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Today we have a fun post about the amazing and scientifically proven uses for cream of tartar besides baking!!
Cream of tartar is such a neat little tool you have right in your kitchen that can be used for numerous things.
Those who own our eBook have been enjoying using cream of tartar for cleaning, but I have never shared a post on the website before. So, it was time to share with you this article.
Enjoy learning about cream of tartar!
Don’t forget to join us on instagram for more tips!
Amazing Scientifically Proven Uses for Cream of Tartar Besides Baking!
You have probably seen articles online about cream of tartar uses, and maybe you have even tried some! Here on Chemistry Cachet, we love to share the cool unusual uses for things, but also the science behind why it works! The chemistry behind a substance is what makes it perform!
Before we share the uses for cream of tartar besides baking, let’s check out the science.
What is Cream of Tartar Made Of According to Science?
Chemically, cream of tartar is known as potassium bitartrate with the equation KC4H506. The K is potassium. Cream of tartar is the potassium salt acid of tartaric acid, and it is actually the byproduct of winemaking!
During fermentation of grape juice, this product crystallizes and is precipitated out. Precipitation is a chemistry term for the creation of a solid from a solution. If you would like to learn more about precipitation, you can read about it on the Chemicool Dictionary.
This product is a cheap and mild acid.
Why Does the Science Matter?
Science is what makes a substance work or not work for certain things. When you look at the chemistry of cream of tartar, you can see it has the potential to be used for all types of things besides baking. This is why we always start with the science on Chemistry Cachet, then go from there! Of course, it is always important to test things too which I always do before sharing tips with you.
Study and Discovery of Cream of Tartar
I love learning about how products were studied and discovered! In 1832, French scientist Jean Baptiste Biot discovered the physical properties of cream of tartar.
A few years later, cream of tartar was studied by none other than Louis Pasteur in 1848. If you recall from this post, he also created the first vaccination. The study of this substance was very important in the chemistry world. The McGill Office for Science and Society has a great story about why understanding potassium bitartrate was so essential to science.
Now that we understand a little more about this substance, let’s check out some scientifically proven uses for cream of tartar!
Can We Use a Cream of Tartar Replacement for the Ideas in This Post?
The answer is no for this. In order to achieve all the ideas we have in this particular post, the real cream of tartar is important.
Uses for Cream of Tartar Besides Baking
We all know that cream of tartar is most often used in the baking world as a leavening agent. If you want to whip egg whites or make icing, you can add a touch of cream of tartar to make this happen.
Due to the science though, there are numerous ways you can use cream of tartar in your home.
Clean Your Toilet
A little secret of mine is using cream of tartar in the toilet. If you shake some into the toilet bowl and scrub it with a toilet brush, it will clean it and remove hard water build up. Remember how we said this was acidic? It will work similar to vinegar, but has similar scrubbing power to baking soda. You can buy it in bulk for cleaning.
Stain Removal
You will find cream of tartar in one of our stain removal recipes. It is such a great tool for getting out stains! You can use this for all types of stains (food, ink, grease, etc). Check out the details here.
Make DIY Bath Bombs
Instead of citric acid, you can use cream of tartar for homemade bath bombs. The acid in cream of tartar is just enough to create a fizzy bath bomb!
Create Homemade Slime
If you have kids at home, you can make a really neat slime with cream of tartar. Some recipes call for glue to get the stickiness, but I love these recipes that use cream of tartar instead. Here is a youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-bq3hH1Flg
Arthritic Pain??
There are some who say you can use this for arthritic pain! By mixing citrus with cream of tartar to form a drink, you can help arthritic pain. I think this is the same concept of using an acid to offset pain. Here is the post for creating this drink.
Face Scrub
You can also use this little tool in a face scrub. It is mildly acidic, but also abrasive with a similar texture to baking soda. For a gentle face scrub, you can mix a little bit with water to form a paste, then gently scrub. Or you can add a teaspoon into your face wash for some scrubbing power. This helps with exfoliating, but it is also good for acne. Remember to use it gently and not very much.
Clean Stained Glassware
If you have glassware with stains, you can use cream of tartar to scrub the inside and remove the residue. This can even help with tea or coffee stains in cups! Sprinkle the inside with cream of tartar, scrub it a little, rinse with really hot water.
Remove Rust Stains From Everything
This is a little tip from the eBook! You can create something I like to call “cream of tartar milk” which will remove rust from anything. I use this all the time for knives!
Keep a Jar on Hand!
You never know when you might run into a situation above, so always keep a little jar of cream of tartar on hand. It is so handy to use plus it doubles as a leavening agent! I absolutely love knowing these handy tips for when you need to clean something or remove a stain in a pinch!
Similar Posts for Everyday Items
If you love to use everyday items for fun things based on science, here are some of our favorites below:
How to Clean with House With Toothpaste
Cool Ways to Use Leftover Milk
The Neatest Things to Do with Aspirin
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Hi Alexis! This is such cool info! Growing up my mom had a jar of cream of tartar in the kitchen but I didn’t know its uses… then my dentist said I had a lot of tartar buildup on my teeth. I thought it was the same stuff… lol. I’m adding a jar of cream of tartar to my shopping list, to keep on hand. I’m curious about the arthritis pain drink, toilet scrub, glass cleaner, and gentle exfoliant. Thanks!
Lol I thought it was the same thing when I was a kid too. They say it’s actually pronounced tar-tar, but as a Texan, I call it Tar-tur lol It is a great thing to keep on hand!
I use cream of tartar to clean the stains from the insides and outsides of my stainless steel pots. I have had them for for almost 50 years and after they are cleaned they look like new.
It does such a good job with stains!!
Good post Chemistry Cachet!
Thank you!
It was very interesting reading about the different uses for Cream of Tartar. The only thing I have ever used it for is making Home Made Play Dough, which is a wonderful form of Play Dough. Maybe you will make it for Amelia when she is older. It’s so soft and can be made in any color that you want.
I can’t wait to do that with Amelia!! I know she will love it!
Thanks for a insightful article about cream of Tartar. Do cream of tartar have other names?
It can also be called potassium bitartrate 🙂
Hi, Wonderful blog, really like the science part. My problem is cloudy glasses after cleaning them in the dishwasher. On the internet I found that this is likely from our very hard water and to test whether it is soak the item in vinegar for 30 min or so. I did this on two different glasses and made sure the vinegar covered the “test” side of the glass.
No difference in cloudiness.
I read also that a rinse aid will prevent cloudy glasses and i did run out of it for awhile so this could be it. But, does that explain why the vinegar didn’t work?
Finally, how can I rescue my glasses? Many thanks, Jan
Hi Janet! This can be from hard water and also hard water will hinder dishwashing detergent from working properly, so I would definitely make sure to keep using the rinse aide. Vinegar can remove some hard water, but I have found that adding in citric acid is even better. This water deposit remover is a great mix we have. You can also try this glass cleaning tip.
It’s the only thing that cleans the residue left on a non-stick electric griddle after cooking hash browns with oil. Nothing else would remove the residue without scratching the griddle before I discovered this solution online. I threw away several griddles from either the residue buildup or the non-stick coating being damaged, both cause the food to stick and worsen with each use.
That’s cool! Thanks for sharing!
I love this idea especially for a home on a septic tank! I’m going to give it a try for the hard water we have to deal with! Thanks for this hot tip!
It is such a great item to use at home besides just baking with 🙂