproduct from wine making called potassium hydrogen tartrate. Even more reason to love it. If you want to read more about it, check out this informative little article at Baking Bites.