Cleaning With Baking Soda: Transform Your ENTIRE Home With One Box

Have you ever tried cleaning with baking soda? It’s not just for baking cakes! A cheap box of baking soda (or bicarbonate of soda to some) can effectively clean your entire home. It’s extremely versatile and can be used as a mild abrasive, scouring agent and deodoriser to dissolve dirt, tackle odours and cut through grime.

You’ll never spend on expensive cleaning products again once you find out the power of this multi-tasking product! Read on and discover our top cleaning hacks…

Editor’s Note: This post was originally posted in May 2015 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness in June 2019.

What is baking soda?

Baking soda – also known as sodium bicarbonate – is a leavening agent that is normally used to help baked goods rise – think pancakes, cookies, muffins, and more. If you don’t have some in your kitchen cupboards, we’ll be surprised!

You can pick up baking soda, or bicarbonate of soda, from your local supermarket. It’s really inexpensive, and it makes a great natural cleaning product.

Clean your bathroom with baking soda

From the shower head to the toilet bowl, follow the tips below to get your bathroom sparkling with baking soda.

1. Replace your cream cleaner with bicarbonate of soda

Use a sprinkle of bicarbonate of soda on a sponge to clean any surface you would usually use a cream cleaner on. It’ll work just as well to remove dirt and grime. It won’t leave you with that harsh chemical smell either. Finish with a micro fibre cloth for an immaculate finish.

2. Use baking soda to clean your hairbrushes and combs

Your hair tools can get extremely gunky over time. Make sure they last a long time and remain in tip-top condition by giving them a good clean every few months.

Soak them in a mixture of 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2 cups of warm water for an hour then rinse and dry.

3. Toothbrushes are not self-cleaning!

Don’t pass on bad bacteria to your mouth – soak your toothbrush heads in a mixture of ¼ cup bicarbonate of soda and a ¼ cup of water overnight and rinse the next morning.

4. Use baking soda to make your own bathroom scrub

Mix a ¼ cup of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of liquid detergent and add some vinegar to give it a nice thick consistency. Use a sponge with a large dollop of this home-made cleaner on all your bathroom fittings and you’ll never need to buy bathroom cleaners again.

Baking soda is great for whitening teeth, so why not use it to whiten your grout? Clean grout is hard to maintain, but this trick will certainly help.

To make your own grout cleaner:

Mix together two parts baking soda and one part hydrogen peroxide.
Use a cloth or an old toothbrush to apply the mixture to the grout.
Optional step: You can also place cotton wool pads on the tile to hold the mixture in place for longer.
Leave to sit for between 10-20 minutes.
Rinse the mixture away with clean water.
Cleaning with baking soda in the kitchen
Ideally, you want to avoid using chemical-based cleaners in a place where you prepare food. They can be highly toxic, and natural cleaners do the job just as well. We’ve found some easy switches that you can make with baking soda.