Cleaning Power of Baking Soda

June 8, 2021

Cleaning Power of Baking Soda

An All-Purpose "SUPER" Mineral

What is Baking Soda?

Baking soda is the household name for sodium bicarbonate. It got its start nearly 4 million years ago when salt lakes around the world evaporated and formed trona deposits. Trona is the rock that is processed into soda ash (sodium carbonate), a naturally occurring mineral. Soda ash is then processed to make baking soda.

Baking Soda is an all-purpose mineral that is widely used for a variety of purposes. It's used for personal health (I use it in my toothpaste and for indigestion), baking, and cleaning. I also sprinkle in all of our tennis shoes for odor elimination. It's a super mineral!

Baking Soda

Why it's good for cleaning

Baking soda causes dirt and grease to dissolve in water, so it is very effective in cleaning all types of surfaces. It can be sprinkled on a sponge or dishcloth to make mildly abrasive scouring powder.

Baking soda neutralizes both acids and bases, so it actually eliminates odors rather than just covering them up.

It was an easy choice to include baking soda in our all-purpose cleaner concentrate + Foaming Soap Concentrate formula!

Other Ways to Use Baking Soda

  1. Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet before vacuuming to eliminate food and pet odors. We have a great recipe for this in our DIY Library. Our library includes recipes, directions, and how-to videos on to make your own cleaning products!
  2. After emptying out the trash can, sprinkle some baking soda on the bottom of the can; this will neutralize the food odors.
  3. Keep an open box of baking soda in the back of your refrigerator and in your pantry - it helps neutralize odors; replace every three months or so.
  4. Pour baking soda down your garbage disposal while running warm water to clean and deodorize.
  5. To unclog drains; pour hot water down your drain, add baking soda and follow with either hot water or distilled white vinegar.
  6. To clean your washing machine, add 1-2 cups of baking soda to the drum and a cup of distilled white vinegar to the detergent cup. Run the longest, hottest load you can.

 

Learn more about what's in your cleaning products with our INGREDIENT CHALLENGE

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Written by Karen Troutt

Karen is the founder & creator of Gaia's cleaning line and co-owner of Gaia Natural Home. She's a health educator and stresses the importance of prevention. She found a need and was determined to create truly "clean" cleaning products after her 3 children were born. With her husband, Jason (a biochemist), by her side she was able to develop high-quality, toxic-free cleaners. You'll find her in the flower garden, cooking in the kitchen, at the ball fields, and hanging at the beach with her family in Santa Rosa Beach, FL along the famous 30a highway.

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