Baking soda might just be the most versatile staple in your pantry. Also known as sodium bicarbonate, baking soda is an alkaline compound that produces small bubbles of carbon dioxide gas when mixed with an acid (such as vinegar, lemon juice, or buttermilk), making it ideal for leavening cakes, breads, and cookies to fluffy perfection.
But its uses go far beyond raising our favorite cake and cookie recipes. Baking soda’s naturally abrasive texture and chemical properties make it ideal for household cleaning uses as well, especially when scrubbing and scouring dirt, deodorizing bad smells, and lifting stubborn stains.
Deodorize Trash Cans
Trash cans naturally can become quite malodorous over time. But you can combat the smells by sprinkling a bit of baking soda inside. You can also mix it with water and use it as a spray to clean and deodorize the inside.
Remove Coffee and Tea Stains
Baking soda is great for whitening and removing stains, and sometimes nothing is tougher than coffee and tea stains left behind on our favorite ceramic mugs. Simply sprinkle baking soda into your mug and gently scrub the stain away with a damp sponge.
Clean Oven Racks
Oven racks can take a beating. Grease, oil, crumbs, and more can easily become stuck on during the cooking process. Soak oven racks in a bathtub with baking soda and hot water.
Unclog Drains
Generally speaking, you’d typically want to avoid mixing baking soda with an acid like vinegar because it produces bubbles, and you could be looking at combustion of some kind. But that reaction comes in handy when you have a stubborn drain clog. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain and follow it with 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Cover the drain and let it sit for 30 minutes. Follow it with hot water to flush away debris.
Clean Grout
Baking soda’s natural abrasiveness really shines as a grout cleaner. You can make a simple paste with baking soda and water, then apply it to darkened grout lines and scrub with a toothbrush.
Freshen Toilet Bowls
Of course, you could use a specific toilet bowl cleaner for your toilet cleaning needs, but a more natural and eco-friendly way to go is to use baking soda to remove stains and freshen the bowl. Sprinkle baking soda into your toilet bowl and let it sit for a bit before scrubbing it with a toilet brush.
Pre-Soak Stained Laundry
Pre-treating with baking soda is an easy and effective ways to help lift stubborn stains on your laundry. Soak your clothes in hot water mixed with baking soda for a couple of hours or overnight.
Boost Laundry Detergent
Additionally, you can add baking soda to your laundry cycle to give your regular detergent a bit of a cleaning action boost. Adding baking soda to your load of laundry is perfect for removing odors from clothes and brightening your white laundry.
Clean the Washer Drum
Baking soda’s myriad laundry uses don’t stop with clothing—it’s also effective for cleaning your washing machine. Run an empty washer cycle with baking soda to clean and deodorize the washing machine drum.
Scrub Pots and Pans
Scour off stubborn baked-on bits with baking soda. Baking soda is great for cleaning your oven, pots, pans, and other cookware. Simply make a paste with baking soda and water and apply to your cookware. Allow it to sit 15 to 30 minutes in your cookware before scrubbing away the residue.
Cleaning Shower Doors
Shower doors are susceptible to limescale and mineral deposit buildup. Get your shower doors sparkling again with a combination of vinegar and baking soda.
Remove Shoe Odors
Neutralize less-than-appealing shoe smells by sprinkling baking soda inside your shoes. Remember to empty your shoes of baking soda before you slip them back on your feet.
Scrub Down Stovetops
Stovetops can become a mess with stuck-on bits of food or grease. Cut through the grime and restore your stovetop to pristine condition by scrubbing it with a baking soda and water paste. Just be aware that some stovetops, such as those with smooth glass, could be susceptible to scratching. Use another type of cleaner for these.
Clean Your Wood Cutting Boards
It takes some diligence to keep wooden cutting boards in good working order. Clean your cutting board by using half a lemon to scrub some baking soda into the board. It’ll help lighten stains and deodorize any lingering smells.
Absorb Refrigerator Odors
To neutralize odors in your refrigerator, you don’t even have to take the baking soda out of its packaging. Most baking soda boxes come with a mesh side insert so that you can remove the cardboard box covering to expose the mesh side. Simply place one of these in your refrigerator and let it work its deodorizing magic.
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