Clean with Baking Soda

In Part 1 of a Case For Baking Soda, we focused on its benefits for our health and body. Seriously, you can dig much more than what we gave you. Webmd.com has a pretty extensive list that also includes bug bites, skin rashes, supplements for chemotherapy, and treatment for kidney disease. In this part, we will talk about how to clean with baking soda and its other use around the household.

For your home and clothes.

We already know that baking soda is a great cleaner, whitener, and deodorizer for our bodies. Guess what? It does the same for our homes with even more applications.

• Kitchen and bathroom. Baking soda is a gentle abrasive, natural whitener, and germ killer. What else do you need to clean your sinks and tiles? No, seriously, baking soda is my go-to for cleaning my old ceramic kitchen sink that gets awful stains. I always keep a mixture of baking soda and liquid soap at the reach of my hand for everyday use. It even cleans the tile grout! I also fill an ice cube tray with this mixture and let it cure over time, so when it’s hard enough I can use it as a magic eraser for especially stubborn spots.

• Appliances. You can simply mix baking soda with some water to clean your oven, microwave, and inside your fridge. For the dishwasher, it’s even easier. Just sprinkle some baking soda on the bottom before starting a new cycle, your dishes won’t get hurt.

• Silverware polish. Baking soda is great for removing tarnish from your silverware. Actually, from any silver item, even jewelry. What you need is a dish lined with some aluminum foil, baking soda, white vinegar, and boiling water. This setup creates a chemical reaction that transfers tarnish from silver to aluminum in one minute.

• Dishes. Baking soda can be used for washing dishes by hand. I can’t recommend using it in your dishwasher detergent compartment as it depends on the sensitivity of your appliance. But I know some folks who do that and are happy. What I do recommend is to use it for cleaning old coffee stains from your mugs. I do it regularly myself.

• Odor neutralizer. An open container with baking soda will keep bad smells out of your fridge. Sprinkle some baking soda into your trash can to keep that bad boy from getting stinky. Add some baking soda into your laundry right into the washer tub and it will deodorize your clothes. You won’t need laundry conditioner and will use less washing detergent, too because baking soda softens the water. An open container with baking soda and a few drops of essential oil will work as an air freshener. Cover it with a coffee filter and rubber band and shake once in a while to regenerate its effect. I guess, with a little creativity, you can use baking soda in every stinky corner of your house.

• Stain remover. Adding baking soda to your laundry will also help gently remove some stains and keep your whites brighter for longer. Some people claim that you can remove stains from a carpet by sprinkling some baking soda on it and then spraying with a water and vinegar solution. Next time I have a stain on my carpet I will try this recipe.

Check-in with your zero-waste list.

Internet is full of tips online for how to clean with baking soda! This article is only scratching the surface. Now, let’s see how many more boxes in your list of zero-waste swaps we can check off:

• Almost every kitchen and bathroom cleaning detergent
• Magic eraser sponge
• Appliance cleaning solutions
• Air freshener
• Laundry conditioner
• Stain remover
• Dish soap

With so many benefits and a low price for baking soda, why aren’t we all using it all around our homes? I hope, after reading this, you will go and buy a big bag of baking soda and pad yourself on the back for being a considerate environment protector.