Do You Use Baking Soda?
Let’s set one thing straight: we will forever, until the end of our days, promote baking soda and its cleaning perks. Period. After all, most of us have a box or tub of baking soda somewhere in the back of a kitchen cabinet or in the pantry.
If you only used baking soda in home baking or as a leavening agent in cookies, cakes, and muffins, you might be shocked to find out that it’s extremely effective when you use it around the house to keep everything clean, from mugs and ovens to carpets and curtains.
This humble, efficient, and inexpensive white powder is an essential alkaline that can easily take on the toughest of cleaning tasks. In fact, there are so many things you can clean with it. It’s also one of the best and most eco-friendly ways to keep everything in tip-top shape. Here’s our pick of cleaning tips for things you can clean with baking soda.
Windows
If you would rather not use any kind of strong chemical, baking soda is the way to go. It can be a more eco-friendly way to get that desired streak-free finish. Just apply the baking soda to a damp cloth and smear it over the glass; then simply remove and buff it wide clean.
Any stubborn marks that might be caused by limescale or grease can be easily removed if you apply baking soda, then spray some white vinegar before wiping them off and buffing them.
The oven
No one chooses to use harsh chemicals with a toxic odor over something just as effective and, well, natural. Instead, you should use a homemade paste of baking soda and water brushed onto the surfaces.
This will help you clean an oven quite effectively. Spray the paste with some white vinegar, then let it foam to shift the stubborn grime. Then, carefully repeat spraying as often as you need until any baked-on food residue is efficiently wiped away.
We would honestly advise you to steer away from harsh chemicals in the oven and try something more natural. Baking soda is highly efficient and makes the daunting task of oven cleaning a bit easier.
All you have to do to get that desired shining oven is to spray the whole oven down, including cleaning a glass oven door, with a damp water bottle. Then, pour on a thick layer of baking soda, especially on the bottom, until there’s a quarter-inch layer of soda paste. If the soda is still dry, you can wet it with a water bottle.
Carpets and curtains
Do you know you can make your own freshening spray for carpets, curtains, and fabric surfaces? Just mix it up in a spray bottle with half the boiling water, two teaspoons of baking soda, and a handful of your favorite fabric softener. Let it sit for a while, around half an hour, so all the products can mix together nicely. Then, spray away. Make sure you always keep a distance of around 20 cm when you spray, and be careful around pets and children.
The shower
When it comes to showers, limescale is the number one enemy, especially if you live in a hard-water area. To make sure you get rid of all that scaly buildup as fast as you can, take a wet microfiber cloth and just sprinkle a small amount of baking soda and a couple of drops of dishwasher liquid onto it.
Then, rub the cloth to make a soapy lather, and scrub the shower screen. For the shower tray, sprinkle some baking soda straight onto the floor, then add a squirt of dishwashing liquid and rub it with a wet brush. Rinse everything with some hot water and dry it with a cloth. The shower curtains can also be cleaned with the same cloth.
Mugs and China
If you like enjoying your cup of tea and coffee while working, then you probably need to look into your china collection every now and then. Your mugs can get stained quite easily, and they might be hard to clean in the dishwasher.
One of the best cleaning hacks out there is to sprinkle a small amount of baking soda onto a scouring pad and scrub for five minutes. It might need some elbow grease, but as soon as you finish it, just pop it in the dishwasher or simply rinse it under the tap. It will look as good as new! On top of that, it works like a charm for other china that might have gotten stained.
Drains
The household drains can rapidly turn stinky if they don’t get the much-needed TLC every now and then. So make sure that once a week, you run some hot water down the drain on sinks, showers, and baths. Then, carefully pour in around half a cup of baking soda. Let it sit there for 15 minutes, and rinse with hot water. Trust me, any nasty smells that might have bothered you will be gone!
Le Creuset
The cookware can definitely benefit from a good baking soda treatment. After a couple of years of constant use, you might notice that your Creuset can show some wear, staining, and discoloration on both the inside and outside.
In fact, we’ve recently discovered that boiling water and baking soda in the pan for 15 minutes will do the trick, leaving the pan sparkling clean. You can easily use the trick on any kind of pan, apart from aluminum.
Laundry
Make sure you get rid of all the odors on your dirty clothes and keep the whites white. Now, you might be wondering: It sounds dreamy, but how do I do that? Just add a cup of baking soda to your laundry every time you wash. It will also help keep bright colors bright.
Tile grout
Tiles can look quite dirty and grubby, especially if the grout has those horrible black spots caused by mold and mildew. To clean the grout, mix together two parts baking soda and one part hydrogen peroxide (you can find it in any drugstore and health store). Then, use an old toothbrush to apply it to the grout. Leave it for 20 minutes, then rinse it with some clean water.
Sinks
If you want to keep your sink in the best possible shape, just sprinkle some baking soda on half a lemon and wipe all around the sink before rinsing with water. The acid and alkaline react together to create a thick, frothy substance that will help you dissolve the dirt.
Refrigerator
When foods start to go off in the refrigerator, they can rapidly become a bit smelly inside. That’s why it’s important to keep a small bowl of baking soda in the refrigerator, which will help neutralize any odors. As part of your refrigerator cleaning schedule, change it every couple of weeks to keep it working the right way.
Tupperware
Tupperware is extremely handy when it comes to storing leftovers. However, when you are organizing it, make sure you pay attention to those items that start to look a bit stained. Just soak overnight in a washing-up bowl filled with some hot water and a sprinkle of baking soda.
If you found this article useful, we also recommend checking out: 10 Weird Toilet Cleaning Tricks That Actually Work
