Baking Soda or Sodium Bicarbonate is a great cleaner, a deodorizer, a mild abrasive, a stain remover and has hundreds of other uses. More and more of us are becoming aware of the hazards of using toxic chemicals around the house, especially when small children and pets are around. Even though Baking Soda is mild it is highly effective and makes even tough cleaning jobs easy. It is a naturally occurring mineral that has been on the market since the middle 18 hundreds. Comparing the cost of any commercial cleaning product to baking soda, which is just a fraction of the price, it’s a wonder that not everyone has switched over already.
“Over all home” cleaner
I make my own carpet and upholstery freshener. I use a bucket that has a tight fitting lid. You can buy Baking Soda in large cartons from a restaurant wholesaler. To 4 ½ lbs/ 2kgs of soda I add a ¼ cup of orrisroot powder and a few drops of my favorite scent; lavender in spring and summer, cinnamon in the fall and pine in the winter. (I use essential oils because they’re non-toxic; also remember essential oils are volatile, so they evaporate)
- To use as Carpet Freshener sprinkle Baking Soda mix on carpet or couch and let it sit for ½-1 hour. It eliminates pet and other odors quite effectively. Remember to add some to the vacuum bag too.
- When spring cleaning sprinkle mattress and box spring; leaving it on for the full day before vacuuming it up.
- By using the prepared mix or just plain baking soda you can reduce the odor in garbage cans and bags by sprinkling in a generous amount.
- If added to the bottom in a diaper pail, kitty’s litter box, used in ashtrays in the house or the car Baking Soda will neutralize odors and freshen up any room or area.
- Use the Baking Soda mix between the pages of old and musty smelling books. Let sit on book shelves for a month or two, shake out and repeat if needed.
In the Kitchen
- Some of the most common uses for plain Baking Soda are as fridge and oven odor neutralizer.
- Baking Soda is the un-chemical drain un-clogger. This is another well known use for it however with a bit of a twist. Just pour a cup of baking soda down the drain followed by a cup of flat coke and a cup of vinegar and let it sit for some time before flushing out with boiling water. If it’s a severally clogged drain let it sit overnight before flushing with boiling hot water.
- For that clean tasting coffee add ¼ cup of Baking Soda and ¼ cup of vinegar to the water and run it through your coffee maker’s cycle once. Do it again with just ¼ of soda then twice more with just clear water. The insides of the coffee machine will be as clean as can be and the coffee won’t have any by-flavors.
- Remove tarnish from silver by mixing a thick paste of Baking Soda with water. Apply to the silver using a damp sponge or an old toothbrush (for items with raised patterns and grooves etc.) rub gently then rinse and buff dry.
- Use it as an oven cleaner. Simply sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of your oven and spray a little water to just moisten. Leave overnight and scrub clean in the morning.
- Use the same way for washing out the fridge and freezer too.
- For dishwasher maintenance run one full dishwasher cycle by adding baking soda and vinegar in both the compartments. Then run it one more time with just baking soda. The dishwasher will not be just clean but by removing all the soap buildup in the inner mechanisms it will do a better cleaning job on the dishes.
- Increase the strength of the dishwashing liquid by adding a small handful of Baking Soda to the usual amount you would use in a sink-full of soapy hot water. This doesn’t only make your dishes cleaner but also disinfects them.
- Use for scrubbing burned-on pots and pans. Sprinkle Baking Soda on the bottom of a pot or pan and moisten to make a paste, let sit overnight and then scrub.
In the Laundry room
- Run one full washing machine cycle by adding baking soda and vinegar in each of the compartments. Then run it one more time with just baking soda. The washing machine will not be just clean but by removing all the soap, softener and water scale buildup in the inner mechanisms it will do a better cleaning job on the laundry.
- Increase the strength of liquid laundry detergent by adding a ½ cup Baking Soda with the regular amount of soap to your normal wash cycle.
- You can also increase the power of bleach by adding a ½ cup of Baking Soda with the liquid bleach. This also increases the freshness of your whites.
- Use Baking Soda as a fabric softener. For clothes that are cold water washable use ½ cup in the rinse water. Baking Soda removes all the remaining soap and thus softens the fabric of the clothes. There is no need to use a commercial fabric softener.
In the Bathroom
- Use Baking Soda for cleaning combs and hair brushes. Add a small handful to the water and clean your combs and brushes in it. The hair, hairspray, and dirt etc. that have built up in them are easily removed.
- Use weekly on toothbrushes too. Soak them individually in a glass of hot water with a tablespoon of Baking Soda added for 20 minutes. Rinse.
- Use Baking Soda for cleaning all the bathroom surfaces including the taps. For built up soap scum in and around bathtubs make a paste let sit for ½ hour, wipe then rinse.
For Personal use
- Use Baking soda for triple duty when you deodorize your shoes or runners. By sprinkling 2-3 tablespoons of Baking Soda in each shoe not only will it freshen up the shoes but it will also help to keep the bottom of the closets floor fresher smelling. Before wearing shake out the shoes over the sink and wash down with vinegar or hot water for regular plumbing pipe maintenance.
- For ‘Odor-eating socks’ combine 3quarts/3litres of hot water with 1/3cup/75ml baking soda. Soak freshly washed socks for an hour in the solution. Do NOT rinse, wring out and dry.
- Keep a small container of Baking Soda in your diaper bag for when you’re out and about and when your baby spits up onto your shirt after feeding, moisten a cloth, dip it in baking soda and dab at the dribbled shirt. The odor will go away.
To clean stuffed animals add ½ cup of plain or the Baking Soda mix and ½ cup of salt per 3-4 items into large plastic bag add stuffed toys. Tie up tightly, shove into clothes dryer and with a no heat air fluff cycle spin bag for 10-15 minutes. Don’t add too many items into bag at once. Remove from bag and spin in dryer again for 10 minutes on air fluff.
As pest control
- Ants in your house? Keep them out by mixing up equal parts of baking soda and salt together. Then sprinkle the mixture wherever you see the intruders coming in.
- For earwigs mix equal amount of sugar and Baking Soda. Place in cupboard. Not liking this free menu bugs will either croak or pack their bags. (I’m told this tip works on roaches too but I haven’t had to test it out anywhere yet)
In the garden
- And finally, in the garden many flowers, fruits, and vegetables need to be planted in acidic soil in order for them thrive properly. To test the soil if it’s acidic or not mix up a quarter of a cup of baking soda with two cups of water add a cup of the soil. If the mixture foams up, then the soil is acidic.
All these tips have been tried and tested by me and I use them on a regular basis. In my opinion the only way to find out how good something really works is to try it out for yourself. Here are some more ideas for using baking soda as a cleaner, as well as ways to unclog your drains and toilets using baking soda.
Online resources
- This site provides 60+ ways to use baking soda in the kitchen, bath, laundryroom, etc!
- This site gives you a recipe to create your own all purpose natural cleaner at home!
