Here are my best tips and ideas for how to use baking soda as a laundry detergent, booster and even to get out stains and make your whites whiter! I love being about to use natural remedies to keep my whole family looking clean and shiny!
If you’ve used baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to clean around the house, you know it’ an inexpensive way to remove odors and stains from your home.
Guess what? It does the same thing for clothing too. It’s removes stains, boosts detergents, softens and controls suds.
It’s safe to use in both standard and high-efficiency washers, it is one of the top two best products (along with distilled white vinegar) to clean laundry and lessen your dependence on harsh chemicals.
Additional resource :: 8 Creative Ways To Use White Vinegar In Laundry
Baking Soda: Reduce and Remove Laundry Odors
Nothing is worse than smelly clothes. If you’ve had preteens, you know exactly when they start needing deodorant…as soon as their laundry smells let you know!
Or if you left that load in the washer just a tad too long…in the summer… and the clothes smell off?
Ever notice that leaving it in the washer never seems to make a difference in the white loads that you bleached. That’s because laundry odors are caused by bacteria and bleach kills that bacteria.
Detergent removes most bacteria, emphasis on most. Removes means just that, not kills the bacteria.
Baking soda helps to regulate the pH level in the washer’s water by keeping it from being too acidic or alkaline. By adding 1/2 cup of baking soda to each laundry load, detergents can work more effectively and reduce bacteria.
Additional Resource :: How To Get Rid of Poop and Pee Smells In Your Laundry
Baking Soda For Heavy Odor Problems
For heavy odor problems like underarm perspiration or environmental odors like cigarette smoke, use baking soda and water as a pre-soak.
Dissolve 1 cup or 2 cups of baking soda in some warm water. Fill the washer tub or a large sink with cool water and add the dissolved baking soda. Add your stinky clothes and allow them to soak overnight and then wash as usual.
If you have clothing that can’t be washed, place them in a sealable container like a storage tub with an open box of baking soda. Leave them for at least 24 hours – longer is better – to help remove odors.
Baking Soda Laundry Booster
Not everyone wants to use DIY or homemade detergent in their laundry. If that’s you, don’t worry, it’s ok! Baking soda can help you too.
It helps to boost the performance of laundry detergents and bleach. In water that is too acidic or alkaline, bleach and detergent need a boost to work more effectively.
By boosting its cleaning properties, you may be able to use less bleach to achieve the same results, saving yourself money and reducing the bleach’s impact on the environment.
Laundry Boosting Recipe
Simply add ½ cup of baking soda along with each ½ cup of bleach (be sure to add the bleach at the proper time) to regulate the pH level in the water so bleach will work more effectively to reduce bacteria and loosen the dirt.
If you’re not washing a bleachable load, just add ½ cup of baking soda before adding the clothing to the washer tub, add your detergent as you normally would, then run the wash cycle. Do not place baking soda in a washer’s automatic dispensers.
Baking Soda Fabric Softener
If you add baking soda to the rinse cycle it will act like fabric softener by keeping it from being too acidic or alkaline.
Adding ½ cup of baking soda to each rinse cycle acts as a balance to suspend detergent or mineral deposits in the water and keep them from redepositing on clothes that can make clothing feel stiff.
This works great for those who have sensitivities to chemicals and will also not interfere with the fire-retardant finishes on children’s pajamas, baking soda can be used safely.
How To Stop Overflowing Suds
So on the off chance that you overload the washing machine with too much, or the long kind of detergent, baking soda can come to your rescue!
Overflowing suds from the washing machine looks funny on TV, but it’s really not. If it happens, turn off the washer and grab your box of baking soda. Sprinkle directly on the suds to quickly break them down. The baking soda will absorb some of the moisture and clean-up will be easier.
One baking soda laundry don’t – don’t use on wool or silk!