What is calcium carbonate?

Chalk only for the blackboard or the sidewalk? Not at all! Calcium carbonate (the official name for chalk) is an incredibly versatile tool to use in and around the house. You can use it to remove stains from your clothes, keep your tools rust-free and (finally!) get your bike lock unstuck.

How to use it

Spilled grease on your favourite shirt? Or even on your suede shoes? Rub some chalk on it immediately and throw it in the wash. Those suede shoes, of course, you leave the chalk on overnight and then rub the grease off the next day.

Have you inherited a 96-piece silver cutlery set? Make a bundle of cheesecloth and put some chalk in it, keep this bundle with the cutlery to prevent the silver from discolouring. That way it's always ready to use (at Christmas, for example)!

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

And if your key no longer slides smoothly into your bike lock, it can help to put a little chalk on the key and insert it into the keyhole a few times (add a little fresh chalk each time). You'll see that it becomes much easier to unlock your bike after that!

What you didn't know either...

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