A potato to lift rust from cast iron, plus more edibles that do double duty as cleaning agents.

For every spill, splatter or spot, there seems to be a specific product promoted to make you believe nothing else could possibly handle the job. We already know that’s false, right? Pantry heroes such as white vinegar, baking soda and club soda are already staples in our regular rotation when we’re not sure which of the dozens of bottles under the sink to grab.

Many other kitchen staples, however, can also handle certain types of dirty work. None of these are exactly an all-purpose cleaner (as may be obvious with staples such as tomato paste, below), but for specific jobs, in the absence of the perfect product, or to spite the industrial cleaning complex that would have you believe there is a perfect product, the solution or anecdote may already be lurking in your cupboards.

Using that which you already have on hand is a win-win-win. You’ll feel like a mastermind, save money and avoid the tyranny of more and more plastic. “The most sustainable cleaner is usually the one already in your kitchen, says Julian Silva, founder of Plastno nontoxic cleaners, “because you skip buying another single-purpose bottle.”

To use pantry products for cleaning and polishing, “It’s helpful to figure out why a certain product or method works in order to better determine other applications,” says Sofia Martinez, cleaning expert and owner of Sparkly Maid Austin . She also cautions, however, “Disinfecting is not the same as cleaning.

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