Baking Soda Cleaning Hacks for Your Kitchen

Monday, August 12, 2024

Bridget Maloney

To keep drains fresh, regularly sprinkle a little baking soda in them while running hot water.
For a deeper clean, a slow-moving drain or mild clog, reach for the baking soda and white vinegar. Here’s how:
Pour a (tea)pot of boiling hot water down your drain.
Dump in about 1/2 cup ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda. Let that sit for a 3-5 minutes.
Then, pour a mixture of 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup very hot water down the drain, on top of the baking soda.
If you have a drain plug, cover the drain and let sit for 5-10 minutes. If you don’t have a drain plug, it’ll be fine; the plug just keeps more the reaction below the surface.
Flush again with a pot of boiling water.

If your garbage disposal has gotten a funky smell, pour ¼ cup of baking soda into it and follow with hot water. If your disposal continues to smell bad, repeat or add a ¼ cup white vinegar and let it fizz for 5 minutes, then run hot water.

Baking soda is a great trash can deodorizer. As garbage accumulates in the bag, add baking soda in layers to help absorb and neutralize odors. You can also wash and deodorize garbage cans with a solution of 1 cup baking soda and 1 gallon of water.
Your smelly garbage is no match for the odor-eliminating power of ARM & HAMMER™ baking soda.

Yes, the appliance that cleans your dishes also needs to be cleaned, preferably once a month, but you can go longer if you use it less frequently. Over time, food debris, soap scum and grease will build up in your dishwasher and can reduce your dishwasher’s efficiency.
Here’s how to use baking soda and white vinegar to clean and deodorize your dishwasher with minimal effort:
In an empty dishwasher, place a bowl or dishwasher-safe container containing about a cup of white vinegar face up on the top rack.
Run the dishwasher on a hot, regular-length cycle.
Next, liberally sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of your machine.
Run another short, hot water cycle
Your dishwasher will smell fresh and the residue from daily use will be in the past. When it accumulates again, you know what to do!

Using a Fridge-n-Freezer™ package of ARM & HAMMER™ to absorb odors in your refrigerator or freezer is one of the more commonly known baking soda household cleaning hacks. But did you know you can use a mixture of warm water and baking soda or a warm water/baking soda/white vinegar solution to clean your fridge or freezer shelves and drawers? It works great to help remove a surprise spill or the mysterious stains that appear over time.
Watch this ARM & HAMMER™ video about how to clean your fridge with baking soda!

Tiny drips or the musty smell of your drain or disposal can leave your cabinets under the sink smelling less-than-wonderful. Simply place a flow-through box of ARM & HAMMER™ Fresh-n-Natural Odor Absorber to absorb moisture and help eliminate under-sink odors.

If your kitchen or foyer are ceramic tile and grout, you can make a solution of ½ cup of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda in a bucket of warm water to help give them a mop. Alkaline baking soda helps break down most food-based and greasy stains and the mild abrasion helps scrub the surface and the porous grout. Rinse with plain warm water and let dry.

Did you know you can help clean your oven and burner wells with baking soda? Remove caked-on, baked-on food drips from your burner pans or grates, under burner pans, and oven floor, walls, and windows—without using harsh chemicals or exposing your family to fumes. Learn how to use baking soda to get your oven sparkling again!