Baking soda is a versatile kitchen staple that can be used for a variety of cleaning solutions and general life hacks. It is a very mild abrasive, so it can be used to clean dirt and grime without scratching the surfaces themselves. It’s a chemical base and will react to acids, creating chemical reactions that help remove stains and eliminate odors — it really is an all-in-one product!
Here are some DIY cleaning products and life hacks you can use baking soda for.
How to clean with baking soda
Cleaning your kitchen appliances
Mix equal parts baking soda and vinegar to create a paste. Apply the paste to the inside of your oven, microwave or air fryer (don’t switch them on during this!) and let it sit for an hour. Wipe away the paste with a damp cloth. And let dry before using the appliance again.
Cleaning your stovetop
If you’ve got a glass stovetop that’s caked with food and grease, then baking soda can help remove the grime without scratching the glass surface.
Make sure the stovetop is switched off and cool to the touch before sprinkling some baking soda over the surface. Use a damp sponge to wipe down the stovetop, using the baking soda to scrub any tough areas. Wipe the paste away with a damp cloth and dry with a paper towel or rag.
Cleaning your coffee maker & kettles
If you’re in an area that has water with a high mineral content, then you’re already familiar with the calcium scale that can slowly build up on your coffee maker, tea kettle and other hot water appliances.
It’s not too tricky to remove it, thankfully. If it doesn’t chip off with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, then you can use baking soda and vinegar to break it down chemically.
Fill your coffee maker or tea kettle with equal parts water and baking soda, then run the coffee maker (without a filter) and the kettle as usual. You may have to repeat the process a few times, depending on how much scale is present to begin with.
Cleaning your drains
Drains start to smell after a while, and while baking soda won’t necessarily break down large pieces of food that made it past the garbage disposal, they can help remove smaller pieces and deodorize the drain pipe.
Pour a cup of baking soda down your drain, followed by a cup of vinegar. Let the mixture fizz for 30 minutes, then flush with hot water. The reaction between the baking soda and the vinegar will help to break up any loose clogs and freshen your drains.
Cleaning your bathroom
Baking soda can reduce (or entirely remove!) stains in your bathtub, sink and toilet. Just sprinkle the soda on any dry surfaces and leave it for 15–30 minutes before scrubbing it with a toilet brush or sponge. Rinse with water or flush the toilet and you’ll be good to go!
You may have to repeat the process as necessary if one round doesn’t do the trick.
Cleaning floors and windows
Baking soda is just abrasive enough to scrub away grime without making any scratches on a surface, making it perfect for cleaning rental floors and glass windows!
Mix baking soda with water to create a paste — the quantity is up to you. Apply the paste to your floors and windows and let it sit for 15 minutes. If it’s on your floors, scrub with a mop and rinse with water; if it’s on your windows, wipe the paste away with a damp cloth and dry the surface with a paper towel.
Deodorizing a refrigerator or pantry
Removing stale smells from your fridge or pantry is about as easy as it gets. Just leave a box of baking soda at the back of your fridge (opened, of course) and it will absorb any odors floating around. Give the box a shake or a squeeze every so often to mix the powder, and you’ll be good to go!
Deodorizing your shoes
Sneakers, flip flops, work shoes, boots — you name it! Just sprinkle a bit of baking soda inside the shoe and leave it there overnight. Odors are caused by acids, and when baking soda comes into contact with an acid it absorbs it and creates an odorless salt in its place. That means that by the next morning, ideally, your shoes should smell better and the baking soda you sprinkled inside should be a little more grainy than it was before.
Yay science!
Removing stains from clothes
Baking soda can remove a variety of stains from clothes — or, at least, they can help in doing so.
Grass stains: Mix baking soda with a few drops of dish soap to form a paste. Apply the paste to the stain and let it sit for 30 minutes. Scrub the stain with a toothbrush and wash the clothing as usual.
Ink stains: Sprinkle baking soda on the stain and let it sit for 30 minutes. Lightly brush the baking soda off with a toothbrush or paintbrush and wash the clothing as usual.
Oil-based stains: Sprinkle baking soda on the stain and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then, blot the stain with a paper towel to remove as much oil as possible. Mix one part dish soap with two parts water and apply the solution to the stain. Let the solution sit for 15 minutes and then wash the clothing as usual.
Red wine stains: Blot up as much of the wine as possible with a paper towel. Sprinkle baking soda on the stain and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then, mix one part white vinegar with two parts water and apply the solution to the stain. Let the solution sit for 15 minutes and then wash the clothing as usual.
Blood stains: Mix equal parts baking soda and water to form a paste. Apply the paste to the stain and let it sit for 30 minutes. Then, wash the clothing as usual.
These techniques will work on most fabrics (aside from silks and wools) as long as you act quickly and avoid rubbing the stain too much.
Try it out!
Who could have thought that just one 75-cent box of baking soda could do so much? Give these methods a try next time you’re looking for a quick homemade cleaner or a more gentle product to work with — hopefully they work as well for you as they have for us!
Good luck!
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Featured photo courtesy Pixabay/Monfocus
Colleen Ford is a South African who now lives on Oahu in Hawai'i. She loves to travel, camp, spearfish and hike. She's also part of a super cool canoe club and is pretty decent at it. Colleen enjoys Star Wars and also not being cold ever.
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