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While baking soda is best known for cooking and baking, it has many practical uses beyond the kitchen. A box of baking soda can do wonders in your home.
It is a versatile product that can serve as a gentle abrasive scrub, grooming tool, and a deodorizer. This multi-purpose product might lead you to reconsider investing in other costly cleaning supplies.
Here are some amazing ways you can use baking soda around the house.
1. Wash Fruits and Vegetables
Mom always used to say, ‘Wash your fruits and veggies,’ and for good reason. From how it is transported to the number of hands that touch it in the supermarket, there’s no telling how filthy those things are. That’s where baking soda comes in.
Add baking soda to your water mix and wash your fruits and vegetables. Just make sure to rinse off any residue when you’re done.
2. Remove Scuff Marks off the Floor
When traditional mopping falls short in removing scuff marks from your floor, experimenting with baking soda could be worthwhile.
Prepare a mixture of baking soda and water, apply it to the marked area, and then wipe it down. Baking soda is highly effective in addressing dirt and scuffs on surfaces like ceramic and luxury vinyl plank floors.
How To Clean Vinyl Plank Flooring
3. Cleanse the Dishwasher
While a dishwasher is primarily designed for cleaning dishes, there are times when it could use a thorough cleaning itself. This is particularly true if your dishes aren’t clean, your glasses appear cloudy, or an unpleasant odor is lingering.
Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda in your dishwasher and run an empty cycle. This will swiftly refresh and clean the appliance. Engaging in routine maintenance is essential for maintaining your dishwasher’s consistent performance.
How to Clean a Dishwasher with Baking Soda
4. Unclog the Sink
Baking soda can help unclog the sink drain drain. It can also help to remove those pesky drain flies that tend to appear during warmer months.
Pour some baking soda down the drain and follow up with vinegar. You will start to see a bubbling effect. Allow it to work its magic, then complete the process by flushing it down with hot water.
5. Dirty Grout
Whether you have white or black grout in the bathroom or kitchen, baking soda is perfect for cleaning your grout. Grout can be a challenge to clean, but baking soda makes the process much easier.
6. Coffee Maker
If you frequently use the coffee maker in your household, then the rule of thumb is to clean it at least once a month.
The cleaning process requires flushing out the coffee machine using vinegar. You then use baking soda to scrub the inside of the coffee pot a little. The baking soda will scour the coffee pot buildup, removing existing coffee stains.
7. Brighten Your Towels
Baking soda can serve as a laundry detergent substitute. For stained towels, using baking soda can effectively revive them. It helps soften the water and preserves the brightness of white fabrics.
8. Deodorize the Refrigerator
Baking soda proves useful for tackling stubborn stains and stubborn, ingrained dirt. It also works well to counteract unpleasant odors in a refrigerator.
By placing an open container of baking soda inside the fridge, you can effectively neutralize and absorb undesirable smells.
9. Clean Thrifted Shoes
For those who appreciate thrifting, cleaning thrift items, especially shoes can be a bit of a challenge. This is where baking soda can be helpful. Sprinkling baking soda inside the shoes can effectively absorb and neutralize any lingering odors.
12 Ways to Get Smells Out of Clothes
10. Jewelry Cleaner
Baking soda makes an excellent cleaning agent for jewelry. Combined with an old toothbrush and water, you clean thoroughly clean jewelry to get it shining and sparkling again.
11. Pots and Pan
Cleaning pots and pans, particularly when dealing with tough stains, can be challenging. Baking soda is useful for heavy-duty cleaning and can help with burnt pots. Its mild scrubbing power can effectively remove scorched areas from the pot.
12. Oven
Opting for baking soda offers an alternative to using potent solutions like Easy Off. Though it may require more effort than typical commercial products, it’s highly effective.
The method involves creating a paste using baking soda and water, which is then applied to the interior of the oven, focusing on the areas with stubborn dark spots and grime. Allowing it to sit and penetrate, you’ll find that wiping it down with a damp cloth afterward yields impressive results.
13. Remove Coffee Stains in Mugs
Baking soda’s scouring power is effective in removing coffee stains from your mugs and restoring their previous look.
14. Get Tough Coffee Stains Out of Carpet
Whether it’s a small dribble or a full-blown coffee catastrophe, baking soda can help to remove tough coffee stains from your carpet so you can say goodbye to those unsightly brown marks for good.
15. Clean Your Teeth
There’s a reason why so many brands of toothpaste use baking soda – and for good reason. Baking Soda can be used as a substitute for toothpaste. It does a great job of cleaning and whitening your teeth and keeping your gums healthy.
16. Control Odor in Garbage Cans
The foul smell coming from your smelly garbage can could use some assistance. Just sprinkle some baking soda in the garbage can and watch it work its magic.
17. Deodorizes Kitty Litter Box
Owning a cat is a joy, but let’s be honest; dealing with the litter box can be less than pleasant. Luckily, there’s a simple way to make this task a bit more manageable with the help of baking soda.
Just sprinkle a layer of baking soda at the bottom of the litter box before adding the litter. It works as a natural deodorizer. Between litter changes, a light sprinkle of baking soda on top will help maintain a fresh environment.
18. Clean the Jetted Tub
If you have a jetted tub, you know how difficult it is to clean. With baking soda, all you have to do is fill the water and add two cups of baking soda. Run the jets and allow the baking soda to get all the gunk out.
19. Meat Tenderizer
Baking soda is a practical choice for tenderizing meat and enhancing the texture and taste of your steak, chicken, or turkey. Tenderized cuts of meat are not only easier to slice and chew but also boast improved flavor and juiciness. You can achieve this with the help of baking soda.
Other posts you might like:
- 15 Incredible Ways to Repurpose Used Coffee Grounds
- 15 Surprising Uses for WD-40 Around the House
- 12 Genius Ways to Use The Pink Stuff Cleaner
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Tamara White is the creator and founder of The Thrifty Apartment, a home decor and DIY blog that focuses on affordable and budget-friendly home decorating ideas and projects. Tamara documents her home improvement journey, love of thrifting, tips for space optimization, and creating beautiful spaces.
