Monday 11 March, 2019

How to Clean Plastic Containers with Salt


When it comes to finding a way to effectively clean stained plastic ware, it can be surprisingly difficult to really get things spick and span. Thankfully there are a number of different methods you can use. There is of course the option of bleach, but if you want to avoid such a harsh approach, you […]


When it comes to finding a way to effectively clean stained plastic ware, it can be surprisingly difficult to really get things spick and span. Thankfully there are a number of different methods you can use. There is of course the option of bleach, but if you want to avoid such a harsh approach, you can try something gentler like lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar or salt.

In fact, salt is quite popular both for cleaning sticky plastic ware and for cleaning a variety of other surfaces around the household. There are a couple of different ways you can approach this:

1. Use salt and warm water. This is an easy method for getting grease out of plastic containers since it does not require that you have anything else on hand. Just get a cloth damp with a little warm water, sprinkle a bit of salt on it, and then scrub the stain inside your plastic food container vigorously. You may need to repeat this a couple of times to get the discoloration fully removed.

2. Cleaning with salt and lemon juice is another method which can work wonders. This works just the same as the technique above. But instead of getting your cloth damp with warm water, get it damp with lemon juice. The lemon juice you buy for cooking from the grocery store works fine for this, but you can also squeeze fresh juice out of a lemon. Sprinkle a little salt on your cloth, and attack those stains with some serious elbow grease. As with salt and warm water, it may take a few applications to get the stains fully removed.

The reason this works is that salt has powerful absorbent properties. It literally lifts grease from plastic bins and other surfaces as a result.

If you find that salt and lemon juice or salt and warm water work well for cleaning your plastic containers for food, you can try the same method on your plastic cutting board. Like your plastic food containers, your plastic cutting board is porous and tends to stain easily. The absorbent properties of salt can help to pull those stains back out of the porous surface.

Salt and lemon juice reportedly work well for cleaning metallic surfaces as well. You can use it in your oven, your pots and pans, and on your sink and faucet. It can also remove discoloration from your counters. Once you’re done cleaning the kitchen, you will find it equally helpful in the bathroom. There you can use it on your sink and counter, your tile walls, your bathtub and even your toilet bowl.

Don’t want to clean your plastic containers with salt and lemon juice? There are many other methods which are also effective. As mentioned previously, vinegar works great, as does baking soda. You can also try a couple of denture tablets and warm water, or you can go with a gentle dish soap. Check out my other posts on how to clean plastic containers and lids to learn more powerful techniques for removing tough stains!

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