Plenty of people have heard that they can use baking soda to clean up various messes in their home, from greasy stove tops and caked-on food splatters to stubborn spills and carpet stains. Who wouldn't want to at least give baking soda a try? This is especially a consideration after recognizing how simple and affordable it is? While some people swear by the many different applications of baking soda as a cleaning material, some skeptics still wonder if it's really as effective as others claim. This article will go on to explore whether or not baking soda really works as a home cleaner, outline where it works best, and go over some tips on how to put it to use in different areas of the home.
Does it work? To put it simply: Yes, as long as it's done right. Not all baking soda cleaning methods are created equal, and the right methods must be utilized in the right places in order to be effective. Most of the time when baking soda is used for cleaning, it requires some time to sit and work in order to give the desired results. Some people try to use baking soda to scrub off caked-on messes without letting it sit and break the residue down. Then they wonder why the results were less than impressive. In order to produce the best results, baking soda should be left on a dirty surface for up to 15 minutes.
Kitchen uses. One of the best applications for baking soda as a cleaner is in the kitchen. It can be used to polish away grease and soap scum from the kitchen sink. A paste of baking soda and water can even be used to polish silverware. Baking soda is great at cutting through greasy films, and can be used to remove stubborn food that's cooked or burnt onto pots and pans. Baking soda can be rubbed into caked-on food to help pull it up while it soaks for 15 minutes or so in hot water with a touch of dish soap. Should the worst happen, dry baking soda can be used to put out small kitchen fires as well. It's especially good for grease fires where water should never be used.
Bathroom uses. The kitchen isn't the only place in the home that can benefit from the scum-dissolving properties of baking soda. Dingy showers, tubs, and bathroom sinks can also be scrubbed and buffed back to their former glory after being allowed to sit with a moderate coating of baking soda mixed with liquid soap and water. Fixtures that accumulate lime buildup can also benefit from a baking soda and water paste, which will gently clean away hard water stains and leave faucets looking spotless. That same baking soda and soap paste will work wonders on a dirty toilet bowl as well. It may need to be allowed to sit for 10-15 minutes in order to get some of the tougher stains up, which will also remove smells within the bathroom in the process.
Carpet cleaning. Many people have pets in their home whom they love dearly. However, pets can cause all sorts of odors, messes, and stains that can be difficult to deal with. Accidents are bound to happen no matter how well-trained pets are. Getting odors out of carpets can be notoriously tricky. Baking soda freshens the entire room when left on musty carpets and allowed to absorb odors overnight before being vacuumed up. Food spills can also compromise the look of nice carpets and, while the majority of stains can avoided by mopping up spills right away, more stubborn stains might require a paste of baking soda and water to remove.
Other cleansing. While many of the most popular uses of baking soda involve kitchens and bathrooms, this helpful cleaner can be used for many other applications in the home as well. A half cup of baking soda in a bucket of warm water, for instance, makes a wonderful mopping solution. Just don't forget to make another pass with plain water to rinse afterwards. Baking soda can also be used to brighten up laundry and remove any residue left behind by traditional laundry detergents, or to reduce shoe odor by sprinkling a little bit inside each shoe. The smell reduction properties of baking soda can be used to reduce garbage odor as trash bags fill up between replacements as well.