8 cheap foods to use for all-natural house cleaning

Skip the heavy-duty solutions. House cleaning comes naturally to these fruits, veggies, grains – and one very talented condiment.

These eight grocery store superheroes can polish metal, remove stains and scratches, and shine surfaces as well as any household cleaning product you can buy… for a lot less money.

1. Onions

Scrub a gunky pot with an onion slice, or a paste of crushed onion and water, to get all that grease and grime out. It gives your metal cutlery a new shine, too.

2. White Rice

This Asian staple is a multi-purpose marvel: Swish some of uncooked grains with warm water and detergent around your vase, grinder and hard-to-reach vessels – the rice works as a brilliant scouring pad. (Bored with eating white rice? Try these deliciously healthy rice alternatives .)

3. Walnuts

File under “Who knew?”: Walnuts can repair nicks and scratches on your wood furniture. Simply rub a walnut, shell removed, on the affected area in a circular motion. The natural oils in the nuts will seep into the wood, masking the damage.

4. Lemons

When life hands you lemons, use them to clean. Their mildly acidic properties allow them to cut through grease and grime on your kitchen appliances easily. It acts as a disinfectant, too. Zap half a lemon in a shallow bowl of water to deodorise your microwave.

ALSO READ: Useful hacks using salt to keep your home clean during the coronavirus outbreak

5. Bananas

If cartoon villains knew the myriad uses of banana peels, they wouldn’t just be leaving them all over the place. Rub the white part of the peel on ink-stained spots and watch the ink magically disappear. Blend banana peels to create a paste to shine your silverware or polish your jewelry.

Shine your shoes with the inside of the peel; it contains potassium, a primary ingredient of shoe polish, as well as natural oils. Rub it on, then buff it off.

6. Potatoes

The oxalic acid in potatoes, the cleaning agent found in commercial cleaners, makes them a great natural alternative to clean your cookware and other kitchen appliances. Simply rub a cut, raw spud against the dirty or tarnished spots.

7. Cucumbers

These don’t just make great DIY face masks – you can also use cucumber slices to polish any stainless steel products for a streak-free shine. Or spray the mirrors in your bathroom with cucumber juice to keep them fog-proof through even the steamiest of showers.

8. Mayonnaise

This fish and chips sidekick is more than just delish. Rub a glob of mayo on water ring damage on your coffee table, allow it to sit and buff the stain to remove it. Or, take the sticky out of stickers by rubbing mayo over the pieces that your tot is pasting all over the house.

Then make yourself one heck of a giant sandwich for a job well done.

This article was first published in The Finder.