Categories: Recipe

11 Things You Could Be Cleaning With Vinegar and Baking Soda

Published by
James marcus
Video how to clean with vinegar and baking soda

Whether you use baking soda and vinegar separately or together around the house, there’s no doubt these environmentally friendly cleaning ingredients serve as the perfect combination for many cleaning tasks. Plus, they’re both usually readily available in most people’s homes, so they’re unlikely to cost you anything. Use these tips for cleaning with vinegar and baking soda throughout your home for a safe, worry-free clean.

1. Clean Out the Sink Drain

You can use vinegar and baking soda together to clean the gunk out of your kitchen and bathroom sinks, including soap scum, food scraps, and even mineral build-up from hard water.

Simply pour one cup of baking soda down your drain and let it sit for a few minutes. Next, pour two cups of white distilled vinegar into the drain. The mixture will fizz and might bubble out into the sink: that’s expected. Wait 10 minutes, and then run hot water down your drain for five minutes, followed by cold water down the drain for another five minutes.

You can sprinkle a little baking soda around problem areas in the sink and scrub with an old toothbrush to clean off any visible debris while you’re at it.

Related Article

2. Cleaning Dishwasher

Much like your sink drains, your dishwasher is likely to see a build-up of food scraps, soap scum, and hard water minerals over time. Enter vinegar and baking soda once again!

Place one cup of white distilled vinegar in an upright cup, place it on the top level of your dishwasher and run a normal cycle. Once it’s finished, sprinkle one cup of baking soda over the bottom of the dishwasher and run another cycle. Your dishes will be clean and sparkly, and the vinegar and baking soda will help to remove some gunk from the interior components and drain line.

Related Article

3. Clean Your Toilet

Whether you want to clean your toilet bowl or the tank, you can use vinegar and baking soda.

Start by shutting off the shut off valve that supplies your toilet with water, and flush until there’s no water in the tank or the bowl. Sprinkle some baking soda in the bowl and let it sit. You can work it in with a toilet brush for discolored areas.

Spray down the inside of your toilet tank with vinegar, trying not to wet the metal components inside. Put some baking soda on a scrub brush and scrub the inside of the tank. Let both the tank and the bowl sit for 10 minutes before you turn the water back on and flush the residue away.

4. Remove Hard Water Stains From the Shower Door

Vinegar is great for breaking up mineral deposits on your shower doors or the mirrors in your bathroom. Mix a solution of water and vinegar in a 1:1 ratio on the glass and scrub clean with a microfiber cloth. You can add half a part of baking soda to the mixture for particularly tough hard water stains.

Use bottled or distilled water to help remove the hard water stains and keep them from returning after cleaning.

5. Remove Carpet Stains

While a red wine stain or other dark stain may need heavy-duty cleaning if it sets in, you can use vinegar and baking soda to remove fresh stains. Make a paste by adding two to three tablespoons of vinegar to one-half cup of baking soda. Add more vinegar if the paste is too dry or more baking soda if it’s too liquidy.

Spread the paste over the carpet stain and let it sit for a few hours. Finally, vacuum up the remnants and repeat as necessary. If heavy staining persists, consider paying for a house cleaning service.

Related Article

6. Freshen Your Tile Grout

Mix warm water, baking soda, and white vinegar in a ratio of 2:1:2. Dip an old toothbrush into the mixture and scrub the lines of grout in your kitchen or bathroom. It should pull up new and old stains, as well as remove any dirt and other debris stuck between the tiles.

Once you’re done going over your floor or backsplash, use a clean, damp cotton cloth to remove any baking soda residue and make your tiles look like new again.

This can be pretty physically-demanding work, even with the power of vinegar and baking soda. You may want to consider hiring a house cleaner near you to get this work done unless you’re willing to put in some serious elbow grease.

7. Get Pots and Pans Looking New

Have stains on your pots and pans or stuck-on food that you can’t seem to get off? Harness the power of vinegar and baking soda to clean stainless steel cookware! Sprinkle some baking soda over the affected areas, then wet a cotton cloth with some vinegar and use it to scrub the baking soda. The gentle friction you create with the powder should be enough to remove stains.

If it’s not, mix up a paste using one-half cup of baking soda and one to two tablespoons of vinegar. Spread the paste over the stained areas and let it sit for a half-hour before scrubbing it clean with a damp cloth.

8. Deodorize Your Fridge

Baking soda readily absorbs odors, so leaving an open box in your fridge is an excellent way to prevent food odors from taking over. If you’ve let your refrigerator go too far, though, you can do a quick clean with vinegar and baking soda to get it smelling fresh again.

After emptying the fridge, spray the insides with a 1:1 mixture of water and vinegar, and wipe it clean. For areas with food build-up or other gunk, sprinkle on some baking soda and scrub again. Finish by leaving an open box of baking soda inside to keep odors at bay.

9. De-Tarnish Your Silverware

You can also get your silverware and cutlery looking like new again with these household cleaners, as they pretty reliably remove rust from metal. Mix up a paste using three parts of baking soda and one part of vinegar. Put some paste on your silverware and rub it in using a cotton cloth. This will remove stains and tarnished areas and provide a nice shine. Give it a quick rinse before moving on to the next piece.

10. Remove Odors from Your Garbage Can

Garbage cans are a hot spot for odors, but with vinegar and baking soda at your side, you’ll have your trash can smelling fresh in no time. Start by spraying a 1:1 mixture of water and vinegar onto the inside of the can and letting it sit for about one minute. Wipe down the inside walls.

The vinegar should cut out lingering odors and kill the bacteria in your garbage can, but sprinkle one-quarter-cup of baking soda in the bottom of the can liner before putting in a new bag. The baking soda will absorb any new odors that show up.

11. Descale and Clean Your Coffee Maker

Coffee makers need routine descaling to remove calcium and magnesium from hard water. Start by filling your coffee maker with a 1:1 ratio of vinegar and water, and then run it. Dump the water, and run a few more cycles with just water to get any lingering vinegar out.

If you have coffee stains or discoloration in your carafe, sprinkle some baking soda on the inside and rub it in with a cotton cloth soaked in vinegar. Rinse the carafe thoroughly before enjoying a fresh cup of coffee.

James marcus

Garden Courte is a blog written by [James Marcus], a passionate gardener and writer. She has been gardening for over 20 years and has a deep understanding of plants and how to care for them. In her blog, she shares her knowledge and experience with others, providing tips and advice on gardening, plant care, and more.

Share
Published by
James marcus

Recent Posts

DIY Turmeric Scrub for Hyperpigmentation

For all my beauties with dark inner thighs, armpits, bikini area and spots, etc, this…

8 months ago

Top 15 Cook Interview Questions and Answers

Are you a passionate cook aspiring to embark on a rewarding culinary journey? Whether you're…

8 months ago

What Color Walls Go With Grey Kitchen Cabinets [Schemes]

Discover the perfect wall colors to complement your grey kitchen cabinets, creating a harmonious and…

8 months ago

10×10 Kitchen Remodel Cost: Everything You Need to Know

Generally, a 10×10 kitchen remodel ranges from $15,000 to $45,000, but several factors could cause…

8 months ago

How Much Do Quartz Countertops Cost?

Sleek and durable, quartz countertops are the latest trend in kitchen and bathroom renovation. Comparable…

8 months ago

Australian IKEA Kitchen Design & Installation Costs

IKEA kitchens are designed to be as simple as possible to assemble and install yourself.…

8 months ago