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Baking soda — the kitchen's "universal cleaner"

Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO₃) is one of those substances everyone has at home and few really use for what it's worth. It has three properties that make it extraordinarily useful for cleaning: it neutralises organic odours through ionic exchange (it doesn't cover them, it cancels them), it's a gentle abrasive that cleans without scratching, and it creates a slightly alkaline environment that disinfects mildly. It's cheap — CHF 2–4 per kilo in larger packs — and completely safe for skin, ingestion and the drainage system. Knowing when to use it (and when not to) significantly changes the way a home gets cleaned.

What sodium bicarbonate is

NaHCO₃ is a weak alkaline salt that dissolves in water. When it contacts an acid — the fatty acids of sneaker odours, the uric acid in animal urine, the oxidised grease in the oven — it neutralises them. The 1% solution has pH around 8.3, slightly alkaline. On the regulatory side it's solid: code E500 in Europe as a food additive, GRAS status in the United States, biodegradability documented in ECHA REACH dossiers, well- established safety for skin, ingestion and the drainage system.

Where to buy it

In supermarkets (Coop, Migros) you'll find it in the food section in 500 g boxes at CHF 3–5: handy for occasional use but costly per kilo. Drugstores sell 1–5 kg packs at CHF 2–4/kg, and online (Galaxus, Brack) 5–10 kg packs drop to CHF 2–3/kg, the best price for those who use it regularly. For cleaning, "food grade" and "industrial grade" are chemically identical; industrial costs less if you buy in volume.

The main uses, by area

In the kitchen

The dirty oven is the best-known use and works better than any industrial degreaser: a thick paste of three tablespoons of baking soda and 50 ml of water, spread on the inside of the oven (never on the heating elements), thirty minutes of dwell, removed with a damp cloth. The fridge benefits from an open 200 g jar on the middle shelf that absorbs organic odours through ionic exchange — replace every 2–3 months.

The stainless-steel sink polishes up by sprinkling baking soda on the wet surface, gently rubbing with a cloth and rinsing — shine without scratches. For the toilet, 200 g of baking soda and 100 ml of vinegar poured directly into the bowl, left for thirty minutes, then brush and rinse: cuts grease and takes down odours. And for a smelly drain, 100 g of baking soda followed by 200 ml of boiling water neutralises the smell; for light blockages, baking soda first and then 200 ml of white vinegar — the CO₂ that develops mechanically helps dissolve debris.

Fabrics and bedroom

On the mattress, 200–300 g sprinkled across the entire surface and left thirty minutes, then vacuumed back with the upholstery nozzle, sanitises and neutralises odours. Useful frequency is every 1–3 months (more often for bedrooms of those suffering from dust-mite allergy). On rugs the dose is 100–200 g per medium rug, thirty minutes, vacuumed back with HEPA — for homes with pets the frequency is fortnightly. Cushions and stuffed toys get the same 200 g treatment, thirty minutes, shake and vacuum: cuts dust mites and neutralises odours.

Curiosities that make a real difference

Smelly shoes recover with a tablespoon of baking soda per shoe left overnight and shaken out in the morning — safe for leather and fabric. The filter jug or bottle that's picked up odours cleans up with 50 g of baking soda and warm water shaken inside, left for an hour and rinsed three times. For fruit and vegetables, a tablespoon in 1 L of water as a five-minute soak helps remove fat-soluble pesticide residue (documented FDA research). And for tarnished silver, a paste of water and baking soda applied with gentle rubbing recovers the shine of cutlery and decorative pieces — for valuable antiques it's better to consult a specialist silversmith.

What NOT to clean with baking soda

Baking soda vs other substances: when to use what

Professional service

A note on mixing with vinegar

The famous "effervescent reaction" between vinegar and baking soda is something we see in cleaning videos on social media every day, but it's worth clarifying what's actually happening chemically:

NaHCO₃ + CH₃COOH → CO₂ + H₂O + CH₃COONa

The result is sodium acetate, water and carbon dioxide. In other words, the cleaning effect of both is cancelled: the acid (useful against limescale) has combined with the alkaline (useful against odours and grease), leaving you with a neutral salt, water and a few bubbles. The only situation where mixing them makes sense is drain cleaning, because the developing CO₂ mechanically helps dissolve light blockages. For all other uses, it's better to use them in separate steps: one, rinse, then the other.