Not just for cleaning: how to use washing soda and why you should

Not just for cleaning: how to use washing soda and why you should

Sweaty sports clothes, dirty work clothes, gray sheets, grease-stained aprons and oven mitts… Baking soda can solve many problems!

Baking soda (or sodium bicarbonate) is an alkali that changes the pH of water, raising it slightly. We are used to using baking soda during cooking as a leavening agent and as an abrasive to clean various surfaces, but it works very well in other cases, such as when doing laundry.

How? This is why you can use baking soda if you need to tidy up your clothes, towels or bed linen.

For pre-treatment of stains

To combat stains and dirt, baking soda can be used in two ways. In most cases you need a paste: add baking soda to water until it turns into a thick paste, apply it to the mark, wait 20-30 minutes, shake it dried powder from the item and wash it as usual. Need to get rid of oil or grease stains? Sprinkle baking soda directly on the stain and leave it for 8 to 12 hours to remove all excess from the fabric.

Not just for cleaning: how to use washing soda and why you should

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To enhance the effect of powder or bleach

Increasing the effectiveness of your detergent is another superpower that baking soda possesses thanks to its alkaline properties. Do you want to use less powder or bleach and get even better results than usual? Add half a glass of soda while washing!

As an alternative to bleach

Baking soda does a great job of cleaning and brightening white clothes, so you can use it if you don’t like harsh chemicals and want to avoid bleach. Add half a cup of baking soda to the drum while washing and your sheets and towels will be snow white again!

To remove ink and marker marks

Did your child decide that your white T-shirt didn’t have a print and painted it with a marker? How did a marker end up in the washing machine and stain all your clothes? In this case, wash the stained laundry in the hottest water the items can handle, with a cup of baking soda.

To eliminate odors

Most unpleasant odors, including sweat, vomit, and urine (yikes!), are acidic in nature, which is why baking soda is so effective at eliminating odors and freshening laundry. To let the baking soda do its job, simply add half a cup to your washing machine during the wash cycle. Have you gotten battery fluid or drain cleaner on your clothes? Rinse the stain with cold water, sprinkle it with baking soda, wait 20 minutes, then wash the item as usual.

To soften the fabric

Don’t like the smell of conditioner, but appreciate its ability to change the texture of a material? Baking soda is great for softening fabrics and improving textiles. This is especially good in the case of towels: if you add half a glass of baking soda during washing, they will become soft again and perfectly absorb moisture (and white ones will also shine like the mountain peaks in laundry ads ). Soda is also ideal for washing children’s clothes made from non-flammable fabrics: unlike air conditioners, it does not destroy the impregnation that gives them this property.

To wash in hard water

Hard water ruins everything: kettles become covered in scale and freshly washed taps become stained. Minerals also damage clothes: over time, they make them dull and stiff. To avoid this, you can buy a special product for hard water – or you can simply add half a glass of soda while washing.

To reduce the amount of foam

Did you add too much powder and the machine overflowed with foam? There is no need to run a rinse cycle: turn off the device and pour half a glass or a glass of baking soda into the drum – this will destroy the bubbles and you can continue washing.

increase the effectiveness of the detergent

To eliminate unpleasant odors from the washing machine

It’s impossible to have clean laundry when your washing machine is dirty. If you notice that the device has become a source of unpleasant odors, add half a glass of powder to the drum, run a cycle at the highest possible temperature, then dry the “inside” with a clean cloth and leave open door. so that the remaining moisture evaporates. Carry out this cleaning regularly – this will extend the life of the washing machine.

To refresh the laundry in the basket

Are there things in your dirty laundry basket that smell bad, but you don’t have time to wash them? To prevent the situation from getting worse, sprinkle them with soda: this will absorb all unpleasant odors. You can do the same for clothes that need refreshing but for some reason can’t be washed: leave them in a container with a lid with an open can of baking soda for a day or more.

Also read: 11 things you should never clean with soda: the opinion of professional cleaners

Two main rules for using soda when washing

No matter what you’re interested in: saving money on expensive laundry detergents, an eco-friendly way to do laundry, or an ideal alternative for allergy sufferers and people with sensitive skin: If you use baking soda, remember two main rules.

  1. Do not add baking soda to the built-in dispenser of your washing machine: pour it directly into the drum.
  2. Do not add baking soda to the conditioner compartment – it will not dissolve when rinsing and will leave marks on the fabric.

Source: The Voice Mag

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