10 Cleaning Remedies with Baking Soda

8. Cleaning Patio Furniture Storing patio furniture at the end of the season can often cause your cushions to look old, dingy, streaked, or left with… Teri B Clark - May 31, 2016

8. Cleaning Patio Furniture

Storing patio furniture at the end of the season can often cause your cushions to look old, dingy, streaked, or left with spots of mildew. Products that are meant to clean the cushions don’t always do a good job because they are too harsh. This leaves your cushions with cracks or discoloration.

For Storage:

Sprinkle baking soda under the chair cushions
This will keep the cushions smelling fresh

Wipe Down Furniture:

Create a baking soda paste with water.
Wipe down furniture with a sponge.
Rinse with water

This works especially well for white, plastic furniture.

For Mildew Spots:

Create a baking soda, vinegar spray.
Spray onto mildew spots.
Let sit for 15 minutes.
Scrub away with a sponge.

BONUS: Your outdoor grill can be “degreased” using a baking soda and water paste. So, while getting your patio in order, remove the grease from your grill as well!

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9. Make Your Garbage Disposal Fresh

The same things that make your refrigerator smell can also make your garbage disposal smell. And if you happen to accidentally leave something in the disposal overnight or not thoroughly dispose of the food in the drain, the smell can get pretty disgusting. Baking soda can help! It will help loosen up the grime in the drain so that it can be rinsed away.

Pour ½ cup of baking soda into the garbage disposal (This can be done on sink drains that have bad odors as well.
Pour ½ cup vinegar into the garbage disposal.
Cover the disposal or drain with a plug.
Wait 15 minutes.
Pour boiling water into the drain
You can finish up by adding a lemon or lemon juice to the garbage disposal and then run like normal.

NOTE: Only use this method if you have metal pipes. Otherwise, this could damage the pipes.

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10. Clean Pots and Pans

When you first buy pots and pans, they are so shiny. But after a few uses, you’ll begin to notice baked-on residue that is difficult to remove. Even soaking them in hot water and soap doesn’t do the trick. It is even worse if something gets burned onto the pan, like a sauce or meat drippings. You may be able to soak the worst off, but the stain remains.

Once again, baking soda is the answer. It will loosen the baked-on residue. Then adding some vinegar will pull it off the pot’s surface.

Shake some baking soda across the inside of your pot
Add boiling water
Add some dish detergent
Let soak for 15 minutes.
Wash pot normally.

If you’d like to add vinegar, add it instead of the hot water and detergent. The chemical reaction is fun to watch and works wonders on baked on grime.

It is important to have baking soda as part of your cleaning arsenal. It can get rid of stains, dislodge caked on, baked on grime, remove residue, brighten and whiten, and do all of this without harsh chemicals. Adding vinegar to the mix can make almost any cleaning problem disappear. So, leave the toxic chemicals in the store and use the economic and eco-friendly alternative of baking soda.

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