Green Clean Home: Using Baking Soda

 

Many homeowners today love the idea of using all natural, non-toxic cleaning products. It's better for the environment and great if you have kids. Keeping your home clean in a healthy way adds value to it.

Baking soda is a great cleaning agent. For tough messes and stains, make a paste of baking soda and water and let it sit for a while. You can clean areas in the bathroom that have tough stains with dry baking soda on a sponge. Soak your shower curtains in baking soda and water for a thorough cleaning.

Baking soda works wonders on the oven. Before bedtime, scrub any big clumps with steel wool. Then, spray the oven with water from a spray bottle. Sprinkle the baking soda on the bottom and sides of the oven. Let it sit overnight and then wipe it clean in the morning. This works well if the oven is a bit warm beforehand. Try this on barbecue grills as well.

Baking soda is a mild abrasive, so it is wonderful for surfaces that scratch easily such as marble counter-tops, tile, porcelain, stainless steel and silverware. For marble counter-tops, use three tablespoons of baking soda to one quart of water. Use a small brush to reach small cracks. Microwaves clean very nicely with the use of baking soda as well. Use plenty of hot water when cleaning to make sure germs are wiped out.

In addition to being a great cleaning agent, baking soda does a nice job of deodorizing. Use it on carpets, in the bathroom, trash, pet litters, ashtrays and in the dishwasher and refrigerator. Run the dishwasher through a cycle with baking soda, instead of detergent, for a thorough cleaning. For pet litters, add a layer of baking soda under the litter, to keep it smelling fresh.

Pour baking soda down the drains (including the toilet) to unclog them or to regularly maintain them, so that they stay clog free.

Mildew can be addressed with baking soda. Leave it on an area for a couple of days. Items, such as books, can be put in a sealed container with baking soda. Leave it for a couple of weeks to tackle the mildew.

If you are redoing the floors, you can use baking soda to strip old wax off floors.