11 Genius Ways To Clean Your Kitchen With Baking Soda

For keen home cooks, cleaning the kitchen can be a bittersweet chore. On one hand, cleaning up after a long day of cooking can be a rewarding task, and leaves the kitchen spotless for your next endeavor. On the other hand, sometimes it is so overwhelming you don't even know where to start. If you take a stroll down the cleaning products aisle at your local store, you will see dozens of kitchen cleaners that all target different jobs, materials, or appliances, but buying all of them would not be kind to your wallet — plus, where would you store them all?

Instead, it is time to embrace a one-product-fits-all scenario, where that particular product is a pantry staple that comes without the long list of hazardous chemicals and potential side effects. Baking soda has long been hailed as the cleaning champion of the kitchen. Its deodorizing and grease-busting properties make it a top choice for those who seek a natural, eco-friendly option in their home. From freshening up the dishwasher to unclogging the sink, baking soda — often accompanied by white vinegar — can make your appliances and surface sparkle without you putting in too much effort. Let's have a look at 11 genius ways to clean your kitchen with baking soda.

If you're lucky enough to have a dishwasher in your kitchen, you will know how much hard work it does for you. Sometimes, it is easy to forget to clean the things that do our cleaning, so if it's been a while since you showed the dishwasher your appreciation, it's time to add it to the to-do list. A dirty dishwasher will not be as efficient, and you may start to notice plates and glasses are not as sparkling clean as they once were. Fortunately, with the help of some baking soda, cleaning the dishwasher is not a difficult job.

For a regular clean-up, you can simply sprinkle some baking soda along the bottom of your empty dishwasher and run a short, hot cycle. Baking soda is great at absorbing nasty odors, so your dishwasher will smell much fresher if you do this regularly. After the cycle has run, open the dishwasher door for a while and let the inside dry off as much as possible.

If you have any particularly dirty spots inside the machine, you can make up a paste with baking soda and a little water, then scrub it with a toothbrush. Running a baking soda cycle every so often is an economical and safe way to maintain your dishwasher and should help keep your crockery looking as good as new.

A jug blender is a crucial appliance in many kitchens, whether you use it to make a healthy smoothie in the morning or to whizz up a batch of homemade pasta sauce. Over time though, what was once a crystal clear jug can begin to look a little cloudy. If your blender is getting harder to see through, it's time to give it a quick refresh using baking soda and vinegar.

Vinegar is often used in conjunction with baking soda when cleaning the home. Baking soda is weakly alkaline, and vinegar is an acid, meaning they take part in a neutralization reaction when they combine. This causes carbon dioxide gas to be given off, along with plenty of foam. This foam is great at starting to break down grease and dirt, meaning you can leave it to sit and do the hard work for you.

Add a little baking soda to the bottom of your blender jug, then pour in the vinegar. Stand back and enjoy the foamy reaction, then leave it to sit for 15-20 minutes. Pour the solution away, then rinse the jug — you can even add soapy water and turn the blender on for a few seconds to make sure it gets a really good clean. Use this baking soda hack whenever you see the jug starting to turn a little cloudy, and your blender should continue to look great for years to come.

How would we cope in the kitchen without our trusty baking trays? Whether it is to roast veggies for Sunday dinner or cook up a quick batch of cookies, they are important and well-used cookware. Cleaning them up perfectly isn't always easy, and over time, they can end up stained and marked by grease or burnt-on sugar and end up looking worse for wear. With a couple of household staples, however, you can restore your baking trays to their former glory.

Start by sprinkling some baking soda onto the pan, then add hydrogen peroxide on top to form a paste. Add more baking soda on top, and leave it to sit and work its magic for a couple of hours. Rinse with some soapy water, scrubbing any stubborn stains until they come away, and leave your baking trays sparkling and ready for the next tray bake or roast dinner.

There are few items used in the kitchen as often as cutting boards, so looking after them is crucial if you want them to last you for years. There are many materials to choose from — plastic and glass are both good options — but wood is a classic choice that looks great in any kitchen. One of the issues with a wood cutting board is that it can stain easily, especially if you are preparing brightly colored fruit and veg such as berries and beets. If your cutting board has seen better days, it is time to put the baking soda to work.

Make your board damp by running it quickly under the tap, then sprinkle the baking soda across the top. If there aren't too many stains on the board, this may be enough, and you can rinse the baking soda off and dry it. To tackle stubborn stains, cut a wedge of lemon and rub the baking soda-covered surface with the fruit, paying close attention to the worst areas. As well as improving the stain, the baking soda will neutralize any bad smells and the lemon will leave behind a fresh citrusy one instead. Wash the board with soapy water and dry thoroughly to prevent it from warping.

For most people, cleaning the oven door has to be one of the worst jobs in the kitchen. We tend to put it off for so long that it then becomes a mammoth and horrible task, but if you keep on top of the cleaning with the help of your trusty baking soda, it can become much more manageable.

This hack utilizes the dynamic duo of baking soda and vinegar. Start by covering the glass in the oven door with a paste made from baking soda and water and leaving it to work for 10 minutes. Then, make up a solution of water and vinegar in a 4:1 ratio, soak a clean cloth in the solution, and use it to wipe the paste from the door. You should find that the grease and dirt shift much more easily since the baking soda will have started the process, and the acidic vinegar does a great job of finishing it off. This simple trick can take cleaning the oven door from a task you dread to a basic part of your cleaning regime, as the baking soda and vinegar will do most of the hard work for you.

