How to Use Baking Soda to Remove Stains

5 steps

Step by step

1. 1

   Check the surface first

   Look up what the item is made of before you start, because baking soda suits some materials and not others. Test a hidden spot first, especially on fabric. Keep it off aluminum, which it darkens.

2. 2

   Apply it to the stain

   For soap film or light grease on glass, tile, grout, metals, fiberglass or acrylic, apply baking soda with a damp cloth. On painted walls, rub gently with a mix of baking soda and water. Don't scrub flat or matte paint hard, and don't over-wet the wall.

3. 3

   Let a paste sit on set-in marks

   For burnt-on food in a pot, mix 1 cup baking soda with 1/3 cup water, leave it a few hours or overnight, then scrub. For oil-based stains on natural stone, spread a poultice of baking soda and water to the consistency of peanut butter, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cover it with plastic and leave it 24 to 48 hours.

4. 4

   Scrub gently and rinse

   Scrub with a nylon brush or non-scratch sponge on nonstick cookware. Rinse the baking soda off completely before you use the item again. Rinse it out of crevices too, as silver cleaning directions say.

5. 5

   Treat laundry stains

   For a crayon-marked load, wash in hot water with laundry soap and 1 cup baking soda. For deodorant buildup on white items only, mix 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide, 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup water.

   Pour boiling water on the stain and pour it off, then apply the mix for 5 minutes and wash. Use one product at a time and rinse in between.

What baking soda is good for

Baking soda works best on oily dirt. Alkalies are good for removing dirt, fat and grease, and they readily remove oily dirt.

Baking soda can remove stains from fruit juices and other mild acids, as well as from glass, tile and china. For a whole load of crayon-marked clothes, Texas A&M washes in hot water with laundry soap and 1 cup baking soda.

How to use it on a stain

Start with the simplest method that fits your surface. On glass, tile, grout, metals, fiberglass and acrylic, apply baking soda with a damp cloth to remove soap film.

For burnt-on food in a pot, make a paste of 1 cup baking soda and 1/3 cup water, leave it a few hours or overnight, then scrub. Use a nylon brush or non-scratch sponge if the surface is nonstick.

Where baking soda is unsafe

Aluminum is the clearest danger: baking soda will darken its finish, so keep alkalies off aluminum surfaces. Flat and matte painted walls are less durable, and heavy pressure or over-wetting can damage matte paint.

Fabric needs a test first, since one laundry product maker warns that baking soda and vinegar can possibly damage the fabric. Rinse baking soda out of crevices on silver so no powder is left behind.

Myths about baking soda and vinegar

The idea that baking soda and vinegar make a stronger cleaner is a myth. ACES says that mixed in equal parts they neutralize each other and lose their cleaning power.

The fizz is mostly carbon dioxide, so you lose most of the cleaning power of each one. The one deliberate use of this reaction is in a pan, where baking soda is added to vinegar heated in the pan to loosen burnt food. Baking soda is also not safe on every household surface just because it is gentle.

What never to mix it with

Chlorine bleach is the one to avoid most firmly: never mix bleach with anything but water, because toxic fumes may be produced. Poison Control advises never mixing household cleaning products, and it warns that dish soap should not be mixed with other household products because this can produce dangerous fumes.

Ammonia, rubbing alcohol, borax and other store-bought cleaners should never be combined with baking soda. Lemon juice and vinegar are not dangerous to combine with it, but they cancel each other out.

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