How to Clean with Baking Soda: The Ultimate Cleaning Hack

Hence, if you’re wondering what can baking soda be used for, aside from cooking applications, you will definitely find our complete guides on cleaning with baking soda to be quite useful.

Here, we’ll feature all the information that you need about cleaning with baking soda, including its uses, availability, cleaning applications, and a few things to consider.

Learn all the professional cleaning techniques using baking soda and a few other household cleaners. After this, you’ll be able to effectively clean your entire house with our amazing baking soda cleaning hacks. So, make sure you pay attention if you’re interested in this useful guide.

Baking soda can also be used for cleaning

Introduction to cleaning with baking soda

Aside from cooking uses, baking soda is often used by homeowners as an effective cleaning product for most of the areas in their houses. In this particular article, you’ll learn about the cleaning nature of baking soda and why it’s often used for cleaning household products. At the same time, we’ll also mention all the effective baking soda cleaning solutions and how to make them.

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About baking soda cleaner

What is it?

For most of us, baking soda is simply a cooking ingredient for fluffy cakes and loaves of bread. However, if you get to know more about it, especially its chemical nature, you will find that baking soda has many other interesting applications. In this article, we’ll explain how and why it’s effective for cleaning purposes.

To begin with, you should know that baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate (NAHCO3), is essentially a type of salt, which is why you’ll find it to be quite similar to the ones that you have on the kitchen counter. When you heat it up, baking soda releases heat and carbon dioxide, which explains why it’s also used to prevent grease fires.

However, as far as cleaning is concerned, you’ll mostly find yourself using baking soda that has been mixed into water. This is because, by adding baking soda to water, you’ll trigger the reaction between sodium bicarbonate and water to create sodium hydroxide and carbonic acid.

The resulting acid will create a mild abrasive solution that will help you easily scrub off grease and dirt. In addition, the solution is capable of diluting stains and has bleaching effects, which makes it absolutely spot-on when it comes to cleaning.

As for sodium hydroxide, it makes the solution become alkaline. In this case, the alkali is even more powerful than the acidity. This explains why baking soda is also great at dealing with odors.

Baking soda is effective in multiple cleaning applications

Why should you use it for cleaning?

Now that you know about its chemical nature, you should know that it’s possible to use baking soda for cleaning. But why should you use it instead of spending money on other commercial cleaning products?

Well, that’s the point. Why waste your money when you can have access to a great cleaning solution that’s both cheap and accessible? Just use regular baking soda that can be found on any kitchen counter and create a powerful cleaner whenever you want.

Moreover, because it’s also naturally-made, there is no need to worry about the harmful chemicals that are often found in other commercial cleaning products. Plus, because our provided information thoroughly explains baking soda’s cleaning applications, it’ll be quite easy for you to make your own baking soda cleaner for varied cleaning purposes.

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How to effectively use baking soda for cleaning

Baking soda only

All the purchased baking soda products, for both cooking and cleaning, come in powder form. In this state, it is slightly alkaline and can easily absorb the water in the air. Hence, you shouldn’t place it out in the open environment.

Still, due to this chemical nature, people often use baking soda to spread on multiple surfaces to get rid of odors. This is because the alkaline nature will neutralize acidic substances, which are often present in odors, and will eliminate the smell relatively quick. It’s extremely effective if you don’t want to wash or clean an entire object just because of a few odors.

For most other cleaning tasks, mixing baking soda with water to create a paste-like substance is always recommended. As mentioned, the reaction will create a slightly abrasive solution that can effectively dissolve dirt and grease. Hence, you can use it to scrub off dirt from many common surfaces and household objects.

Generally speaking, there isn’t a solid ratio for making baking soda paste. Little by little, pour water into it and keep mixing until the substance has the consistency of toothpaste. Feel free to add more baking soda if you want a more aggressive cleaning effect, while you can add more water if you wish to reduce the abrasion.

