by Tina Kelly –
Abracadabra! There is a magical product in the grocery store. You can find it in aisle #7, it costs a measly $2 and comes in fully recyclable paper packaging. But wait – it may also be in tucked away somewhere in your fridge. My bold claim is bestowed upon baking soda.
Commercial baking soda has been around for more than 100 years. Growing up it was a household staple: always on hand. Though it’s a common ingredient in various baked goods, in our house it was primarily relegated to fridge deodorizer. The baking soda in my home today has a long and continuously growing list of uses, most of them related to cleaning. Baking soda is accessible, inexpensive and unscented but, perhaps most importantly, it’s not caustic or toxic to fish and wildlife, or us.
Before I regale you with tales of baking soda cleaning successes, let me acknowledge that baking soda – or sodium bicarbonate – is not soap and not a substitute for proper personal care to protect us from disease-causing germs. I use baking soda for very specific tasks or to augment other cleaning methods. I turn to baking soda when I need a product to whiten, deodorize or provide some abrasive action.
When a small container – the contents labeled in black marker – got wet, the ink transferred to my white bathroom counter. I panicked, then applied a paste of baking soda and water, let it sit and gave it a scrub. Magic; all gone! The kitchen counters have also had their share of spills and stains to remove. Dishes too. When tea or turmeric milk stain mugs, baking soda gets the stain removal job done. Occasionally, a canning lid leaves a ring of rust in the sink. A dab and a scrub with baking soda paste and voilà: the sink sparkles like new. In the shower, clean and whiten shower grout with this same paste.
Back to that well-known use: odour absorption. Over time, I’ve tried to move away from plastic reusable containers but a few still linger. Plastic has a tendency to absorb odours and it’s tempting to chuck a smelly container straight into the bin, sometimes with food still inside. You can avoid adding to the landfill by cleaning the container and then sprinkling with baking soda. Let it sit, rinse and the container is odour-free and usable once again. When I broached the topic of this article with a friend, she promptly shared how baking soda was her go-to for removing pet odours from carpet and other textiles.
The abrasive action of this fine white powder is remarkably powerful. No need for a steel or plastic scrubby that could release micro-particles and eventually gets thrown in the garbage. No need for a commercial scouring product, in a plastic bottle, made with chemicals of questionable safety. Baking soda is safe and effective for scrubbing sinks, shower, toilet, and pots and pans. It tackles both soap scum and grease.
Next time you find yourself faced with a cleaning challenge, give baking soda a try and look for the magic.
Note: You can find other green cleaner recipes and tips in the CRD’s Clean Green Cookbook (www.crd.bc.ca).
