Baking Soda: The Amazing All-Natural Cleanser You Already Own

Battle grime, banish odors and freshen clothes with this common nontoxic cupboard staple

Fluffy pastries and scrumptious cookies might be the first things that come to mind when you think of baking soda, but this ingredient is far more than a baking staple. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a powerful cleanser that should be a mainstay in your kitchen pantry and cleaning arsenal. This inexpensive, all-natural ingredient is neck and neck with vinegar as one of the most nontoxic and versatile household cleaning agents.

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Ready to start cleaning? All you need is ¼ cup of baking soda dissolved into 1 quart of warm water to tackle many household cleaning chores.

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by Joel Snayd

Bedroom, living room and hall:

• Before you vacuum the carpets or clean your upholstery, sprinkle them with baking soda and let it sit for 15 minutes to remove any odors.
• Deodorize your closet by placing an opened box of baking soda on a shelf.
• Clean children's toys with the aforementioned basic mixture and a sponge. Rinse and let them dry.
• Deodorize stuffed animals with a light dusting of baking soda; let it sit 15 minutes, then dust or vacuum it off.
• Freshen shoes with a light dusting of baking soda on the inner soles.

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Kitchen: Use the basic mixture and a sponge to clean all kitchen surfaces. Rid your fridge or pantry of odors by placing an opened box of baking soda on a back shelf. Dust your stainless steel sink with baking soda and scrub for a sparkling shine. Deodorize trash cans and recycling bins with a sprinkling of baking soda on the inside of the cans. Every now and then, rinse the cans with 1 cup of baking soda dissolved into 1 gallon of warm water. Get your silver sparkling with a paste made from 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water. For stubborn stains on plastic storage containers, soak for 15 minutes in 4 parts baking soda and 1 part warm water. Scrub, rinse and dry. Rid your fruits and vegetables of dirt and insecticides by washing them in a sink full of water and ¼ cup of baking soda, then rinse. Remove baked-on residue on pots and pans by sprinkling on baking soda. Add warm water and dish soap, let soak for 15 minutes and wash clean.  Extinguish small cooking fires by sprinkling baking soda directly onto the fire.

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by Knight Architects LLC

Laundry:

• Brighten your clothes by adding 1 cup of baking soda to the wash.
• For extra-fluffy sheets and towels, add ½ cup of baking soda to the rinse cycle.
• Banish stains with a paste made from 6 tablespoons of baking soda and ½ cup of warm water. Apply to the stain, rub and launder. For the toughest stains, let the paste sit for one or two hours. (Always check for color fastness.)
• Freshen babies' burp cloths by sprinkling on baking soda, rubbing it in and washing as usual.

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Bathroom:

• Clean floors with a bucket of warm water and ½ cup of baking soda.
• Use the basic mixture to clean your bathroom surfaces or sprinkle dry baking soda on tough-to-clean stains.
• Clean hairbrushes and combs once per month by soaking them in warm water and 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
• Deodorize and clean the toilet with a sprinkling of baking soda on the inside of the bowl; scrub and flush.
• For rust stains in the shower, sink or toilet bowl, pour in 1 cup of vinegar and ½ cup of baking soda. Scrub and rinse.

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Outdoors: Before storing your patio furniture for the winter, clean it with baking soda and a wet sponge. Clean grime and mildew off pool toys with the basic mixture. Blast oil and grease stains in the garage or driveway by pouring baking soda directly on them. Scrub with a wet brush and rinse. Battle icy walkways with a sprinkling of baking soda.