Uses for Cream of Tartar

If you have cream of tartar at home, you’ve probably used it in some of your favorite recipes for baked goods, such as cookies and sweetbreads. Did you know that you can use this simple ingredient in other ways? If you’re not adding it to baked goods, you can still make use of it around the house and in different ways that are incredibly convenient. Check out this list of some unique uses for cream of tartar. In case you missed this post, What You Need In Your Working Pantry

Uses for Cream of Tartar

Add It to Your Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe

When you prefer making whipped cream from scratch instead of buying it at the store, use cream of tartar to stabilize your ingredients. Combine a cup of heavy cream with powdered sugar, vanilla, and ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar. It doesn’t negatively impact the flavor of the whipped cream, but it does make it soft and fluffy, leaving it with the most perfect texture possible.

Use It to Clear a Clogged Drain

Dealing with a clogged drain and don’t think it’s severe enough to call a plumber? No worries! Combine a tablespoon of cream of tartar with a tablespoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of salt, and three tablespoons of distilled white vinegar to create the perfect concoction. Once you’ve combined these ingredients, you’ll put them down the drain and let them work their magic.

The abrasiveness of the elements works well at gently removing any buildup in the drain. After letting it sit in the drain for 15 minutes, thoroughly rinse it with boiling hot water. I’ll bet this is one of those uses for cream of tartar that you didn’t know about.

Create the Perfect Pots and Pans Polish

Do your pots and pans need a good polish? If you’d like to see them looking as if new again, you can create the perfect polishing paste with cream of tartar. Combine the cream of tartar with equal parts of water to make a paste before applying it to your pots and pans that need scrubbing the most.

Allow the paste to sit on these pots and pans for at least 15-30 minutes before taking a scrub brush and gently start to scrub away. You can get rid of all the rust, built-up burned on foods, and grime in no time.

Substitute Buttermilk with Cream of Tartar

When you have a recipe that calls for buttermilk but you don’t have it at home, you can use cream of tartar as a replacement! The cream of tartar works well at doing the job that the buttermilk would do in any recipe, giving it that extra flavor and perfect texture that you want in some of your favorite foods. It comes in handy when you’re in a pinch and saves a special trip to the store!

I quote Healthline (.com) “To make a buttermilk substitute, use 1 3/4 teaspoons (5 grams) of cream of tartar per 1 cup (237 ml) of milk. Cream of tartar tends to clump when stirred directly into the milk. Therefore, it’s better to mix the cream of tartar with the other dry ingredients in your recipe, then add the milk.”

Keep Ants Out of the Home

If you’re finding ants in your home, it’s time to put a stop to that. While these insects are small and relatively harmless, they’re annoying to deal with and can quickly get into your food. If you can find out where they’re getting into your homes, such as a crack in a window or small openings in your front door weatherstrip, be sure to spread a bit of the cream of tartar in front of those areas.

The ants won’t want to go over the barrier because it could kill them! As a result, you’ll have no problem keeping the ants away. Most importantly, you won’t need to use harmful products in the home to get rid of those unwanted pests.

Clean the Kitchen With It

Would you like to clean your kitchen with natural products that lift dirt and sanitize without leaving your home smelling bad? Combine a cup of vinegar with a cup of cream of tartar and ½ cup water, combine the ingredients in a spray bottle, and then use the concoction as an all-purpose kitchen cleaner.

You can spray it on your kitchen table, sink, cabinets, and other parts of the kitchen work area that need to get wiped down. Add a few drops of essential oil to it if you’d like to make it smell even better.

Scrub Your Toilet Using Cream of Tartar

The abrasiveness of the cream of tartar works well at getting toilets clean. If you’re tired of using harsh chemicals in the bathroom, but you want the toilet to sparkle like it’s new again, sprinkle a bit of cream of tartar into the toilet.

Let the cream of tartar sit for roughly 10 minutes before grabbing your toilet brush and scrubbing away. Give the toilet a good flush after you finish cleaning to see how good it looks.

Add It to the Laundry to Remove Unwanted Stains

Do you want your laundry to come out looking as clean as possible? Add a tablespoon of the cream of tartar to your washing machine when you’re washing clothes and other items, such as towels and bedsheets.

It works well at lifting stains, leaving you with clothes that look as good as they did when you first got them. You’ll still wash the laundry with your favorite detergent. The cream of tartar is just an add-in that you can put into the washing machine for extra cleanliness.

Make Custom Homemade Slime

If the kids always ask for slime to play with like a toy, you don’t need to buy it because you can make it at home. You’d need to combine two tablespoons of cream of tartar with a cup of water, a teaspoon of your favorite essential oil, a tablespoon of vegetable oil, and a few drops of food coloring.

It’s easy, fun, and straightforward. It’s a do-it-yourself project you can complete with the children to let them make their own slime with custom colors and more.

Clean Glass Teapots (Hard Water)

Thank you, Diane! I use it to clean the hard residue out of my teapot. fill the pot, add 1/4 tsp. and let it boil. The residue from the hard water will be gone. I know this because my teapot is glass with a stainless steel plate at the bottom that collects the minerals. Doing this cleans the plate perfectly. I do it often.

This is where you can buy it: Cream of Tartar

Final Word

Cream of tartar is one ingredient that most people have in their kitchens. While it’s great to use when preparing recipes, including cookies, baked loaves of bread, and cakes, it can get put to good use in dozens of other ways.

If you didn’t know, cream of tartar works well as a way to deter ants, clean the kitchen, and even create slime for the kids to play with when they’re bored. With plenty of uses for cream of tartar, which one do you think you’re going to try first? If you have other uses for this handy kitchen item, please let me know so I can share it with my readers, they’d love to hear. May God Bless this world, Linda.

Copyright Images: Cream of Tartar AdobeStock_132183095 by Michelle