Baking Soda + Vinegar "Baking soda is basic and vinegar is acidic," says Bock. "When you put them together you get mostly water and sodium acetate. But really, just mostly water." Plus, vinegar causes baking soda to foam up. If stored in a closed container, the mixture can explode.
Make a bathroom cleaner
It cuts through soap scum and mildew as well as any commercial bathroom product and costs just pennies. Here's how to make the cleanser: Mix 1 2/3 cups baking soda and 1/2 cup liquid soap in a bowl.
Mix Baking Soda and Borax
Borax will boost the stain removal power of baking soda. Combine one tablespoon of borax with one-third cup of baking soda. Apply to dirty surfaces with a damp sponge, scrub, and rinse well.
Although mixing vinegar and baking soda is not considered dangerous, you should still avoid mixing these in a container. Vinegar is acidic and basic soda is basic, so the by-products are sodium acetate, carbon dioxide, and water that are not toxic.
Baking soda is a base, and vinegar is an acid. When they're combined, acids “donate” protons to bases; in this case, it's acetic acid lending a hydrogen proton to the bicarbonate. When bicarbonate gains a hydrogen proton, it forms carbonic acid (or H2CO3) which is unstable and eventually decomposes.
For most purposes, Harris recommends combining one part baking soda with two parts white vinegar. That combo can cut through grease and lift stains, sometimes better than store-bought cleaners, she says. Important: Never combine vinegar with bleach.
It's time to start cleaning once you've acquired all the essential supplies. Combine one part Dettol liquid and two parts baking soda in a small dish. Mix until the mixture resembles a paste. The cleaning paste can then be used to remove the spots.
The other thing to be careful of with baking soda is combining it with something acidic, like vinegar or lemon juice. As the chemicals combine with that satisfying fizz, they form a gas. If you combine them in a sealed container, like a soda bottle, it could potentially explode and harm you.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner and Bleach
Dr. Johnson-Arbor tells me this is a dangerous mix. “Combining toilet bowl cleaner and bleach can make chlorine gas," she says. "For healthy people, inhalation of either of these gases can cause coughing, irritation of the nose and throat, and even trouble breathing.
Mix a tablespoon of baking soda with enough water to make a thick paste, apply to the stain (leave for 15 minutes for stubborn stains) and rinse off in water. After cooking a meal for the family, sometimes you need a little extra scrubbing power with the washing up - particularly after something like a Sunday roast.
First, make "flush" a family rule. Also, make a simple routine part of your weekly cleaning: Sprinkle the toilet with cup of baking soda. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then spray or squirt with vinegar (a mild acid) to moisten. Scrub with a bowl brush and flush away [source: Niagara County].
Cleaning Grout with Baking Soda
Mix baking soda, a few drops of dish soap, and enough water to make a cleaning paste. Apply the paste liberally, let it sit for 20 minutes, then scrub the grout with a toothbrush and rinse.
Separately, both vinegar and baking soda work well for cleaning. Alone, baking soda can dissolve grease and dirt, while distilled white vinegar breaks down minerals without adding any coloring to stain surfaces (as apple cider vinegar might).
Another way to use lemon juice for cleaning your shower is to dip the cut side of a lemon half in baking soda. Rub the lemon on the glass. Rinse and dry the surface with distilled water. To reduce soapy build-up, coat the interior of the glass with a layer of lemon oil.
You can use lemons and baking soda instead of drying cleaning. Try this trick at home: soak a yellowing shirt, blanket or pillow in a lemon juice and baking soda solution. When the fabric lightens rinse with cold water and air dry. Mix baking soda, lemon juice and water and use it to scrub your kitchen and bathroom.
In a small bucket or 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup, combine vinegar, baking soda and hot water. Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon, then drop the rind in as well to infuse the cleaner. Stir well to dissolve the baking soda and allow to cool.
It's the exact same substance, just with a different name. So when you see the words 'baking soda' in an American cleaning recipe then go ahead and use bicarbonate of soda. The results will be exactly as intended.
Baking soda and vinegar, when mixed together, can form a chemical reaction that looks sort of like an eruption. This chemical reaction can help clear your toilet and any pipe clogs that you might have.
Pour 1 cup of baking soda into the bowl, then top it off with a 1 cup of vinegar. (Some people try this with a half cup of each product.) Close the toilet lid and let the bubbly mixture sit for about 30 minutes. Then use a toilet brush to scrub it clean.
To make a spray that will clean just about anything—countertops, the sink, light fixtures, and more—mix 13 ounces of hot water, ½ cup of white vinegar, 15 drops of grapefruit essential oil, 10 drops of lavender essential oil, and seven drops of lemon essential oil in a spray bottle, says Kimberly Button, a certified ...
Baking soda and vinegar are safe to touch. However, contact with the eyes should be avoided. Rinse eyes with water if your child happens to stick his hands in his eyes after touching vinegar.
No. Only lemon juice, vinegar, and a couple other acids can activate baking soda.