Alka Seltzer is a popular over-the-counter
medication, but it can also be used to clean, brighten, and refresh a
number of places around your home. Whether you’ve got to remove odors
from a smelly fridge, brighten white clothing, or remove coffee stains, a
few tablets of Alka Seltzer can replace and work even better than
traditional cleaners. Read on to find out the specifics of what and how
you can clean with this medicine cabinet staple.
Alka Seltzer is a popular over-the-counter
medication, but it can also be used to clean, brighten, and refresh a
number of places around your home. Whether you’ve got to remove odors
from a smelly fridge, brighten white clothing, or remove coffee stains, a
few tablets of Alka Seltzer can replace and work even better than
traditional cleaners. Read on to find out the specifics of what and how
you can clean with this medicine cabinet staple.
What is Alka Seltzer anyway?
Alka Seltzer is a fizzy tablet that
dissolves easily in water. It works as a pain reliever and an antacid in
one. Each tablet contains sodium bicarbonate, aspirin, and citric acid.
This over-the-counter medication is used for a variety of minor
ailments, such as heartburn, indigestion, body aches, headaches, or flu
symptoms, which makes it an incredibly popular medication.
To give you a perspective of just how common it is, just know that
Bayer, the producer of Alka Seltzer, sells over 2,5 billion tablets of
this medication per year in the United States alone.
And not all of it is going to relieve acid
reflux or body aches, as this medication also has a wide range of uses
around the home. The ingredients and the fizziness of these tablets make
them a surprisingly versatile yet gentle cleaning agent. So whenever
you’re out of your usual cleaner for the following household items, you
can use a few tablets of Alka Seltzer.
Clearing a drain
When you’re dealing with a clogged or
slow-draining sink, a few tablets of Alka Seltzer can help restore water
flow. The combination of citric acid and sodium bicarbonate creates a
fizzing action that’s able to break down grease that often causes
blockages.
Directions: Drop 3-4 tablets of Alka Seltzer into the drain and top it
off with 1 cup of white vinegar. Let the tablets work for 10 minutes,
then open the tap and flush out the pipes with hot water.
Remove stains from plastic containers
Plastic food containers are great for
storing food, but they can get stained by orange, yellow, or red foods.
The resulting yellow stain can be impossible to eliminate with regular
dish soap. This discoloration can be cleaned up with 1-2 tablets of Alka
Seltzer.
Directions: Fill the stained container with warm water. Then add 1-2
tablets of Alka Seltzer depending on the side of the container. Let the
mixture do its magic for 30-60 minutes, and then rinse the container
with warm water. Et voila, the annoying orange stain will be completely
eliminated.
Cleaning thermoses, water bottles, and narrow containers
Thermoses, water bottles, vases, and pitchers can be ridiculously tough
to clean on the inside. So what do you do to remove any stains or odors?
Instead of buying specialized brushes, use a few tablets of Alka
Seltzer. It’s so much easier!
Directions: Just fill the dirty container with hot water and then drop
2-3 tablets of Alka Seltzer inside. Wait for an hour, and then rinse
your water bottle with more lukewarm water. All dirt and odors will be
banished for good.
Remove coffee stains from cups and furniture
Did you notice coffee rings on your white
desk? Or maybe you paid attention to the inside of your favorite coffee
mug, which is now a brownish color. These brown stains can be difficult
to remove without any bleaching agents, but you don’t want to use bleach
on cups or furniture because it’s too harsh. Instead, we recommend Alka
Seltzer. Since it’s very slightly abrasive, it can be more effective
than dish soap but is still a gentle detergent.
Directions: Fill the dirty mug with lukewarm water, then drop 1 tablet
of Alka Seltzer in the mug. Wait for 10 minutes, and then rinse the mug.
It should be as good as new.
For removing coffee stains on furniture, use a solution of 1 tablet of
Alka Seltzer per 1 cup of water. Apply the solution to the stain with a
sponge, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, and then wipe it away and you’re
done.
An old refrigerator may be smelly even if
you clean it every week. In this case, you need some kind of
odor-absorbing cleaning agent to make the unpleasant smells vanish. Alka
Seltzer is especially effective at this task.
Directions: Dilute 1 tablet of Alka Seltzer in 1 cup of water, then
place the cup with the solution in the refrigerator for about 30-60
minutes. If there are any remaining odors, dilute another tablet in
another cup of water, and use the solution to wipe down the walls and
shelves of the fridge. You can also repeat this process every 1-2 weeks
to prevent unpleasant smells from building up in the future.
Deep-cleaning the coffee maker
The water dispensing system of all coffee
machines must be cleaned and descaled 1-2 times every year. Still, the
descaling tablets available for coffee makers tend to be quite harsh and
full of chemicals. For a milder method that won’t harm your body or the
environment, use Alka Seltzer.
