Here are some things you should never clean with baking soda!
Also known as sodium bicarbonate, baking soda is an indispensable part of any household—whether it’s a cleaning agent, deodorizer, or for baking cakes.
While this staple can get any job done, it can actually cause damage when used to clean certain surfaces. Yes, baking soda is excellent because it interacts with both grease and dirt, making them easier to wipe away, but you have to be careful when you use it.
According to experts, when you’re cleaning using baking soda, you’re actually doing very complicated manipulation of molecules. Classified as an abrasive, this cleaning agent can leave its mark on delicate household surfaces.
This being said, here are some things you should never clean with baking soda!
1. Ceramic stovetop
While it may be tempting to use baking soda when cleaning your ceramic stovetop, don’t do it. While the stubborn grease will go away when you attack it with some sodium bicarbonate, you may also ruin your stovetop.
As one of the things you should never clean with baking soda, glass-ceramic cooking tops are efficient to use and beautiful to look at, but they don’t need a level of care that this kitchen staple cannot provide.
While experts list baking soda as a go-to cleaning agent for most stovetops, ceramic cooking top manufacturers recommend a blend of water and dishwashing liquid in a spray bottle and a damp cloth or a soft sponge to remove any food debris left behind instead.
2. Aluminum cookware
Aluminum pots and pans are also among the things you should never clean with baking soda. Well, there’s a thing here that should be mentioned: technically, nothing wrong will happen if you use a baking soda cleaning mixture on your aluminum cookware.
However, experts warn that the cleaning agent can cause aluminum to oxidize if there’s extensive contact between them. Once it penetrates the surfaces, it will cause oxidation, making the items discolor and turn brown. If you really want to use baking soda, remember to rinse the cookware thoroughly right after.
A safer option would be to soak these things you should never clean with baking soda in a mixture of tartar, lemon juice, or vinegar, leave the mix do its job for 10 minutes, then scour gently with the rough side of a cleaning pad.
3. Wood furniture
Similar to other things you should never clean with baking soda, wood surfaces may end up ruined because the cleaning agent can be too hard and abrasive on some sealants or finishes.
Moreover, baking soda is also acidic, which is another reason why it doesn’t go well with natural materials like wood. Perhaps you’ll clean the surface, but you’ll also scratch and peel the wood, which will make it unsightly and dull. This obviously applies to wooden floors too.
This being said, stick to the good old-fashioned wood cleaner for spotless furniture or soapy water when cleaning hardwood floors. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
4. Marble
Next on our list of things you should never clean with baking soda is marble, which can be quite vulnerable to this cleaning agent. You may think bicarbonate sodium seems like an eco-friendly solution to clean your marble countertop, but it can do more harm than good.
Baking soda’s abrasive texture can cause micro scratches, which you may not see right after you clean the surface, but they will eventually become noticeable, reducing the shine and beauty of your stone surface.
You don’t want that to happen. Marble or any other natural stone are expensive materials, so fixing any damage can be costly. So, use some water and dish soap, or a product specially designed for marble, to clean your kitchen countertop.
Keep reading to discover other things you should never clean with baking soda!
5. Glassware and stemware
Your wine glasses may have looked new and sparkly many moons ago, but now they look cloudy. Rather than trying to make them look perfect again using an abrasive like baking soda, cleaning experts suggest getting rid of the film by using mild dishwashing soap, then running the glasses under warm water, then applying a water and vinegar mix in a spray bottle to give them a brand new sparkle.
The same applies to windows or mirrors. You’ll want to stick with Windex when cleaning them if you don’t want to scratch them by using baking soda.
This being said, remember that glass is very sensitive when it comes to scratches, and everything made of glass falls into the category of things you should never clean with baking soda.
6. Carpets
We hear all the great things about baking soda and its power to remove bad odors. They are true; this kitchen staple can also work as a natural deodorizer. But do you want to use it on any smelly surface? Probably not.
Carpets are also among those things you should never clean with baking soda. Yes, the sodium bicarbonate will remove the odor, but do you know what it leaves behind? Once it’s in your carpet, baking soda adheres to its backing and fibers, and it will stay there for a very long time.
You can try to vacuum the carpet, but you won’t remove the baking soda completely. The conclusion here? Don’t use this product to clean your carpets.
7. TV remote controls
Don’t let baking soda get anywhere close to your TV remote control. Even if you’re convinced it will do a great job cleaning the TV remote, which, by the way, you should clean more often because it’s one of the germiest things in your house, it will only do more harm than good.
Not only can tiny baking soda particles get into the button crevices, but they can also leave behind a dusty, white residue after they dry. In other words, TV remote controls also make the list of things you should never clean with baking soda.
The best way to do it is to use a lint-free cloth, rubbing alcohol, an optional toothpick, and cotton swabs. Use the cloth soaked with alcohol to wipe down the remote control, and clean out the button using a toothpick. You’ll dislodge any grime, and if there’s anything left behind, you can use a cotton swab to finish.
8. Computer keyboard
Similar to TV remote controls, computer keyboards have fewer crevices and cracks (even more than a remote control). You won’t want the fine particles to penetrate the gaps and damage internal components—especially if it’s a laptop, which is way more expensive to repair or replace than a TV remote control.
So, when it comes to computer keyboards, all you need is cotton swabs, rubbing alcohol, a clean, lint-free cloth, and a can of compressed air. Before starting the cleaning process, turn your keyboard upside down and gently shake it so dust and any crumbs left behind naturally fall out.
The can of compressed air helps you blow the dust out of the keyboard, and this option from Amazon does a pretty good job. Once you’ve done this, with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, work your way around the keys. Ensure that the swab is not overly wet, and use a cloth to wipe it dry as you do.
If you liked our article on the things you should never clean with baking soda, you may also want to read 10 Unsafe Items You Should Keep Out of Your Vacuum.