Baking soda paste is often used for cleaning

Mixing with other chemicals

If you’re still concerned about the lack of cleaning applications of baking soda, as you’ll be using it to scrub your entire house, you will be pleased to find that it’s also possible to mix your baking soda paste with many other chemicals.

Hence, while baking soda is effective on its own, mixing it with other substances will provide certain benefits for specific cleaning tasks, making it extra effective. In this article, we’ll look at the brilliant combinations that you can make with baking soda and other cleaners:

Baking soda and vinegar 

In case you don’t know, baking soda and vinegar are often used together to deal with tough stains, as they offer a much more aggressive cleaning application than the two would alone. This is because when baking soda is exposed to the acetic acid in vinegar, an explosive reaction occurs and causes most grime to dissolve.

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However, it’s important to know that the byproducts of the reactions are essentially water and carbon dioxide. Hence, people often use baking soda pastes and work them on certain surfaces, then make use of the reactions between the two as they add vinegar to finish the cleaning process.

Baking soda and vinegar is the perfect combination

Baking soda and dish soap

In addition, baking soda can be combined with your regular dish soap to boost its cleaning effects, especially when dealing with grease and oils.

For those who don’t know, filtered water, though it doesn’t contain as many minerals as hard water, still consists of a certain amount of magnesium, calcium, and other earth metals. These substances can easily aggregate with the soap molecules, making them less active -- hence, reducing the overall cleaning results.

To deal with this, many manufacturers tend to make their soap slightly alkaline so that it will bind to the metals, thereby making the cleaning solution more active. The same applies to baking soda and dish soap. By making the solution more alkaline, you can achieve more effective cleaning applications, especially when dealing with fat molecules. Hence, the method is extremely effective for cleaning cookware.

Baking soda and detergent

Moreover, if you wish to save money on clothes detergent, and at the same time make your clothes cleaner and softer, then adding baking soda to your detergent is recommended. The alkaline environment will make the soap more active toward grease and food stains.

On the other hand, baking soda, with its bleaching nature, will also help to whiten your whites. Plus, the deodorizing effect will get rid of the annoying smell of your own laundry, therefore making your clothes a lot cleaner.
This is also effective with bleach, as the whitening effects will combine and make your clothes extra-white.

Adding baking soda to your detergent is also effective

Baking soda and essential oils

If you’re looking to get rid of those annoying odors in different parts of your house, spreading a layer of baking soda in those areas should be an effective way of doing so. However, this would only neutralize the smells and make them go away.

If you wish to enjoy a more pleasant aroma, you can add a few drops of essential oil to your baking soda paste before applying it to the surfaces. Feel free to choose your favorite fragrances and add them to your mixture.

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How to effectively clean with baking soda

Here, you’ll learn how to use baking soda to clean your entire house. Our complete guides will provide the top cleaning hacks with baking soda, including step-by-step instructions. With these, you can effectively clean the different surfaces in your apartment, household items that are difficult to deal with, and more. So, stay tuned.

Clean the surfaces

Baking soda can effectively clean most of the surfaces in your house. Hence, let’s take a look at these useful guides if you wish to use baking soda to clean.

Clean the walls

Step 1 – Preparation

To clean your walls, you’ll first need to prepare:

● Baking soda paste – mix two equal parts of baking soda and water until it becomes consistent
● Clean cloths – use these to evenly spread the mixture and to wipe it off once you finish cleaning
● Soft sponge – use it to effectively clean walls without rubbing off the paint
● Soft-bristle brush – for tough stains, it’s recommended that you give them a few scrubs

Once you finish preparing, it’s time to clean your walls.

Step 2 – Apply the baking soda paste

Start to apply the baking soda paste on top of the area of the walls that needs to be cleaned, using either a clean cloth or a paintbrush. Baking soda can work on handprints, food stains, crayons, and most other dirty marks. You just need to wait a couple of minutes for the substance to take effect. 

Step 3 – Scrub the surfaces

Because baking soda is slightly abrasive, it’s not recommended that you leave the paste on your walls for too long, as it might damage the paint and the coating.

