Today I have an interesting love story for you - my love for baking soda. It started when I was down and low, and had no one to turn to.
It all started with moving to a new country after marriage. It had been an eye-opening journey. In Pakistan, you have house help to clean, wash and put away things.
Now I realise the effort it takes for folded laundry to reach your cupboard smelling crisp and fresh.
In my new life (post-marriage), it was difficult to manage the cleanliness and maintenance of the entire house.
Initially, I managed to do an average job in maintaining the house, but after my firstborn, I was a mess or rather the house was.
From taking care of a newborn to juggling a career, I kept on ignoring the mess my house was turning into.
Until the day I found out that my in-laws were coming over to live with us for a month.
That was when I noticed the mess my house had turned into, with dirt-coated, bad-smelling sinks to stains on the walls (all thanks to my kid who had just turned into a toddler).
There were unexplainable stains on the carpets and rugs and whatnot.
The stark reality of the grim condition of the house hit so hard that I ended up crying, not knowing where and how to start.
That was how I accidentally bumped into the magical ingredient that acted like a fairy godmother, thanks to millions of youtube videos I watched, making all my woes vanish.
And that magical ingredient is not something very rare to find, in fact, it is quite commonly found in every household – sodium bicarbonate, or in common words baking soda.
Baking Soda - The Magical Ingredient
Usually, we associate this term with baking and cooking, but this chemical has wonderful other properties as well which can be used in various other household chores.
The reason that baking soda acts as a cleaning agent is due to the 3 properties that it possesses:
- Deodorising properties
- Abrasiveness
- Brightening agent
These three properties make baking soda work wonders in numerous household chores.
Let me tell you at least 10 ways it helped me in making my house sparkling clean, stain-free and fresh.
1- Sparkling Odour Free Sink
If you visit a friend's house and notice that the sink in the kitchen is sparkling clean then they must be using baking soda. Yes, baking soda helps you get that sparkling effect of stainless steel back.
All you have to do is sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda onto the sink and let it rest for a while.
Then take a sponge or cloth, put some detergent on it and start scrubbing your sink all the way to the drain. After giving it a proper scrubbing, rinse it with water and dry the sink with a dry towel preferably a microfiber kitchen cloth.
The difference will be unbelievable!! Sink will be sparkling bright giving it a glass-like shine and not to mention the bad odour will also vanish.
This happens due to the baking soda's abrasive nature, which scraps even the slightest coating of dirt off the surface.
2- Spotless & Odourless Microwave
Have you ever kept a bowl of food in the microwave and forgot to cover it with a lid? Resulting in food explosions on the walls of the microwave.
Well, who hasn’t?
But do you know the easiest way to get rid of those greasy gravy spots? Your microwave doesn’t have to smell like Shan Nihari masala anymore!
Yes, baking soda comes to the rescue here as well. In the past, I have used a cif oven cleaner for the same purpose, and let me tell you, the results are the same with baking soda.
- Just take a half-filled bowl of water and mix 2 tbsp of baking soda.
- Microwave it for 5 mins.
- Little granules of baking soda will get sprayed around the microwave due to the steam of the water, clinging to the dirt.
- Remove the bowl of water and clean the microwave with a piece of wet kitchen rag. Make sure to wipe it at least twice to ensure all of the greasy bits and baking soda is taken off.
The residue will be wiped away due to the abrasive nature of baking soda along with any previous stains. Best of all you will get a fresh-smelling microwave ready to be used again.
Pro Tip: Leave your microwave door open after using it to air it out and prevent musty lingering smells.
3- Stain-Free Stainless Steel Coffee Mugs
Sometimes the stainless steel mug which we had been using regularly, lay forgotten on our kitchen shelves.
The trouble begins when we want to use it again, it has those funky smelly stains on it, even worse if you live in a hard water area. Now, instead of throwing the mug away, baking soda can make it as clean as a new mug.
- All you have to do is fill the mug halfway through with hot water
- Add 1 tbsp of baking soda, add some more hot water and leave the solution overnight.
- In the morning, throw away the water and scrub it with a sponge or multi-fibre cloth.
You will get a stainless and odourless stainless steel mug.
4- Get Rid Of That Smelly Corner Of Your House
Often we have a corner in our house that smells weird, be it a wardrobe section, or a shoe rack, or where we pile up our dirty laundry.
Now, one of baking soda’s properties is it's a natural deodoriser. This property can help us to get rid of that funky, and weird smell.
All you have to do is:
- Take a glass jar, it can be an old candle jar.
- Fill it up halfway through with baking soda and add a few drops of essential oil (tea tree, lavender) that’s optional.
- Now, place the container in that corner and you can forget about it for at least 2-3 months. Baking soda works wonders in absorbing and neutralising odours.
