9 Edible cleaners that really do the job

There are countless reasons to reduce the number of chemical cleaners you use in your home. Improve your health, your indoor air quality and sweet Mother Earth with natural cleaners that are safe enough to eat!

1-Olive oil

Wood that was originally treated with an oil finish can be brought back to life by buffing with olive oil. Just a thin coat of the liquid gold will hydrate worn, dried-out wood for a glorious shine.

Image: Getty Images/luiscarlosjimenez

2-Hot sauce

Rub it on dulled copper, rinse with water, and polish clean with a soft rag.

Image: Getty Images/John Scott

3-White vinegar

Vinegar is the miracle cleaner. Use it to disinfect, cut grease, eliminate sticky residue and remove stains and so. much. more. (Check out our 20 unexpected uses for vinegar.) Stick with white vinegar for cleaning — apple cider vinegar has the potential to stain.

Image: Getty Images/Pat Hastings

4-White wine

Red or white? The battle continues, but white wine trumps red in one way: To clean dreaded red wine stains, douse the spot with white wine and blot with a clean rag to absorb the spill.

Image: Getty Images/Liv Friis-Larsen

5-Grapefruit seed extract

OK, so you might not have this stuff just sitting around, but it’s worth picking some up to kill mold and mildew without bleach or chemical odors.

Image: Getty Images

6-Potatoes

Cut a potato in half to remove rust from baking pans. Dip it in a bit of salt for extra cleaning power.

Image: Getty Images/Holger Langmaier/EyeEm

7-Bread

Who knew? The best way to clean your precious watercolor paintings is with a piece of bread. Truth!

Image: Getty Images/kunnaifoo

8-Lemon juice

Apply lemon juice to stove and counter tops to remove greasy stains. Works great as a bleaching agent for laundry stains, too!

Image: Getty Images/Acronycal

9-Salt

Remove burned-on gunk from pans and stove tops with a dash of salt. The sooner you sprinkle it on, the better it works.

Image: Getty Images/Kristin Lee

More household cleaning help

10 Household chores you thought you would have mastered by now
9 Filthy things you’re probably not cleaning right
Spring cleaning hacks you can master