Hence, after a couple of minutes, you should start scrubbing the surfaces with your soft sponge. Work on it a few times and make sure you give it enough force to drive off the dirt.

As for tougher stains, it’s possible to rub the spots with your soft-bristle brush. Work your hand in circular motions and gently press on the brush until the stains have completely vanished.

Step 4 – Wipe off the surfaces

Once you finish the cleaning, gently wipe off the walls with a clean cloth or dry tissues. Do this multiple times until the walls are completely clean.

Clean crayon on walls with baking soda

Clean the floors

Step 1 – Preparations

To start cleaning your floors with baking soda, you’ll need to prepare the following:

● Baking soda – use baking soda that is sold in chemical stores and that is reserved for cleaning applications
● Mop bucket – it’s recommended that you use this to mix your baking soda with water
● Old toothbrush or steel scrubber – they’re effective for cleaning grout
● Mop – there is no other tool that’s better than this if you wish to shine and clean your tiled floors
● Vacuum cleaner – you don’t need one of the best vacuum cleaners, but make sure it has enough suction to collect most debris from your carpets
● Clean cloths – use them to wipe off the residue formed by dirt and baking soda

Step 2 – Clean the grout and spot-clean the tiles

Start the cleaning by mixing the baking soda with water until they form a paste-like substance. Rub it along the grout and wait for at least 15 minutes before you continue the cleaning.

In the meantime, you can start doing spot cleaning with your baking soda paste. Apply the paste onto certain areas of the floor that are noticeably dirtier than others. Then use a clean cloth to wipe off the surfaces. Do this multiple times until the spots are completely gone.

As for the grout, use the old toothbrush or steel scrubber and work on the dirt tracks. You’ll find the dirt coming off relatively easily as you brush. Once you finish cleaning, simply wipe off the residue with a clean cloth.

Step 3 – Clean and shine tiled floors

Fill your mop bucket with water and a cup of baking soda. Stir it until the powder has completely dissolved into the water. Make sure the floor is properly vacuumed, then soak your mop in the cleaning solution and start working on the floor tiles.

Quickly mop the entire floor so that you can evenly spread the cleaning solution on it. Then clean the mop and soak it again with the baking soda cleaner. Wait a couple of minutes and then start mopping a second time to completely eliminate all the dirt.

Once that’s done, it’s recommended that you mop a third time using only water to collect all the baking soda residue.

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Step 4 – Clean your carpets

When cleaning your carpet, you don’t always have the time to take it out and put it inside your washing machine, especially if it's a larger one. Hence, using a vacuum cleaner has always been considered a better way to collect dust and dirt on your carpet.

However, your vacuum cleaner alone cannot deal with the odors and dust mites that form inside your carpets. It’s nice to know that baking soda can help you deal with these.

Simply spread the powder evenly on the carpet and wait at least one hour for the effects to kick in. Then turn your vacuum cleaner to the highest setting and collect all the dirt and odors.

Clean tile grout with baking soda and a toothbrush

Clean raised surfaces

Step 1 – Preparation

Most of the raised surfaces in your house can be found in your kitchen and bathroom. These are all dirty areas that need to be deep-cleaned. Hence, you can’t go easy on them. It’ll take time to effectively clean the entire surface.

● Baking soda paste – use the same formula that we’ve provided to make your own paste
● Sponge – use this to gently scrub off the dirt and grime on your raised surfaces
● Paintbrush – this is for applying the baking soda paste
● Clean cloths – wipe off the residue and clean with these

Step 2 – Pre-apply the paste

Such surfaces are relatively dirty and will require effort to be cleaned. Hence, it’s recommended that you pre-apply the baking soda paste for at least one hour before the cleaning. This will help break down tough stains and sanitize the areas.

Use your paintbrush or anything that has the same application to evenly spread the baking soda on the targeted surfaces.

These consist of your kitchen and bathroom counters, sinks, basins, bathtubs, and so on.

