Cleaning with Vinegar and Baking Soda

Vinegar and baking soda, being widely used for cooking purposes, are easily available in our homes. Both have excellent cleansing properties. Vinegar is acidic in nature which helps in stain removal, cleaning up grime, and killing germs and bacteria. On the other hand, baking soda is a salt with alkaline properties that neutralizes acid. Hence, when you need abrasive properties along with the acidic strength of vinegar, add a little baking soda to it.

When they are mixed together, they react, creating foam, which comes in handy for cleaning purposes. Baking soda, in liberal amounts, also acts as the neutralizing agent for vinegar when its damaging effect needs to be reduced. Proportion is the key factor in these cases. The advantages of cleaning with the two is that both ingredients are non-toxic in nature, and inexpensive. So, you do not have to use pricey cleaning products that contain harsh chemicals.

• For regular carpet cleaning, put about half cup of vinegar into the warm water of the steam cleaner.
• Use the machine to apply vinegar all over the carpet.
• Let the vinegar penetrate well into the fibers of the carpet for an hour or so, and then sprinkle half cup of baking soda on the entire carpet.
• Keep it untouched for the next 24 hours.

• Vacuum clean the carpet. Thus, you will get back the clean, fresh look of the carpet.
• If there is an ugly stain on the carpet surface, then it requires special attention. Prepare a thick paste of baking soda and vinegar, and apply it generously on the stain with the help of a soft toothbrush.

• Wait until the paste turns dry, and then use vacuum cleaner to clean up the area.
• For stubborn carpet stain removal, you may have to repeat it a number of times before you can get the desired result.

This combination can be used for kitchen cleaning and bathroom cleaning as well. It can effectively clean up clogged drain of kitchen sink or bathroom.

• Let the standing water drain out completely.
• Then pour half cup each of baking soda and white vinegar into the clogged drain, and keep it untouched for half an hour.

• In the meantime, boil some water in a large container, and pour it into the drain
• You will find all the debris flushed out of the drain. This is possible because the end products of vinegar and baking soda chemical reaction have a natural tendency to expand in the form of bubbles.

• When this expansion takes place inside the drain, it exerts certain amount of pressure on the clogged particles. As a result, they are pushed down the drain.

• To begin with, remove all the loose dirt and dust particles from the floor with the help of a broom.
• Spread baking soda generously on the dirty grout lines so that they are thoroughly covered.
• Then pour sufficient amount of vinegar on those areas.

• When these two substance react chemically, then bubbles will form which can extract out the dirt from the grout.
• Let the bubbles settle down for a while, and then wash off the floor with warm water.
• If there is excessive accumulation of dirt, then you have to use a scrub brush for grout cleaning before you rinse with water.

Several kitchen appliances like oven and dishwasher can be easily cleaned with this homemade cleanser.

• To clean oily residues from oven, prepare a cleaning solution by combining half cup of white vinegar, half cup of baking soda, and three cups of water.

• Dip a kitchen towel into this mixture, and rub it in on the inner and outer surface of the oven.
• Keep it on the oven for 15 minutes, and then wipe off with another clean and wet cloth.

You will be surprised to see that your oven has regain its new look.

The grease and dirt left behind by the dishes can cause draining problem and emit a bad smell. To get rid of both the problems, put some baking soda into the soap dispenser, and vinegar into the rinse-aid compartment. Now, run the dishwasher once without loading any dishes into it.

One thing you must take care of is that while you are cleaning with baking soda or vinegar, you should not use any other cleaning products or bleaching agents along with them. The chemicals present in such products will react adversely with these components and release toxic fumes.