10 Uses for Baking Soda in the Kitchen

I am delighted to be one of twenty bloggers featured in Arm & Hammer's Switch & Save Challenge. During the next five months, I'll be testing several Arm & Hammer products and sharing my experiences with you.

I have, on occasion, written about my love of vinegar as a cleaning product. Vinegar is acidic; it cleans by eating away grime and mineral deposits and disinfects by leaving an acidic environment that is unsuitable for microorganisms.

I love baking soda for many of the same reasons. It's cheap, and it's non-toxic. I don't have to worry about a chemical sitting around my kids, cats, or other assorted animals.

Baking soda mixed with water forms an alkaline solution, chemically the opposite of an acid. It dissolves grease and dirt and agitates the surface as carbon dioxide bubbles form.

Everyone knows that a box of baking soda in your refrigerator helps to keep food odors at bay, making foods smell and taste as they should. But there are many other uses for baking soda around the house, especially in the kitchen.

In all of the following suggestions, a paste can be made from one part water to three parts baking soda. A slurry (a thin, runny paste) can be made from one to two parts baking soda to three parts water.

10 Uses for Arm & Hammer's Pure Baking Soda in the Kitchen

1. Freshen upholstery and carpets. Who needs expensive furniture or carpet deodorizers? Sprinkle baking soda on upholstered dining room chairs and carpets. Allow it to sit for 15 minutes, and then vacuum it up. For tougher odors, sprinkle the baking soda right before you go to bed, and vacuum it up in the morning.
2. Clean and shine tile, grout, and countertops. A slurry of baking soda and water will remove dirt from any tiled surface or countertop without scratching.  You may have to scrub a little with a brush or rag, but the dirt should come up.
   Here's a first hand comparison  (with photos) of one woman's quest to clean the grout in her bathroom with baking soda and a chemical cleaner.
3. Clean and shine sinks (and bathtubs). Use the same method that you used for tile above.
4. Clean the inside of your microwave, refrigerator, and freezer. Use the same method that you used for tile above.
5. Clean and shine stainless steel and copper cookware. Make a paste of baking soda and water and spread it around to cover the pan. Let it sit for 10 minutes (overnight for stubborn messes).
6. Deep clean baking stones. Use the same method that you used for stainless steel above.
7. Cut through grease. If you haven't cleaned in a while, you may have a greasy build-up on your kitchen cabinets, back splash, or other surfaces. Because baking soda makes an alkaline solution, it dissolves grease as well as soap (or better, in many cases). Sprinkle it generously on a damp sponge and scrub off the grease.
8. Remove stains from cutting boards. Apply a baking soda paste and wait, as long as overnight. If the stain isn't gone after soaking overnight, add a few drops of vinegar to make the baking soda fizz. The bubbles will help to remove the stain.
9. Clean your oven. Forget the self cleaning cycle (it can release toxic fumes) and high priced chemical oven cleaners. Cover the inside of your oven with baking soda and spritz it with vinegar until it's evenly moist. It will fizz, releasing carbon dioxide bubbles, and then the vinegar will turn into water. Let it sit overnight, and then scrub out the stains and food particles with an old sponge or brush. Follow by wiping out the interior of the oven with vinegar or hot, soapy water.
10. Clean and unclog a drain. Pour ½ cup baking soda into the drain and follow with a cup of vinegar. It will fizz and make all kinds of noise as the two solutions react. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse with copious amounts of very hot water.

What do you use baking soda for?

I'm preparing 3 more installments of this baking soda series, so your tips may be featured in an upcoming post. Feel free to email me or leave your tips in the comments below.

Have you seen the rest of my 10 Uses For... series?

This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is compensating me to try different products.

Save 50¢ off two 2lb or 4lb boxes of ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda. And be sure to visit The Switch & Save Challenge to tap into more resources and enter to win $25,000.