- It will absorb all the bad odour of the space, leaving it odourless.
Pro Tip: Fridge smelling a bit funky? Place baking soda in a glass bowl and keep it in the fridge. It will eliminate odours and the fridge will start smelling fresh again.
5- Get Rid Of Stinky Toilets
We often face a situation where our toilet bowl starts stinking and looks discoloured despite regularly cleaning it. I tried product after product, but the smell didn’t go away and the bowl wouldn't shine in its old glory.
Baking soda comes to the rescue here as well. All you have to do is:
- Moisten the inside of your toilet bowl using a toilet bowl brush
- Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on all sides, covering the entire bowl with it.
- Let it rest for around an hour.
- Then, scrub the inside of the toilet bowl using the toilet brush and rinse it.
Later, you might have to use your regular toilet cleaner in cleaning the toilet but the pre-cleaning with baking soda will leave the toilet bowl odourless, as it will absorb away all the bad smell in the toilet bowl.
6- Freshen Up Your Mattress
Now, maintaining a clean and fresh mattress is paramount for one's health. A good amount of your time is spent on it, therefore, it gets overused sometimes.
Especially if you have a toddler around, water, juice, milk spills are common scenarios. Not to mention the stinking smell after such mishaps.
But with the help of baking soda, you can get rid of that foul smell.
Deodorise your mattress by sprinkling some baking soda on your mattress, let it rest for about 30 mins, and then vacuum it.
You can also get rid of those tough stains on the mattress, but you will need some vinegar and baking soda.
Spray some vinegar on top of the stain and sprinkle some baking soda over it, cover it with a towel and let it rest for 2 - 3 hours then vacuum it. You will have a fresh, stain-free mattress at your disposal.
7- Brighten Up Your Laundry
Another property of baking soda that is helpful is it acts as a brightening agent. And this property can be utilised perfectly while doing laundry.
You can toss around half to a quarter cup of baking soda directly into your washing machine along with the white or coloured load of laundry. The baking soda brings out the bright colours in your clothes making them appear as good as new.
Along with maintaining colours, you will get the added benefit of deodorising your clothes as it will simultaneously get rid of any foul smell in your laundry.
Another Tip: You can also run an empty wash cycle with baking soda to maintain the tub hygiene.
8- Sparkling Pots And Pans
Washing those tough grease stains on your pots and pans can be a task. Before discovering this magical ingredient, I used to tire myself out by scrubbing the pots and pans rigorously, but still could not get the required gleam.
I would end up with pruned hands and chipped nails.
But now, all I do is:
- Soak my pots and pans in the sink with some warm water, a little amount of dishwashing liquid and about 2 tbsp of baking soda.
- Let it sit for about 15 minutes.
- Time to scrub and clean the dirt away
When you scrub the pots and pans, you will notice how easily the dirt and grease will wash off, leaving behind some sparkling pots and pans in your kitchen.
9- Remove Stains From Storage Containers & Tupperware
Since I cook in batches and store food in plastic containers for a long time, the plastic containers become stained from red sauce or oily curry.
If washing in the dishwasher isn't helping in removing those stains, then you must try using baking soda.
- Fill the plastic container with water and sprinkle 2 tbsp baking soda into it.
- Let it sit overnight.
- When you wash it in the morning, you will have a stain-free plastic container.
Disclaimer: I have since resorted to glass food storage containers because of their green eco impact. Long gone are the days of using plastic containers - I was a newb!
10- Clean the Chopping Board
I believe chopping boards are one of the most used and neglected items in the kitchen. My bamboo cutting board looked like a discovery from ancient civilisations or even our dinosaur living eras.
It became very scrappy and soiled. I was very fond of my bamboo cutting board, and the thought of throwing it was heartbreaking. But then I tried the baking soda hack on it.
All you have to do is take half a lemon, sprinkle baking soda onto your board and scrub it with the help of the lemon.
You will notice a remarkable change in the condition of your board. The baking soda will help in lightening the stains as well as neutralising foul smells on the chopping board. Not to forget, it will also disinfect the cutting board! Win-Win and another Win!
Wrap Up
Thanks to baking soda, I was able to impress my in-laws and welcomed them to a clean, sparkling and fragrant home.
But ever since then, maintaining the overall cleanliness of the house does not seem like a daunting task anymore. I bet you thought I don’t clean my home regularly! 😛
The best part is, its price! It is such an inexpensive item that I can use it generously without going broke. And secondly, it is unharmful, unlike other chemicals which are used for cleaning the house.
So if you were screaming internally how I could have used a certain cleaning aid instead of baking soda, that's my answer:
I try to bring fewer chemicals into my house and baking soda has been a godsend. Hope you liked my love story and it will be the start of yours!
