Clean with bicarbonate
Use bicarbonate to get rid of bad odors, unclog drains, clean bathrooms and more. Learn how to effectively clean with the white powder.
When bicarbonate is produced for use in the household, it's a basically pure product without additives. It's gentle, doesn't contain corrosive substances, is non-toxic and is safe to use in your home. You can safely use it to clean around your family, children, pets and plants.
Here are some suggestions for dosage for different uses at home, but as with all cleaning products, first test with a small amount if you are unsure and increase rather than the other way around.
Clean the kitchen
Unclog the drain
If you have a clogged drain in the sink, you can try this to clear the clog. Empty the sink if there's water in it by scooping out and pouring into a bucket. Pour 1 dl bicarbonate into the drain and add ½ dl white vinegar. It will start to bubble and fizz. Let it stand for about 5 minutes to let the mixture do its thing. Then rinse with hot water and see if the clog is gone. If it didn't unclog immediately, you can use a rubber plunger and try to plunge the clog, which should now be more dissolved than before and thus easier to plunge. Remember to hold or tape over the overflow hole or if you have double sinks, the other drain so there will be good pressure when you use the plunger.
Clean the sink
After daily use of the sink in the kitchen, it becomes dull and often a little greasy. This is how you can clean it properly! Dampen the inside of the sink with hot water, sift bicarbonate over the surface, scrub with a kitchen sponge and the sink is sparkling clean again!
Prevent bad odor in the sink and drain
If you are going away and leave your home unused for a while, it may be a good idea to prevent bad odor from the drain while you're away. It's no fun to come home to smelly drains. Pour some bicarbonate into the drains in the bathroom, toilet and kitchen before you go. When you get home rinse through and it's fresh!
Clean the oven
When it's time to clean the oven, you can do so using simple means. Mix 1 part bicarbonate with 1 part salt and as much water until you have a paste. Spread your mixture in the oven and heat it to 200 degrees centigrade with the oven door ajar. Then switch off the oven and let it cool down a bit and wipe with a damp cloth.
Clean the stove top
After a period of regular cooking, the stove top may look a little sad. Just wiping clean with a cloth isn't enough. Try this! Spread white vinegar over the surface, sift over bicarbonate. It starts to bubble and fizz and the cleaning process is underway! When it's stopped fizzing, wipe with a damp cloth and finnish with a dry one. Fresh stove!
Clean a burnt pot
Oops, did that burn in the pot? You can get rid of the burnt in residue by pouring hot water into the pot and let stand for a while to dissolve the worst of it. Pour the water out and sprinkle a considerable amount of bicarbonate on a kitchen sponge and scrub off the rest. Done!
Remove bad odor in the refrigerator
In the fridge you keep things that smell. Nice cheeses, fine fish and more items with distinctive aromas. In the end it can be too much of a good thing and at that point you can try do this! Empty the refrigerator of all foods. Mix a small bowl of water and a few tablespoons of bicarbonate, dip a cloth in the solution and wipe out of the fridge. The white powder cleans and absorbs the bad smell from the food. Fill the fridge again and at the same time place a bowl with only bicarbonate. The bad smell disappears!
Remove bad smell from the trash can
Even if you use a bag insert there can often be a bad smell from the trash can itself. The scent absorbs into the material, but you can get rid of that with bicarbonate! Pour a little into the bottom of the can and it works as a deodorant for the trash can. Moisture is absorbed at the same time as bad smells are removed!
Clean the cutting board
Our cutting boards are exposed to many aromas and flavors. Even if you wash and dry after each use, a thorough cleaning is needed after a while. Mix bicarbonate with a few drops of white vinegar and spread the fizzy mixture over the cutting board with a kitchen sponge. Let sit for five minutes, then scrub thoroughly, rinse with warm water and allow to dry. Clean!
Clean the thermos
The thermos is a practical thing, but after being on a number of outings, it can be difficult to get it clean by just the usual dish washing. Then you can try this! Fill the thermos with hot water and add 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate and maybe a little lemon if the inside is extra crusty. Let it stand for a couple of minutes and then use a bottle brush to loosen the last bit. Empty, rinse and dry upside down.
Clean the bathroom
Clean the bathroom
Avoid strong cleaners in the bathroom and bring out a bucket and fill it with warm water instead. Add 1 dl bicarbonate and use the solution to wipe the surfaces in the bathroom. If you have areas such as tile grout that need extra attention, you can sift over the bicarb, spray with water and brush off the dirt. Sparkling clean!
Clean the toilet
That ring and the deposit in the toilet is not that fun, is it? This is how to get rid of them! Flush the toilet so the bowl is wet. Sift bicarbonate all over the inside. Let stand for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight. Mix some white vinegar with water in a bowl or jug and pour around the bowl. Now it starts to bubble and fizz. Scrub with the toilet brush and see how clean and fresh it gets!