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Step 3 - Clean your raised surfaces

Once the baking soda paste has sat long enough, you can start using a sponge to clean the surfaces. Make sure that you use the soft side and gently rub on the surfaces, especially those with enamel coating.

For tough stains, it’s possible to use the rough side of the sponge. However, don’t apply too much force, as you might damage the surface. Plus, by the time you do this, even the toughest dirt has been somewhat softened and dissolved by the baking soda paste. Hence, there is no need to go rough on it.

Doing laundry

Along with cooking applications, baking soda is used in laundry, as the slightly alkaline nature can boost the effects of your detergent. Plus, for those of you who don’t know, baking soda is also a great substance for deodorizing your clothes. Stay tuned and learn more baking powder cleaning uses.

Save on detergent

As mentioned, adding baking soda to your clothes detergent can strengthen its effects and, at the same time, save you money on new cleaning products. Hence, you should try this method if you wish to have thoroughly cleaned clothes. Because it’s pretty basic and common, we don’t think that you need step-by-step instructions. Hence, this will be just a simple guide.

Start by preparing your dirty clothes that need to be washed. Then apply certain amounts of baking soda paste on dirty spots that are noticeably dirtier. Put them all in your washing machine and choose your preferred setting for the specific type of clothing. Add one-half baking soda and one-half cloth detergent to your washing machine. Leave it until the clothes are completely washed.

Whitening your whites

In addition, because baking soda also has bleaching effects, it’s possible to add it to your bleach so that you can further whiten your whites. Start with the normal steps and have your clothes ready inside the washing machine.

Apply the recommended amount of bleach to the machine, then add a cup of baking soda. Once the machine finishes running, you can expect a much better result. This method is great for cleaning your bed sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases, and other white clothes.

Deodorizing clothes

In addition to washing, you can use baking soda to keep your clothes clean and sanitized for a longer period of time. It’s quite effective for use on your unwashed clothes that are sitting inside your laundry basket. Just by sprinkling some baking soda on it, you can prevent dirty and odorous clothes from stinking up newer ones, thus making it easier to clean your clothes on the weekend.

Add baking soda to your laundry basket to reduce the odor

Clean and deodorize the mattress

Just like your bed sheets and pillowcases, the mattress will eventually get dirty due to the sweat and dead skin that falls off your body while you sleep. These are ideal environments for dust mites and odors to develop, causing itches and all kinds of discomfort while you sleep.

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Unlike with your bed sheets, pillowcases, and other bedding, you can’t wash your entire mattress with your washing machine. Hence, using baking soda to clean and deodorize your mattress is considered a much more effective way. Here is how to do it:

Step 1 – Preparation

Here is everything that needs to be prepared:

● Baking soda – use your regular baking soda, and don’t mix it with anything
● Vacuum cleaner – a powerful and effective one is required
● Essential oil – choose your favorite scents

Before cleaning, make sure to remove all your bedding except the mattress.

Step 2 – Apply baking soda

You can start by sprinkling baking soda onto the surfaces of your mattress and letting it sit for at least one hour. The small particles will easily get inside the mattress to absorb moisture and odors. After a while, you’ll start to notice that the entire room is getting more refreshed and that the odors are mostly neutralized.

Step 3 – Vacuum your mattress

Crank your vacuum up to the highest setting to start vacuuming the mattress. Do this thoroughly and don’t miss any spots, as you don’t want to leave any baking soda on your mattress. Once you finish vacuuming, it’s recommended that you add a few drops of essential oil to freshen the mattress and give it an inviting aroma. That way, you can enjoy better sleep on it.

Step 4 – Put things back together

With the cleaning is done, it’s time to put back the bedding. For a more thorough clean, you might want to wash your bed sheets and pillows, too.

Vacuum the baking soda from your mattress to finish the cleaning

Clean household items

Find out what to do with baking soda with our amazing guides for cleaning household items. You’ll find yourself completely surprised by the number of ways you can use this common cooking ingredient.