If your kitchen trash cans are starting to smell a bit funky, it may be time to freshen them up a bit. While it can be tempting to accept that the stench is inevitable — they are bins, after all — if they are left unattended for too long, bacteria can start to multiply, which is not what you want in your kitchen. With the help of some baking soda, your kitchen trash cans will smell fresh and be free of the gunge that mysteriously appears from time to time.

Start by adding some baking soda to the bottom of the garbage can — empty it first, of course. Pour in hot water from the sink and leave it for a few minutes. With a sponge or cloth, wipe down the inside of the trash can using the baking soda solution, then pour it out and dry the bin completely. To prevent the trash from smelling bad in the future, always use a bag inside rather than throwing the waste directly into the bin. You should still clean it with baking soda every so often, as pieces of food are likely to end up at the bottom regardless.

If you enjoy a morning cuppa in a white mug, chances are you have come across the issue of tea and coffee stains. Even if you wash your mug after each drink, the inevitable stains build up slowly until one day, you notice the dreaded tidemark near the top of the cup. To remove the stains of shame, all you need is some baking soda, some warm water, and a sponge.

Start by rinsing your mug out with water so that the inside is wet. Then sprinkle baking soda into the cup, applying it to the sides so that it sticks all the way around. Leave it for five minutes, then grab your wet sponge and start scrubbing. You will be amazed at how easily the stains come off, leaving a murky brown liquid behind in the cup, which you can happily pour down the sink. Stand back and be impressed by your now sparkling coffee cup, and vow you will never let it get into that state again, knowing full well that you absolutely will.

If you thought that unclogging your kitchen sink needed either a plumber or a nasty concoction of chemicals that require you to wear a hazmat suit as you use them, think again. For day-to-day issues with your sink, you can put baking soda to good use — along with its partner in crime, white vinegar.

A helpful first step before you start is to pour boiling water down the drain. This will soften any greasy or oily substances that may be contributing to the blockage, making it easier for the baking soda to do its job. You can then pour half a cup of baking soda into the plughole, followed by the same amount of vinegar. This will create an effervescent reaction, meaning it will fizz as it releases carbon dioxide gas. For this reason, it is important not to mix the two components before pouring them down the drain — you want the reaction to happen in the pipes, not on your countertop.

You should leave the sink untouched for half an hour to allow the mixture to do its thing, breaking down dirt and debris as it reacts. You can then run cold water to flush it away, or repeat the boiling water rinse for a second time. In most cases, the sink should be clear and will drain well. The more often you can do this simple maintenance task, the less chance there is of your kitchen drain getting blocked in the first place.

If you open the refrigerator and notice a funky smell, rather than just closing the door and hoping it will go away — we've all done it — you can easily remove odors with very little effort and some help from your baking soda. Of course, it helps if you can identify the offending smell, so make sure to empty the fridge as step number one.

Once the refrigerator is empty and any expired or spoiled produce has been discarded, take the opportunity to wipe down the shelves with soapy water to remove any spillages, then open a box of baking soda and place it at the back of the fridge. While the baking soda doesn't have a strong smell of its own that will mask the nasties in your fridge, it is a superstar when it comes to absorbing lingering smells. It gives the unpleasantly scented molecules something to combine with, meaning they will leave the rest of your food alone. If you would rather the off-putting smells be replaced with a pleasant fragrance, you can always add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil. To keep it at its most effective, you should replace the baking soda every few months or if you notice the fridge is starting to smell again. Just make sure you don't use your fridge baking soda for other purposes since the odors it has absorbed could be transferred to other dishes.

Plastic containers are a culinary must-have in every family home, and if you have found a way to store them neatly without losing the lids, fair play to you. One common issue with these containers is how easily they can stain, particularly when used for tomato-based dishes. Even fairly new containers can feel past their best when they cling to the stains of last week's meal in spite of being perfectly clean, so having a natural and easy way to spruce them up is crucial.

With a few spoonfuls of baking soda and a splash of water, you can restore your plastic receptacles to their shiny best. Add a couple of tablespoons of your baking soda to the container, then create a thick paste by adding warm water. Add a little water at a time — if it ends up too runny you will have to add more baking soda to thicken it up. Run the paste over the entire inside of the container, making sure that any particularly bad stains are fully covered. Let the paste do its work for around 30 minutes, then wipe it off with a cloth and wash as normal with soapy water. Using this technique regularly on your plastic containers will help keep them stain-free and odor-free.

Sometimes, there's nothing better than an afternoon spent baking in the kitchen, and if those cakes involve chocolate — even better. Spilling said chocolate on your clothes, however, is not quite as fun, as it can be a nightmare to remove the stains. Armed with your trusty baking soda, though, you should be able to get those stains out of your clothes and save your outfit from a chocolate catastrophe.

As with any stain, time is of the essence if you want to get it out completely, so start treating your clothing as soon as you notice it. If you have baking soda's old friend white vinegar handy, add some of that to the stained area first, then carefully pat it with some kitchen towel. Add baking soda to both sides of the fabric and leave it for 15 minutes or so. After the time has elapsed, rinse the garment in cold water before washing it on your usual cycle in the machine. If the stain has not completely vanished by the end of the wash, repeat the process until it is gone. Don't put stained clothing in the dryer, as this will engrain it even further into the material. Instead, hanging it in the sun could help, especially if the garment is white.