The Easy Way To Clean Sticky Dust Buildup Needs This Common Pantry Staple

Over time, sticky and greasy dust can begin to coat the surfaces in your kitchen. When you cook meat or heat oil, it seems to splatter everywhere, and the residue can sometimes be difficult to remove. If this splatter stays on surfaces for too long, dust can coat it and become stuck. While a buildup of this sticky dust may seem to be overtaking your cooking space, one ingredient in your pantry can quickly and easily clean it from most surfaces. Though cream of tartar is typically used in baking, it makes a surprisingly effective and efficient cleaning agent. The powder can be combined with water or vinegar to make every surface in your kitchen sparkle, no matter how grimy it's become.

Because cream of tartar is acidic and slightly abrasive, it's capable of removing grime from stainless steel, brass, and aluminum, as well as cabinets and countertops. This cleaner will also leave your metal and plastic appliances – fridge, microwave, oven, toaster, etc. – free of sticky dust and gunk. Moreover, cream of tartar will eliminate greasy patches from most surfaces, such as worktops, tiles, backsplashes, and grout, and can be used for cleaning porcelain fixtures like the toilet as well. 

To get rid of the greasy dust coating your kitchen appliances, dump a bit of cream of tartar into a bowl and pour in 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. Stir until your ingredients form a thin paste. Using a rag, wipe down your appliances with the cream of tartar mixture. This is most effective when you spread the cleaning solution over the area in circular movements. When you're finished, wipe away the cleaner with a new damp cloth. You can allow the area to air dry or buff it to a shine with a dry rag.

If this doesn't seem to do the trick, try adding more cream of tartar to the mixture to thicken your cleaning paste. If you are using it to clean gunk on a pan, you can try using hot water and allow the mixture to sit in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes to allow the heat to penetrate. Using a scouring pad on Items that won't get damaged or scratched is also an option.

If your kitchen has an excess of greasy and sticky dust that just won't seem to come off, you may need to add something stronger than water to your cream of tartar. For a more powerful cleaner, try mixing the cream of tartar with white vinegar. Because vinegar is a powerful cleaning solution, and cream of tartar is safe to use on basically any surface, this solution will help you get rid of dust throughout your kitchen and home. 

Like the previous method, stir together your two cleaning agents to form a paste. Depending on how dirty the surface is, you can use equal parts or two parts of cream of tartar with one part of vinegar. For extremely grimy or difficult-to-clean areas, like grout, make a thicker paste and allow it to sit after scrubbing for several minutes before wiping it away. Although cream of tartar is generally considered safe and gentle, be sure to wash it off your skin or clothes after you've finished cleaning.