Cleaning Hacks with Bicarbonate of Soda

Bicarbonate of soda is a green cleaning gem that you probably have in your kitchen cupboard. It is a multifaceted product that you’ll see used in food and in your personal care products too. You can find bicarbonate of soda used in items such as deodorants, toothpastes and many more products. 

As well as all the above, bicarbonate of soda is also a brilliant green cleaning product that is inexpensive and super versatile. 

 

My Top 8 bicarbonate of soda cleaning hacks

1. Clean your iron - You know those annoying dark marks that you sometimes get on your iron, the ones that can sometimes leave a random black mark on your clothing when ironing if you’re  not careful? Well you can easily remove it with bicarbonate of soda. Simply make a paste with lukewarm water and bicarbonate of soda, use a cloth to rub the mixture on to your iron allowing it to rub the mark/stains off. Once the stains have come off, simply wipe off any left over residue ensuring that all the holes are cleaned too and that's it. 

2. Cleanse  your fridge - Green cleaning your fridge with bicarbonate of soda is as easy as 1,2,3. Grab yourself a bowl, I use a mixing bowl for ease. Fill it half full with warm water, pop in 2 to 3 heaped tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda. Empty your fridge out and use a light kitchen cloth, wipe around your fridge. The bicarbonate of soda and water mix will remove odours from your fridge and help to sterilise it clean too. 

3. Bring your oven back to its natural clean state and remove dirt and grime using a simple gooey paste made using warm water and bicarbonate of soda. Pop the paste all over the oven making sure that you cover all the oven. Any areas with dried grease may need a bit of good old elbow grease rubbed on gently with a scourer. No need to use chemicals in your oven to clean it and bring back its spark. Even your oven trays and grills can be green cleaned too. Leave oven grills outside on the grass and watch your stainless steel grills come back to their natural shine. It’s all so easy. 

4. Polish up your microwave, remove grease, stains and odours from your microwave. Using a mixture of bicarbonate of soda in a bowl of water, you can clean up your microwave and bring it up to its natural shine. Clean the inside and outside then leave it to air for a little while before using. 

5. Freshen up your mattresses with bicarbonate of soda. Remove body odours and stains. Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over your mattress and use a cloth to rub the bicarbonate of soda into any areas that have any stains or marks on the mattress. Once you’re happy that the area that you want to clean is fully covered, leave for an hour or two. The bicarbonate of soda will soak up any smells and help to lift stains too. Once the time is up, simply vacuum up the bicarbonate of soda and that's it. Your mattress will feel fresh and clean once again. Quick tip if you’d like to add a bit of a scent to your bicarbonate of soda, you can mix 20 drops of lavender and tea tree essential oils to a container with the bicarbonate of soda and mix together. Lavender is a calming scent that can help to improve sleep. Tea tree essential oil is naturally antibacterial and antifungal so can help to give your mattress an extra deep clean.

6. There’s nothing worse than when your carpets or rugs become marked and drab over time. Whether it's from everyday wear and tear or dullness over the years, your carpet can get a perfect gleam up with bicarbonate of soda. Forget the days of shake ‘n’ vac, instead you can easily make your own homemade and chemical free version. Grab a jar or container with a tight lid. Half fill the container with bicarbonate of soda. Add some drops of your favourite essential oils. I love to use lavender or ylang ylang essential oils. Shake the two together ensuring that you have a powdery texture of the two items in your container. Grab a thin holed colander or flour shaker and use it to sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda on to your carpet or rug. Leave overnight to allow the bicarbonate of soda to work its magic by absorbing stains and smelly odours. Grab your hoover and vacuum up the bicarbonate of soda. Your carpets will be left feeling fresh, clean and smelling like your favourite natural essential oils.

7. Remove rust from metal - whether its a piece of metal garden furniture, a stainless steel item, an indoor bar stool or any such like item, when it comes to getting rid of rust, bicarbonate of soda can help you to do the job. Get rid of the rust by using warm water to make a soft paste by mixing it with bicarbonate of soda. Smear the bicarbonate of soda paste all over the rusty area. You might need to use a small brush to rub the paste on to the area. Leave the paste on for about half an hour then wipe or rinse off depending on the item. Be sure to treat the area with a suitable metal paint or cover to stop the rust from returning again. 

8. Trainers, walking boots, football boots and every day shoes can sometimes start to get a bit smelly. No need to leave shoes out in the porch or open air anymore in order to air them out or just to stop your nose from being invaded by what can sometimes be quite a potent smell. Grab a thin pair of old tights that you no longer use or a simple single piece of kitchen tissue paper. Add 2 to 3 heaped tablespoons to the sheet of kitchen roll or the foot of the tights. If you’re using the tights, once you have added the bicarbonate of soda, you can tie it up tightly to make sure that the bicarbonate of soda stays in place. With the kitchen paper, just bring the four corners together and twist them together so that you can secure the bicarbonate of soda. It will look like a round ball that you can then pop into the foot or the shoe and boot. Pop it inside the shoe overnight and remove it in the morning. The bicarbonate of soda will soak up all the smells like magic leaving the shoes smelling as good as new. 

Bicarbonate of soda is super useful to have in your cleaning cupboard. It has so many amazing uses that can serve you in and around your home. You can find bicarbonate of soda in a range of places from your everyday supermarket shelves to many refill shops and online too.