Cleaning the drains

First and foremost, baking soda is extremely effective at cleaning and unclogging drains. The method uses the fizzing interaction between vinegar and baking soda to effectively unclog your drains. Hence, baking soda can be used on your kitchen sink, toilet, bathroom basin, and many other areas. Here is how you do it:

Step 1 – Preparation

To successfully complete the cleaning, you’ll need:

● Baking soda – its cleaning and deodorizing applications will help you clean your drains
● Vinegar – use it to spark the reaction with baking soda
● A lot of hot water – this will help wash off most of the grease and grime inside your drains

Step 2 – Apply baking soda to the drains

You can start by pouring hot water into the drains to get rid of the waste inside them, or to at least soften the waste. Then apply baking soda powder directly to the drains. Keep adding it, but at a slow pace.

For your sinks and basins, a quarter of a one-pound box of pure baking soda should be enough. As for the toilet and bathroom drain, it’s suggested that you use the entire box. Wait about 30 minutes for the effects to kick in; then you can move on to the next step.

Step 3 – Unclog it with an explosive reaction

Once the baking soda has worked into the grease and grime that are sticking to the inner walls of your drains, it’s time to clean things up with vinegar. Simply pour vinegar solution into the drain at a slow pace and stop only when you see bubbles rising from the drain.

Wait a couple of minutes as the reactions take place. Then flush the substances with a lot of hot water. Keep pouring water even when you don’t see any bubbles inside the drain, as this will help to remove the excess dirt.

Adding baking soda to your drain and finishing with vinegar

Clean the dishwasher

While your dishwasher might look quite clean, even from the inside, you still need to clean it frequently. Down under the drain and filter, you’ll find an entirely different scene, with food waste, debris, grease, and grime that are still stuck inside. If you don’t clean them up, sooner or later, your dishwasher will no longer work as well.

Step 1 – Preparation

To clean a dishwasher, you’ll need:

● Baking soda and vinegar – for cleaning, deodorizing, and, most importantly, the fizzing reaction
● Dish soap – for additional cleaning if your filter is a bit greasy
● A clean cloth – use this to wipe the inner and outer walls of your dishwasher

Make sure you’ve removed all the interior parts before the cleaning begins.

Step 2 – Clean the filter

Start by taking out the filter and emptying the waste inside. Run it under hot water to rinse off all the remaining waste. You might want to scrub it with dish soap. This would guarantee that food waste and grime are completely cleaned.

Step 3 – Clean the drain

Next up is the drain, which is also the dirtiest part of your dishwasher. Perform the same cleaning method that we introduced with the drains. However, if possible, you will want to add an additional cup of baking soda after the reaction. Let it rest inside the drain overnight. The following morning, run your washing machine with a couple of empty cycles to effectively clean it.

Step 4 – Finish the cleaning

Once the machine finishes running, you can use a piece of cloth to wipe the baking soda paste on the inner walls and the front face of the dishwasher. Then, put all the interior elements back where they were.

Clean pots and pans

As for your pots and pans, adding baking soda to dish soap will boost its effectiveness in dealing with tough stains and hard crusts.

Step 1 – Preparation

Here is what you’ll need for cleaning your cookware:

● Baking soda – the abrasive cleaner will help you effectively remove the crust on your cookware
● Dish soap – adding dish soap to your baking soda cleaning solution will make it more effective
● Hot water – this is essential for breaking down or softening tough stains, especially greasy and oily ones
● Sponge – use its soft side to gently clean dedicated surfaces
● Metal scrubber – it’s quite effective against hard crusts on your pots and pans

Step 2 - Apply the cleaner to the pots and pans

Start the cleaning process by mixing your own cleaning solution with baking soda and dish soap. Add enough hot water to the sink so that you can completely submerge the cookware inside it. Pour your cleaning solution into the sink and stir it before putting your pots and pans inside. Let them rest inside for at least a quarter of an hour, then come back to finish the cleaning.

