Bi-carb soda is one of the most popular natural cleaning staples, and there’s a reason why it’s a must-have pantry ingredient: it’s so versatile. You can clean with bicarb soda in every room of the home, whether you want to remove bad smells, freshen up linens or polish chrome appliances.
But would you believe us if we told you we have 40 life-changing hacks with bi-carb that can be used in the kitchen, alone? Plus, we’ll give you a brilliant bi-carb solution recipe.
40 uses for bi-carb soda in the kitchen
1. Remove dishwasher odours
Eliminate kitchen dishwasher odours by sprinkling bi-carb on the bottom of your dishwasher in between loads.
2. Fishy smells, be gone
There’s nothing worse than that horrible fishy smell that clings to your kitchen after a seafood feast. To get rid of it, use the bi-carb solution to clean the pan to eliminate any lingering smells.
3. Freezer cleaner
Got a dirty freezer that’s in urgent need of a clean? Use the bi-carb solution to clean out your freezer. Simply empty, defrost & wipe!
4. Deodorise smelly plastic containers
Nobody likes storing fresh food in an old, smelly plastic container. To prevent this, use the bi-carb solution to deodorise smelly containers. Once done, rinse well with warm water.
5. Get the chrome to shine
Nothing screams squeaky clean like a shining chrome faucet. It’s easy, all you need to do is rub anything chrome with a moist cloth and dry bi-carb to achieve a blinding shine. Then, simply rinse and dry.
6. Clean burnt pots and pans
There’s nothing more frustrating than having to scrub endlessly at burnt pots and pans, only to see no results. Well, if you soak the pan in dishwashing liquid, bi-carb and hot water for 10 minutes before washing, we guarantee there won’t be nearly as much scrubbing, and it’ll remove every bit of burnt residue.
7. Clean severely burnt pots & pans
If your pots and pans are severely burnt, you’ll need to use some arm grease, unless you have a drill brush – then it’ll be a lot less physically demanding. All you have to do is scrub the pot with dry bi-carb and a moist scouring pad.
8. Deodorise kitchen rubbish bins
Smelly bins, be gone! Just sprinkle a handful of bi-carb in the kitchen bin to absorb odours.
9. Clean cloths and sponges
Remove foul odours from cloths and sponges by soaking them overnight in bi-carb solution.
10. Remove stains from plastic containers
We’ve all thrown out a stained plastic container because we just can’t seem to get the stains off it, but this hack will do just the trick. Use the bi-carb solution to scrub plastic containers when they age and develop a “sticky” feeling. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.
11. Freshen up musty tea and hand towels
Pop them in the washing machine with 1/2 cup of bi-carb.
12. Eliminate smelly hands
To rid your hands of smells that stain (like garlic or onion), wet and then sprinkle on bi-carb. Rub hands together well, rinse and dry.
13. Clean dirty microwave
Place a bowl filled with water and 2 tbs of bi-carb in your microwave. Cook on high for 1 minute, then wipe down with a clean cloth.
14. Cleaning non-stick pans
Make a solution of 2 tbs bi-carb; 110ml vinegar; 225ml water. Put this mixture into the pan and boil for 10 minutes. Wash as normal.
15. Non-toxic oven cleaner
Make a bi-carb paste (3 tbsp bi-carb with 1 tbsp water) and use to the scrub oven with a clean cloth. Rinse well. When cleaning electric ovens, be careful not to get any bi-carb on the element as this may cause it to corrode.
16. Deodorise refrigerator
Place a small open containerof bi-carb in your fridge to eliminate unwanted food odours. Replace monthly.
17. Cleaning stainless steel appliances
Rub stainless steel with a moist cloth and dry bi-carb to shine. Rinse and dry.
18. Clean baby bottles
Safely clean baby bottles by placing 2 tsps of bi-carb into the bottle, pour in hot water, leave to soak then rinse well.
19. Cleaning stainless steel sinks
Sprinkle dry bi-carb on a damp sponge, scrub and rinse clean.
20. Cleaning kids’ lunch boxes
Safelt clean your child lunch box with the bi-carb solution to remove stains and bad smells.
21. Kitchen fire extinguisher
Scatter bi-carb by the handful to help put out small kitchen fires.
22. Clean wooden chopping boards
To remove food odours on wooden chopping boards, rub bi-carb paste onto the board and leave for a few minutes. Rinse well.
23. Polish silverware
Polish silverware with bi-carb paste. Rinse and dry well.
24. Clean stained cups/mugs
Restore life to stained tea and coffee cups by applying bi-carb to a damp cloth and rubbing on stain.
25. Washing dishes
To remove grease, add 2 tbs bi-carb to your washing up water.
26. Clean water bottles
Wash out water bottles with bi-carb solution to get rid of stale smells. Rinse with warm water.
27. Clean rubbish bins
Periodically clean your rubbish bin with bi-carb solution.
28. Clean refridgerator
Use bi-carb solution to clean and freshen the inside of your fridge.
29. Fruit and vegetable scrub
For a safe way to effectively clean dirt and residue off fresh fruit and vegetables, sprinkle a little bi-carb on a clean cloth or vegetable brush. Scrub and rinse.
30. Clean oven racks
Place a towel in the bottom of a bath tub and fill with hot water, 1 cup washing powder and 1 cup of bi-carb. Gently place the oven racks in the bath to soak overnight. Polish clean with steel wool. Rinse and wipe dry.
31. Clean thermos bottle
Wash out thermos bottle with bi-carb solution to remove stale smells and strong odours. Rinse well.
32. Putting on rubber gloves
Sprinkle bi-carb inside the fingers of rubber gloves to help them slip on.
33. Eliminate freezer odours
Rid your freezer of unwanted odours by keeping a small container of bi-carb in your freezer. Replace monthly.
34. Natural scouring powder
Combine equal parts bi-carb and salt to make a tough scouring powder which can be used to scour sinks and chopping boards.
35. Grimy oven prevention
To prevent a grimy oven, make up a mixture of 1 tbsp bi-carb dissolved in 1 cup water. “Paint” a clean oven with this mixture. This solution will leave a hard, sterile skin over the clean surface. Any fat, oil or burnt food will stick to the rough surface and can be wiped away with warm water. Repeat monthly.
36. Clean stove top/hot plates
Combine hot water, bi-carb and vinegar to make a solution for cleaning food spills on stovetops.
37. Cleaning stained Laminex
Sprinkle bi-carb on stain, splash vinegar on top and while solution is fizzing, rub with a cloth or brush. Wipe clean and rinse.
38. Cleaning the blender
Add 2 tsps of bi-carb and 1⁄2 cup vinegar to blender, put the lid on and turn on for a minute. Rinse well.
39. Remove rust from pots/pans
Cut a potato in half and dip the cut surface in dry bi-carb. Rub it over the rust and rinse the pot/pan in water.
40. Removing egg stains from crockery/cutlery
Use bi-carb paste to remove sticky egg stains from crockery or cutlery. Rinse with warm water.
Bi-carb solution recipe
Mix 3 tbsps bi-carb in 1L of warm water.
On a roll? Keep it going! Learn how to deep clean your home like a pro.
