30 Ways to Clean Your Home with Baking Soda

Spring is in the air making it the perfect time to do a little Spring cleaning. But all the different cleaning products on the market can be costly, not to mention very harmful to the environment. Fortunately there are more environmentally friendly products on the market now, but there’s no need to buy the high-priced cleaning products when there’s an effective, safer cleaning product that is super cheap and has been around for more than 155 years. The featured wonder product is Arm & Hammer Baking Soda.

It’s always recommended to try the least-toxic cleaning products first before you move on to the super strength toxic killers. For example, start with baking soda and water to clean your oven before using a strong commercial oven cleaner.

While there are likely hundreds of uses for baking soda, Living Frugal Tips is featuring 30 ways to to clean your home with baking soda in a safe, effective, and more earth-friendly manner … and of course it’s cheap. ONE product that does the job of many. Think of how much money you can save.

Deodorize and Eliminate Odors

1.  Place an open box in the refrigerator or freezer to get rid of unwanted odors. The odor absorbing power will last approximately 30 day.

2.  When pulling the old box out of the frig or freezer you can then use it to deodorize your drains by pouring ½ cup baking soda into drain while running warm water. A side note: if you have a septic system, this can also help maintain favorable PH levels.

3.  Sprinkle in wastebaskets and garbage cans to eliminate odors.

4.  Eliminate pet odors by sprinkling on carpets and rugs. Sweep or brush into the carpets a bit and then let set for a minimum of 15 minute and then vacuum.

5.  Deodorize fabric upholstery by sprinkling on, wait 15 minutes and vacuum.

6.  Sprinkle in bottom of diaper pails.

7.  Add to your laundry basket to eliminate musty smells between washes.

Clean Kitchens and Bathrooms

8.  Baking soda has scrubbing power without the harsh abrasives and won’t scratch surfaces. To scrub away kitchen stains or clean the oven, mix a paste of 3 parts warm water to 1 part baking soda.

9.  Make your own bathroom cleaner by mixing a dish washing liquid (I suggest Dawn) with baking soda to make a thick paste. Then scrub away all the soap scum with ease.

10.  Periodically clean wastebaskets with solution of baking soda and water. Depending on the size of the wastebasket add 2 cups of water to ¼ cup baking soda and wipe down inside.

11.  Clean floors by mixing ½ cup of baking soda in a bucket with warm water.

12.  Use the same solution above and wipe down vinyl liners of shower curtains.

Clean Dishes

13.  To clean burnt-on food, add baking soda to hot water and let soak overnight.

14.  Add hot water and baking soda to coffee pots and let set several hours or overnight and rinse clean.

Whiten and Brighten Laundry

15.  Arm & Hammer Baking Soda is an effective deodorizer, cleaner and fabric softener.

16.  Remove stains by applying a paste mix of 4 tablespoons baking soda to equal parts water. Scrub gently and let set. Repeat if necessary.

17.  Add ½ cup to laundry to give detergent a boost. A better Ph balance gets clothes cleaner.

18.  Add ½ cup to rinse cycle to eliminate odors and soften clothes.

19.  Brighten whites by adding ½ cup baking soda with a ½ cup bleach (versus 1 cup bleach). This whitens without the lingering bleach smell.

Tackle Tough Cleaning Outside the House

20.  Sprinkle on grease or oil stains on garage floor or driveways.

21.  Clean patio furniture with baking soda a water mixture.

22.  Clean grills with paste mixture (3 parts baking soda to 1 part water).

23.  Add to pool to improve clarity by increasing Ph levels.

24.  Use paste mixture to clean corrosive car batteries.

25.  Remove stubborn grease or bugs on cars with paste mixture.

Pet

26.  Use as a dry bath for your dogs. Just sprinkle on their fur, rub it in and then comb or brush for a quick way to keep your dog smelling fresh (If you’ve got a dog, you know how they love to roll in stinky stuff. While technically not “home” cleaning, I thought this use was just to darn good not to include).

27.  Sprinkle in the bottom of the kitty litter pan and then fill with the litter.

28.  You can also sprinkle on pet beds, let set and then vacuum.

29.  Deodorize pet accident odors by sprinkling on carpets after spot is cleaned.

30.  Clean pet toys with water and baking soda solution.

Please share other ways to clean your home with baking soda or other uses for baking soda that you find work well.