Directions: Drop 3 tablets of Alka Seltzer in the full water chamber of a
coffee maker. Once the tablets have dissolved, run the coffee machine
without any coffee on either the descaling cycle or the regular brew
cycle until no water remains. Then rinse the water chamber with lukewarm
water, and your machine will be ready to run. The fizzy liquid will
gently clean the internal system of the coffee machine, and you may even
notice that it starts working more efficiently afterwards
An effective all-purpose cleaner
If you’re running low on your usual
all-purpose cleaner, you can use Alka Seltzer in a pinch.
Directions: Drop 3 tablets of Alka Seltzer into a spray bottle filled
with 8 ounces of water. Shake and let the liquid foam up. Then use this
mixture to wipe down any solid surface that needs cleaning, be it the
counter, living room furniture, or tile. If you have any leftover
liquid, you can also use it to clean the floors. It’s truly universal.
Purify a smelly cooler
Opening the picnic season often comes with
unpleasant surprises. One common issue is a foul odor from a cooler
that’s been closed all winter. Most people will just rinse it out with
some dish soap and water, but we think that Alka Seltzer may actually be
superior.
Directions: Fill the bottom of the cooler with 2-3 inches of warm water.
Then add 3-4 tablets of Alka Selzer. Let the tablets dissolve, and
leave the mixture in the cooler for another 30-60 minutes. Then rinse
the cooler, and you’re done.
Scrub away burnt-on food residue
Scrub away burnt-on food residue
We all love our bacon and eggs with a
delicious golden crust, but baked-on residue may choose to develop on
the bottom of the frying pan too. What can you do to remove burnt-on
food from nonstick pans, glass dishes, or stainless steel pots without
scratching the surface? We think you know the secret ingredient, so
let’s get straight to the technique…
Directions: Fill your kitchen sink with warm water, and then add 5-6
tablets of Alka Seltzer to the mix. Soak the dirty cookware in this
liquid solution for 1 hour. Part of the baked-on food residue will slide
off on its own, but you can lightly scrub the remaining bits off with a
sponge. Rinse the cookware with lukewarm water, and your pots and pans
will be spick and span.
Make glassware shine
Even if all your cookware is in pristine
condition, you may have a few glasses with white calcium water residue
or persistent wine stains. Repeat the same steps in the method above,
rinsing your glassware in the sink with some Alka Seltzer water, and the
glass will shine like brand new. For an extra punch, you can also add 1
cup of white vinegar into the mix. Don’t worry about the smell, the
vinegar odor will dissipate very quickly.
Relieve insect bites
This next method isn’t really about
cleaning the house, but we just had to include it anyway because it’s so
clever and effective. Alka Seltzer can relieve the maddening itch and
swelling after insect bites. The citric acid in the tablets is also
effective at cleaning the wound, whereas the remaining ingredients will
help diminish itching and inflammation.
Directions: Drop 2 tablets of Alka Seltzer into 1 cup of warm water.
Once dissolved, take a cotton ball and soak it in the solution. Apply to
the insect bite and secure the cotton ball with a bandage for around 30
minutes. You should notice relief almost instantly.
Remove water stains from the toilet bowl
Some of us live in areas with hard water.
This can be annoying, as some hard-water residue may appear as unsightly
yellow stains in the bathroom, sink, and toilet bowl. Luckily, the
citric acid in Alka Seltzer can do wonders for these types of stains,
including the difficult-to-reach areas of the toilet. Moreover, the
tablets will also help reduce odors too!
Directions: Drop 2-3 tablets of Alka Selzer into the toilet. Let them
dissolve, and use the toilet brush to coat the inside of the toilet
bowl, especially the stained areas, with the fizzy solution. Wait for
20-30 minutes, and then brush the residue away with a toilet brush
again. Then flush to rinse everything, and your toilet should look as
clean as new.
Refresh jewelry
Cleaning jewelry is a touchy subject, as
using the wrong product can tarnish your favorite jewelry. Just so you
know, you can save some cash on professional jewelry cleaning by using
Alka Seltzer. The fizzy tablets make a gentle yet effective jewelry
cleaner that’s also very affordable.
Note: This method should not be used for opals and pearls because the
acidic liquid can ruin them.
Directions: Combine 2 tablets of Alka Seltzer in 1 cup of warm water in a
deep bowl. Place the jewelry into the bowl for up to 20 minutes, then
empty the bowl and rinse your jewelry. Finish by drying and polishing
the jewelry with a clean towel, and watch your precious pieces shine
again.
Brighten white garments
White linens and clothes will turn yellow
or grey over time, and using bleach doesn’t always help either. While
it’s true that there are specialized laundry products that can help with
this type of discoloration, why not try a home remedy before you spend
money on a product you’ll only use once in a lifetime? If you have a few
Alka-Seltzer tablets left in the medicine cabinet, try this trick.
Directions: Dissolve 2 Alka Selzer tablets in a gallon of warm water,
and soak the garments in this solution for 30 minutes. For stained
underarms or collars, gently rub these areas to let the solution
penetrate deep into the fabric fibers. Finish by washing the garments in
the washing machine as usual. The clothes will come out of the washer
bright white, and we recommend that you air-dry them in the sun to lift
the color even further.
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