What is calcium carbonate?

Chalk only for the blackboard or sidewalk? Not at all! Calcium carbonate (the official name for chalk) is an enormously versatile agent to use in and around the house. You can remove stains from your clothes with it, keep ants at a distance and (finally!) unlock your bike with it.

How to use it

Did you spill grease on your favorite shirt? Or even on your suede shoes? Rub some chalk over it immediately and throw it in the wash. Not those suede shoes of course, there you let the chalk sit overnight and then you rub the grease off so easily the next day.

Did you inherit a 96-piece silver cutlery set? Make a bundle from cheesecloth and put some chalk in it, store this bundle with the cutlery to prevent the silver from tarnishing. This way it's always ready for use (at Christmas, for example)!

Calcium carbonate can also help you keep your tools rust-free. If you store some chalk in your toolbox you prevent the tools from rusting and they will last much longer!

And if your key doesn't go smoothly into your bike lock anymore, it can help to put a little chalk on the key and insert it into the keyhole a few times (always put some fresh chalk on it). You'll see that afterwards it's much easier to unlock that bike!

What you also didn't know yet...

Did you know that lime, the big brother of chalk, was already used in prehistoric times to make cave paintings? Later the Romans even made cement from limestone, by mixing it with volcanic ash. This shows you how versatile this natural agent is!