Cleaning With Baking Soda: 3 Easy Recipes for Tough Kitchen Messes (2024)

By

Maria Marabito

Cleaning With Baking Soda: 3 Easy Recipes for Tough Kitchen Messes (1)

Writer

  • West Chester University

Maria Marabito is a writer who specializes in sustainable travel, green living, and food issues. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from West Chester University.

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Published November 30, 2021

Overview

  • Working Time:5 - 10 minutes
  • Total Time:5 - 30 minutes
  • Skill Level:Beginner
  • Estimated Cost:$0 to $15

Baking soda can neutralize odors, remove stains, clean difficult items, and dissolve grease. And when combined with other clean ingredients like vinegar, it becomes an even stronger cleaning agent.

Baking soda is a naturally occurring form of salt that is made by mixing carbon, sodium, hydrogen, and oxygen molecules. The compound is actually a base, which is why it is such a versatile and powerful cleaner.

Besides the cleaning benefits baking soda offers, it is also used in baking and home beauty recipes, meaning it is safe to digest and not dangerous to children or pets, unlike chemical cleaners. Why even risk harming your health when you can use something as effective and affordable as baking soda to clean your heaviest kitchen messes?

Where Does Baking Soda Come From?

Ancient Egyptians first used what we now consider baking soda by extracting sodium bicarbonate from natural deposits of minerals. It was first used as a teeth cleaner and a base for homemade paints.

While baking soda is naturally occurring, the kind that most people have in their cupboards is usually mined and created through a chemical process in order to turn it into a powder.

Baking soda is a safe ingredient but it can be toxic in very large quantities.

What You'll Need

Equipment/Tools

  • Reusable spray bottle
  • Funnel
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Cloth or sponge

Materials

  • 1 1/2 cupsbaking soda
  • 1/2 cupliquid Castile soap
  • 2 tbspwhite vinegar
  • 2 tbspwater
  • 5 to 9 dropsessential oil (optional)

Instructions

The combination of baking soda and vinegar is probably one of the most popular recipes that exist for cleaning.

Because of vinegar's acidity, baking soda fizzes and releases carbon dioxide when added to this solution. The reaction works in your favor when added to dirt or grease since it will break down the dirt as it releases gas.

Baking soda and vinegar together can be used for dishes, kitchen messes and clogs, and even laundry. While the two can be very powerful on their own, the paste can also be combined with water and liquid soap for a sprayable application.

  1. Combine Ingredients

    In a reusable spray bottle, funnel in 1.5 cups baking soda, 1/2 cup liquid Castile soap, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, and 2 tablespoons water.

  2. Shake

    Shake well to combine and for the baking soda to dissolve.

  3. Clean

    Spray liberally and let sit for very caked-on messes. Essential oils can also be added for a scented spray.

    This recipe can be used as a simple, multi-purpose cleaner.

Baking Soda and Water

Cleaning With Baking Soda: 3 Easy Recipes for Tough Kitchen Messes (3)

For pots, pans, shiny surfaces, and utensils, a simple baking soda and water combination is the way to go. This can be heated or applied as a paste depending on

  1. Mix Ingredients

    For cleaning surfaces, make a paste using 2 parts baking soda and 1 part water and apply directly or use a cloth to wipe the surface.

  2. Clean Difficult Messes

    For pots and pans, spray them with water and sprinkle baking soda lightly over them all. Let this sit for an hour. Then, use a sponge to clean the pots.

    For very stuck-on foods, boil some water in the dirty pots and add baking soda to the hot water (2 parts water to 1 part baking soda this time). Let this sit until it cools and then scrub with a sponge.

  3. Remove Stains

    Water and baking soda together can be used to sponge away stains from coffee or tea mugs, polish utensils, and clean ovens and stoves. In large quantities, it can also be used to mop tile floors.

Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide

Cleaning With Baking Soda: 3 Easy Recipes for Tough Kitchen Messes (4)

While baking soda and hydrogen peroxide together can make a pretty awesome DIY toothpaste, the combination is also pretty effective for cleaning grease, hard water stains, dirty tile and backsplash, and much more.

Hydrogen peroxide on its own is commonly used to treat stains, so it should do wonders with spots or stains plaguing your kitchen.

  1. Combine Ingredients

    For a paste, mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part hydrogen peroxide.

  2. Make a Spray

    For a thin, sprayable mixture, combine 1 part baking soda with 1 part hydrogen peroxide.

  3. Clean

    Depending on how dirty your surface or item is, let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes after applying as a spray or paste. If using a paste, have your sponge ready to get scrubbing.