Step 3 – Scrub off the residue and clean your cookware

With the dirt being fully “softened”, it’s time to clean your cookware. Use the sponge to clean your non-stick pans and other dedicated surfaces. As for the pots, your metal scrubber should be the perfect tool to clean them, especially when you’re dealing with food and burned crusts.

Keep your pots and pans clean with baking soda

Clean your grill grate

Your grill grate can also be effectively cleaned using baking soda. The process is quite similar to what you’d do with your pots and pans. Start by taking the grate out of the grill and cover it with baking soda paste. Give it a few scrubs with your metal scrubber to eliminate the burned crusts and solidified grease. Then apply some vinegar to the paste to trigger the reaction. Clean off the rest by submerging your grill grate into hot water and finish the clean with dish soap.

Clean your oven

A simple yet effective method that many people often use to clean their oven is to use baking soda and vinegar.

Step 1 – Preparation

Here are the things that need to be prepared:

● Baking soda – use it to make your own baking soda paste
● Vinegar – pour your cleaning vinegar into a spray bottle for effective use
● Dish soap – this is recommended if your oven is too greasy
● Metal scrubber – this will come in handy when dealing with burned crusts inside your oven
● Clean cloths – use them to spread the paste and wipe off the residue

Step 2 – Apply the baking soda paste

Mix the paste by following our provided recipe, then use a clean cloth to evenly spread the baking soda onto the inner walls of your oven. Let it rest for a while before you move on to the next step. If necessary, you can leave it overnight.

Step 3 – Scrub the oven with your metal scrubber

Once the baking soda has completely worked into the grease and crusts, it’s time to wipe it off. If you’ve let the paste rest overnight, you’ll find it relatively easy to scrub off the dirt. Feel free to switch to the rough side or even use a metal scrubber to clean off the tougher spots.

Finish the cleaning by spraying vinegar directly onto the baking soda paste. This will trigger the fizzing reaction between the two and effectively dissolve or break down even the most stubborn stains. It’s also possible to add a few drops of dish soap if the inside of your oven is too greasy.

Step 4 – Clean off the residue

You should wipe it again a few times with soaked cloths to collect all the remaining baking soda and dish soap. Then use the prepared cloths to wipe off all the remaining waste and paste. Do this multiple times until the inside is completely dry.

Use baking soda paste to clean your oven

Shine silverware and brass

After a certain amount of time, tarnishing and smudges will start to cover most of your silverware and brass ornaments. This makes the items lose their shine and attractiveness. Fortunately, you can always clean and shine them using only baking soda and lemon juice.

Step 1 – Preparation

● Baking soda and lemon – instead of making your regular paste, this time, you’ll use lemon instead of water
● Clean microfiber cloth – you’ll need a soft cloth to clean your dedicated metals, especially antique gold and silver
● Paintbrush – use it to evenly apply your paste onto the surfaces of the metal

Step 2 – Mix the paste and apply it to the items

Chop your lemons and start squeezing their juice into a large bowl. Add baking soda to it and mix the two. Keep adding baking soda until the mixture becomes thick, like toothpaste.

Dip your paintbrush into the mixture and spread it all over the items. Let it rest for about one hour so that the chemicals can slowly work into the surfaces.

Step 3 – Clean and polish the items

Use your microfiber cloth to wipe and scrub the surface of the metals. You’ll notice that the tarnish and smudges quickly disappear. Make sure you wipe hard enough to effectively clean the metal surfaces. However, for dedicated silverware, you might want to do it gently as you could damage the details.

Use it for personal care

Along with cleaning your household items or surfaces, baking soda can be used for personal care. If you’re interested in how to clean with baking soda, and more particularly, using it for personal care, our articles below would certainly be helpful.

Whitening teeth

Due to its whitening nature, baking soda can be used for cleaning your teeth and countering discolorations. Simply apply baking soda paste onto your toothbrush and use it to work on your teeth for one to two minutes. Do this with consistency and over a long period of time it will help whiten your teeth significantly.

