Buhata
Login Start for Free

Home › Life Terms

Chores, cleaning and home care

Baking soda cleaning

Using baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) as a mild, alkaline scrub and deodorizer on sinks, tubs, grout, trash cans and carpets.

What It Means

Baking soda cleaning is the use of plain baking soda, the chemical sodium bicarbonate, as a household cleaner. Arm & Hammer describes it as alkaline, which helps break down many greasy and food-based marks, and as mildly abrasive, so it scrubs without the grit of a scouring powder. It also absorbs and neutralizes odors, which is why it gets sprinkled into trash cans and on carpets.

Try It: Mix the Right Amount of Baking Soda

Enter how much you want to make. The ratios are Arm & Hammer's.

Trash can washCups of baking soda2
Paste for fixturesCups of baking soda0.75Cups of water0.25

One cup per gallon for the trash can wash; three parts baking soda to one part water for the paste.

How It Sounds at Home

  • "Sprinkle some baking soda in the bin before the new bag goes in."
  • "A little paste will get that faucet shiny."
  • "Leave it on the rug a bit, then vacuum."

The Breakdown

Where it fits and how often (Arm & Hammer's uses)

JobHowWhen
Bathroom sink and tubSprinkle on a damp sponge, scrub, rinse well, wipe dryWhenever you clean the bathroom
Faucets and hardwarePaste of 3/4 cup baking soda to 1/4 cup waterWhen fixtures look dull
Trash canWash out with 1 cup per gallon of waterRegularly, and sprinkle a little between layers as it fills
CarpetSprinkle to cover, wait 15 minutes, vacuumWhen a room smells stale

Make it last between cleanings. Buhata's own suggestion: keep a separate box with the cleaning supplies so it's there when the sink needs a scrub. Arm & Hammer's bathroom tip ends with a thorough rinse and a wipe dry, so finish every scrub that way.

Good to Know

Arm & Hammer's articles present baking soda as a way to clean, freshen and deodorize. For killing germs, the American Cleaning Institute points to an EPA-registered disinfectant used by its label directions, including the time it must stay wet. Keep baking soda in its own box, and don't combine it with other cleaners in one bottle. If anyone swallows a cleaning product or gets one in the eyes, Poison Control's number is 1-800-222-1222; call 911 in an emergency.

FAQ

What can you clean with baking soda?

Arm & Hammer suggests sinks, tubs, grout, fixtures, trash cans and carpets. It works as a mild scrub and helps take away odors.

How do you make a baking soda paste?

Arm & Hammer mixes 3/4 cup of baking soda with 1/4 cup of water. It should hold its shape in your hand but still spread.

How long do you leave baking soda on a carpet?

Arm & Hammer's tip is to sprinkle enough to cover the carpet, wait 15 minutes, then vacuum it up.

Do It in Buhata

Tasks with a repeat

Add "Wash out the trash can with baking soda" to Tasks with a monthly repeat and give it an owner.

Open Buhata

Related Terms and Categories

  • Vinegar cleaning

    Using white vinegar, a mild acetic acid, to dissolve mineral buildup and lift grime. It doesn't replace a registered disinfectant.

  • Trash can cleaning

    Washing out a kitchen or outdoor trash can on a schedule, with a method that suits what the can is made of, to stop smells and grime building up.

  • Grout cleaning

    Scrubbing the lines of grout between tiles with a brush and cleaner to lift dirt, soap film and mildew stains.

  • Soap scum

    The dull, gray-white film that forms on tubs, tile and shower doors when soap reacts with the calcium in hard water.

  • Mixing cleaning products

    Combining two or more cleaners in one bottle, bucket or bowl. Some pairs, such as bleach with ammonia or with an acid, give off toxic gas.

Chores, cleaning and home care

Sources

Arm & Hammer, "Baking Soda Cleaning Tips & Hacks", "6 Fresh Cleaning Tips for Everything in Every Room" and "8 Baking Soda Cleaning Tips to Clean Your House Fast"; American Cleaning Institute, "Ask ACI: Melamine Foam"; Poison Control (poison.org), "Cleaning Products"

Last updated .