For anyone seeking a natural and effective way to clean a variety of household items, surfaces and fixtures in their home, baking soda is often an ingredient they turn to. Affordable and readily available (in fact most homes already have it in their pantry), here are 6 great ways to use baking soda in your home:
- Unblocking sinks
While you might be tempted to pour chemicals down your sink to alleviate the blockage, or call out a plumber, why not try a combination of baking soda and vinegar? Simply pour a cup of baking soda down the sink, followed by a cup of vinegar, leave it for up to an hour, and then pour boiling water to flush down the drain to flush it through.
- Eliminating oil and grease stains
Did you know that with a sprinkling of baking soda, a little water and an old toothbrush, you can get oil and grease stains to vanish? Wet the affected area, sprinkle on some baking soda, and leave it for a few minutes before gently scrubbing at the stain with the toothbrush.
- Buffing up your silver
If you’ve got anything silver in the home that’s beginning to look a bit tarnished, you can mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a little water to create a paste, and spread it all over the item with a soft cloth. Buff, rinse, dry, and your silver should be looking as good as new!
- Giving your laundry a boost
It’s not uncommon for clothes to become faded over time, especially the more often you wash them. But by adding half a cup of baking soda to your next load along with your regular detergent, you can help bring your dull clothes, back to life.
- Cleaning and deodorizing dishwashers
Dishwashers do a lot of cleaning, but at some stage, they need to be cleaned themselves in order to keep on performing at their best. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to do this with baking soda. Firstly, sprinkle a cup of baking soda into the bottom of the dishwasher before running a hot rinse cycle. Then, place a bowl of vinegar on the top rack and run another hot cycle. Leave the machine to dry out thoroughly and you should have eliminated all must odors and gotten the racks and shelves spotlessly clean.
- Washing fresh fruit and veggies
If you didn’t wash your fruits and vegetables before the COVID-19 pandemic, you probably do now, right? Well, for a better result, wash your produce under water and add a little baking soda to help get rid of any remaining residue or grime. Dry thoroughly, and store away until needed.
Many cleaning services now use environmentally friendly cleaning solutions such as vinegar and baking soda, and if this is a priority for you when hiring a cleaning service, be sure to check what products they use before signing any contracts.