Because baking soda is slightly abrasive, using it too much will damage your tooth enamel. Hence, it’s suggested that you should brush your teeth using baking soda paste only twice a week. Those with sensitive teeth might want to reduce the amount of baking soda used.

Use baking soda to brush your teeth

Treat body odor

Because baking soda is also used as a deodorizer, you can use it to neutralize your body odor, especially in sensitive areas like your armpits. However, you shouldn’t overuse it by applying it directly to your body.

Instead, it’s recommended that you mix baking soda with water to create a thin paste. Then rub in onto your armpits, wait for a couple of minutes, and rinse it off with warm water. While this method is effective, you shouldn’t use it if your skin is sensitive or when you’ve just shaved the armpits.

Use with shampoo

If your hair tends to accumulate buildup, oil, and dead skin relatively quickly, you might want to combat this by adding a little baking soda to your shampoo. Rub it into your hand and massage your hair like you typically do. Let it rest for a couple of minutes and then rinse it off. Keep in mind that you should do this only once every two weeks because you don’t want to strip off the coating of your hair. Nonetheless, you’ll find it a lot more comfortable after each wash.

Deodorizing

As you already know, baking soda is an effective substance for neutralizing odors. Hence, you’ll find that it has a lot of applications when it comes to treating smells around your houses.

Freshen your fridge

As your fridge is often filled with unfinished foods and all kinds of different ingredients with varied smells, theses combine will create an unbearable odor that would scare you off each time you open your fridge.

To combat this, you can put a cup of baking soda in your fridge to absorb most of the odors inside it. In addition, to freshen up your fridge and give it a pleasant aroma, you can add a few drops of your favorite scent into the cup.

Change it every one or two weeks depending on your fridge, and you’ll find it significantly more refreshing and inviting.

Treat cat urine

For those of you who have pets, especially cats, the smell of urine is a horror. Hence, it’s good to know that you can get rid of both the stains and the smell by using baking soda.

For a new stain, dry it with tissues, then apply baking soda paste to the surface. Next, wipe the spot with a clean cloth to effectively get rid of the smell and the stain. However, for old stains, it will take a couple of hours for the baking soda to fully take effect.

For some reason, cats often urinate on upholstery such as sofas, carpets, and mattresses, it’s also possible to clean these with baking soda. Just sprinkle the baking soda onto the dirty spots. Leave it overnight and use your vacuum to clean it off the next day. The baking soda will deal with most of the stains and completely eliminate the smell.

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Apply to cat litter

If you find your cat litter smell being quite aggressive to the nose, you can freshen it up by sprinkling baking soda into the box. Mix it well so you’re no longer bothered by the odors.

In addition, if you prefer to make your own cat litter using sand, then baking soda is the perfect substance to add to your box. The mixture will help combat smells and keep your litter box clean.

Use baking soda to freshen cat litter

Reduce garbage odor

As your pile of garbage builds up inside the bin, you can’t help but find yourself disgusted by the odor whenever you open it. However, it’s not full yet, and you don’t want to throw away a half-empty bag.

Instead, you can deal with the odor by sprinkling some baking soda into the garbage bin. This will help control and neutralize the smell so that it won’t cause too much discomfort.

Use on your pets

If you don’t have time to give your pets a bath and they’re starting to smell, apply some baking soda to their fur to keep the odor under control. Just remember to brush off most of the baking soda after a couple of minutes to prevent it from affecting the skin. Always use a small amount of baking soda to avoid hurting your animals.

Conclusion

Not only is baking soda a useful cooking ingredient but it also has other uses, especially when it comes to cleaning. With all the information in this article, you surely feel more comfortable using baking soda for cleaning. And because baking soda is both accessible and effective, you’ll get used to these cleaning methods with baking soda in no time.

For those of you who are still wondering what is baking soda used for, I hope you check out our guides on using baking soda to clean. Thanks for reading and we’ll see you in our future posts.