Clean the living room and bedroom
Remove stains
Bicarbonate works great for getting rid of stains at home. If you have a stain on a surface such as a counter or a wall or perhaps a scuff mark from a shoe on the floor or on the stairs or a vacuum cleaner mark on the skirting board, you can try this. Dampen a sponge or cloth and dip in bicarbonate. Gently rub the stain with the paste that forms and suddenly the stain is gone. Wipe off any excess with a clean damp cloth and then wipe dry.
Remove bad smell in a piece of furniture
That piece of furniture you scored at the flea market is so great. Then you bring it home, pull out the drawer and there it is - the smell. But don't worry, you can get rid of it by sifting bicarbonate in drawers and on shelves and leave for a few days. Vacuum away and the smell is much less noticeable. Once you have moved things into your furniture, place an open jar or bowl of bicarbonate in it and the process continues to combat any residual odor.
Refresh the mattress
When we sleep, we sweat, the mattress becomes damp and can feel a little stale after a while, so at regular intervals it is good to freshen up your mattress. Remove all bedding and take the opportunity to air the room if the season allows. Vacuum the mattress, preferably with an upholstery attachment. Sift bicarbonate over the entire mattress and leave on for about 20 minutes. The substance both absorbs moisture from the mattress but also removes any bad odor. Then vacuum the surface again and the mattress is so much fresher! Keep in mind that bagless vacuum cleaners cannot be used for this. The white powder is too fine and can cause problems to the motor.
Refresh the carpet
Carpets at home contribute a lot to comfort and to softening noise, but they have to put up with a lot there on the floor. Freshen up your carpet by vacuuming it to remove loose dirt and dust. Sift over bicarbonate and leave on for at least 20 minutes. Vacuum the carpet again and it's refreshed and smells so much better. If you have a bagless vacuum cleaner, you should not use the vacuum cleaner method but rather whip the carpet properly instead.
Remove scribles on the wall
Sometimes the drawing paper is not enough for the children and the art continues up the walls. But don't worry! Here's how to get rid of the scribbles. Dampen a cloth and dip in bicarbonate. Carefully rub away the drawings. Wipe dry with a clean damp cloth and finish with a dry one.
Polish silver and clean dishes
Polish silver
Do you have silver flatware that has darkened and oxidized? This is how you get it clean and shiny! Place oven foil in a container that fits the flatware, for example an oven dish. Add 1 dl salt + 1 dl bicarbonate and pour on hot water. Add the flatware and let it soak for 30 minutes. Rinse with water and dry the with a soft cloth. The discolorations are gone! Magic!
Remove tea stains and coffee stains from cups
Coffee and tea is great, but unfortunately often discolors the cups it's enjoyed from. Do you have ugly discolorations in your coffee mugs or tea mugs? You can remove them! Mix 1 dl bicarbonate in hot water in your sink, put the mugs down for half an hour and then wash as usual. The cups are as new again!
Wash clothes and textiles
Make the laundry whiter
Have your white towels and T-shirts turned grayish? This is how you get your whitewash fresher again! When you wash the next round of whitewash, add 1 dl bicarbonate to your regular detergent. White and fresh again!
Use as fabric softener
Many of the fabric softeners you can buy are not good for the environment or your skin. Use bicarbonate instead! Add 1 dl into the fabric softener drawer and the laundry will get nice and soft!
Remove stains from fabric
To remove a stain from fabric, you can try this trick. Dampen a cloth with water and then dip it in bicarbonate. Gently rub on the stain and repeat until the stain wears off. Then rinse the cloth clean and wipe off the white powder in a few goes. Wipe off the last remnants with a dry cloth. If you are very precious about the fabric, try in a spot that's not visible, for example on a seam on the inside of a garment or on the underside of a piece of furniture.
Remove bad odor from shoes
Stinky foul-smelling shoes make no one happy and it's easily remedied. Pour a little bicarbonate into each shoe and shake so the whole inside gets a dusting. Let stand overnight and shake out or vacuum the next morning. So much fresher!
Refresh the laundry machine
You may not think that the landry machine gets dirty on the inside because there is washing going on. But after a while when you've washed different colored textiles in varying temperatures, the machine also needs to be cleaned inside. Pour the same amount of bicarbonate as you usually would detergent into the detergent drawer. Run a quick wash cycle and the washing machine is clean and fresh inside!
Also give the outside of the laundry machine a go while you're at it. Mix 1 part bicarbonate with 4 parts water and wipe the outside with the mixture. Let dry for 10 minutes and then wipe with a dry cloth.