Cleaning With Baking Soda: 3 Easy Recipes for Tough Kitchen Messes (2024)

FAQs

Cleaning With Baking Soda: 3 Easy Recipes for Tough Kitchen Messes? ›

All-Purpose Cleaner: Combine 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon dishwashing liquid, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 2 cups hot water in a spray bottle and shake well. Add essential oil for fragrance if desired and add 1 teaspoon borax for extra cleaning power.

How do you make homemade cleaner with baking soda? ›

All-Purpose Cleaner: Combine 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon dishwashing liquid, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 2 cups hot water in a spray bottle and shake well. Add essential oil for fragrance if desired and add 1 teaspoon borax for extra cleaning power.

What do you mix with baking soda to clean? ›

Just mix a half-cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water, adjusting the ratio of both until you have a spreadable paste. For some cleaning jobs, you can mix baking soda with other household ingredients like dish soap or hydrogen peroxide (more on that later).

What happens when you mix baking soda and vinegar for cleaning? ›

Mixing vinegar and baking soda causes an immediate chemical reaction. This reaction forms water, sodium acetate (a salt) and carbon dioxide – the fizzy part. The amount of carbon dioxide gas that is produced from baking soda is remarkable – one tablespoon (around 18 grams) can release over five litres of gas!

How do you make homemade cleaner with dawn and baking soda? ›

You already have all the ingredients. to make the best scrubbing paste you'll ever try. Mix one cup baking soda, 1/3 of a cup dishwashing liquid, and one tablespoon of water. This multi purpose mix works in your oven, stovetop, sink, and even your bathroom. to leave your whole home shining.

What is the best homemade all purpose cleaner recipe? ›

DIY All-Purpose Cleaner Recipe
  1. 1/4 cup vinegar.
  2. 12-20 drops essential oil.
  3. 1 tsp castile or phosphorous-free dish soap or washing soda.
  4. 2 cups boiled or distilled water.

Can you mix baking soda and Dawn dish soap? ›

Soap and baking soda are a perfect duo as they both fulfill different jobs. Soap is special in the sense that it is both hydrophilic (attracts water) and hydrophobic (repels water, can bind itself with oil). It can attach itself to dirt and grease and dislodge particles, which are then rinsed away with water.

Does Dawn dish soap and baking soda remove stains? ›

If you have grease stains on your shirts like these, take some dawn dish soap with some baking soda, 00:59 ratio, and just blend it together to make a paste. Take a clean rag and blot it into the stains, and then just let them sit out overnight. Toss into the washing machine as normal.

Why shouldn't you mix baking soda and vinegar? ›

Baking Soda And Vinegar

The mixing reaction causes the baking soda to foam up and produce carbon dioxide gas. If these chemicals are kept in a sealed container for a long time, it can cause a small explosion because the carbon dioxide will try to escape.

Why you should never use baking soda and vinegar to unclog a drain? ›

When you mix baking soda and vinegar, the resulting chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide gas. This gas can build up inside your pipes, causing pressure to build up and potentially leading to cracks or leaks in older pipes.

What happens if you mix baking soda and hydrogen peroxide? ›

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a weak acid and baking soda (NaHCO3) is a base compound. When you combine the two, there is an exothermic reaction that generates carbon dioxide gasses. The reaction helps break apart grease and organic stain molecules to make them easier to remove from surfaces.

What two chemicals should never be mixed? ›

Dangers of Mixing Household Chemical Cleaners
  • Bleach + Vinegar = Chlorine gas. This can lead to coughing, breathing problems, burning and watery eyes. ...
  • Bleach + Ammonia = Chloramine. ...
  • Bleach + Rubbing alcohol = Chloroform. ...
  • Hydrogen peroxide + Vinegar = peracetic/ peroxyacetic acid.

Is there anything you shouldn't mix with baking soda? ›

But common pantry essentials that are often used for cleaning — like baking soda and vinegar — shouldn't be mixed either. Unlike the bleach-ammonia mixture, combining soda and vinegar won't hurt anyone — but don't expect the mixture to do a good job cleaning, either.

Can you mix baking soda with water and spray it? ›

Dissolve 1 teaspoon of baking soda in 2 cups of hot water; add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and spray as you would an air freshener.

Does baking soda clean better than vinegar? ›

Baking soda is a natural deodorizer and a fine abrasive, which makes it excellent at scrubbing as well as absorbing odours. As a mild acid, vinegar is able to dissolve mineral deposits, dirt, grease, and grime.

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