Cleaning With Baking Soda

Cleaning – exciting blog topic, no?

If you’re anything like me you secretly love tips and tricks for making the mundane household tasks just a little easier.


This post is not in any way sponsored by Arm & Hammer or any other baking soda company, I just love to pass along what works for me.

A couple years ago, Mark came home from BJs with the biggest bag of baking soda that I have ever seen. (What is it about buying in bulk that guys love so much??)  I think the baking soda is sold in this large quantity for restaurant use and also for swimming pool maintenance. We have neither a restaurant nor a pool.

I was giggling about Mark’s purchase and how this bag would be hanging around my house forever, getting used at the rate of one teaspoon per batch of chocolate chip cookies, until I discovered that this common household product has a million uses outside of baking!

My favorite use for baking soda:  the stovetop. Keeping this surface clean is a daily chore in my house. Why do we make such a mess when we cook??

I keep a little jar of baking soda right above the stove for a quick cleaning.

 Wait until the stovetop is completely cool, then sprinkle baking soda on.

Generously wet a cloth and scrub away. Some spots require a bit of elbow grease. The baking soda lifts up the burned-on mess without scratching the cooktop.

Baking soda is waaaay less expensive than liquid cooktop cleaners – a regular 8 oz. box is under $1 – but the best part to me is that it is all natural. Why breathe in unnecessary chemicals when we work so hard to keep our bodies healthy and strong? Better for our health, better for the environment, and better for our bank accounts!

I recently shared how I use baking soda to clean silver jewelry and flatware without any labor involved at all.

The Arm and Hammer website has tons of other uses for this cheap and non toxic product. Here are a few more of my faves:
*Adding 1/2 cup of baking soda to your laundry helps liquid detergent to work harder and makes whites whiter.
*Sprinkling baking soda in shoes, cleats and sports equipment bags cuts the odor. 🙂
*Sprinkling baking soda on carpets that the family pet frequents absorbs odor. Let it sit for a few minutes and then vacuum.
*Applying a baking soda/water paste to an insect bite will sooth the sting.

Okay, I suppose I can admit that maybe my husband was onto something when he purchased the industrial sized bag of baking soda! Or maybe he was just hoping there would be a lot of chocolate chip cookies in his future.