8 Baking Soda Cleaning Tips to Get Your House Clean Fast

1. Gunk Getter Baking Soda Slime to Clean Unusual Spaces

Baking soda makes great kid-friendly slime for sensation play and a cool family activity. But without the coloring or glitter and a few tweaks to the recipe, “gunk getter” baking soda slime can be used to clean hard-to-reach places that get bits of dust, dirt and debris. It only takes a few minutes to whip up a batch, and it’s both fun and satisfying to let the slime slurp up the dirt that’s been lurking in cracks and crevices.

Gather these ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
• 1 tablespoon multi-purpose contact lens solution
• 4-6 ounces all-purpose glue
• Large bowl
• Optional: Water

Directions to make baking soda slime to use for cleaning:

1. In a bowl, thoroughly mix the 1 tablespoon ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda and 4-6 oz glue.
2. Add a few drops of contact solution at a time and mix.
3. When you roll it around the bowl and it starts picking up its own bits to create one blob, you’re pretty much there. If it’s too thick, add a few drops of water. If it’s too thin, sprinkle a bit more baking soda.
4. Knead it for a minute.
5. Once your slime has come together, slide it into hard-to-reach spots such as: your car’s cup holders, air vents and dashboard, window sills, or door jambs and hinges.

2. Remove Stinky Shoe Odor with a Baking Soda Sachet

Shoe odor is a fact of life, especially if you don’t wear socks or have shoes made of synthethic materials. Smelly shoes are no match for this easy baking soda hack that deodorizes your shoes when your feet aren’t in them. Simply make a baking soda sachet, plop it in your shoes and let the baking soda do the work!

Gather these ingredients:

• ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
• Dish towel, wash cloth or cheesecloth
• Ribbon, string and rubber bands
• Optional: Essential oil of your choice

Directions to make baking soda sachet for shoes:

1. Place ½ cup of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda into the center of each towel or cloth.
2. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil, if desired.
3. Secure the satchel with a rubber band and tie a bow around if you want to make it fancy.
4. Place sachets in your shoes when you’re not wearing them.
5. Suck up those stinky smells and deodorize your shoes!

These baking soda shoe sachets are reusable. For maximum smelly shoe odor removal, change the sachet (or put in fresh baking soda) monthly.

3. Clean Your Toilet with Baking Soda Bowl Refresher

You may have enjoyed making (and using!) a baking soda fizzy bath bomb, but did you know this hack: convert the bath bomb into a baking soda bowl refresher that makes cleaning your toilet quick and easy. Plus, it’s more fun to watch the toilet bowl churn and bubble while the baking soda bomb loosens and removes dirt and stains.

Gather these ingredients:

• 1 cup ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
• ¼ cup powdered citric acid (check the canning aisle)
• 10-12 ounces water
• 20 drops of your favorite essential oil
• Silicone molds (sphere or half-sphere work great!)
• Spray bottle

Directions for baking soda toilet bowl refresher & cleaner:

1. Mix 1 cup ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda and ¼ cup citric acid together in a bowl.
2. Add 20 drops of your favorite essential oil and mix.
3. Mist the powder with water and mix with a spoon.
4. Repeat until you’ve sprayed 10-12 times, mixing after every 2 sprays.
5. Press the mixture into a silicone mold, firmly pressing the corners and sides.
6. Let dry overnight, or about 12 hours.
7. Carefully pop out your toilet bombs into an airtight bag or container away from kids and pets.
8. Drop one into the toilet and watch the magic happen!
9. When the fizzing stops swish the toilet brush around the bowl and flush!

4. Baking Soda Drain Cleaner to Clear Clogged Drains

Clogged drains happen. Hair, soap and toothpaste residue or food grease and grime can lead to blockages that back up in your sink. With vinegar, hot water and baking soda you can make your own drain cleaner to unclog the sink in no time.

Gather these ingredients:

• ½ cup ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
• Hot water
• Measuring cup
• 1 cup white vinegar

Directions to unclog drains with baking soda:

1. First, pour a pot (about 2 cups) of nearly boiling hot water down your sink drain.
2. Dump in about ½ cup ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
3. Pour a mixture of 1 cup white vinegar and 1 cup very hot water down the drain.
4. Let this mixture sit for 5-10 minutes.
5. Run hot water into the sink and enjoy a clog-free, fresh-smelling sink drain! Repeat if necessary.

5. Use this Easy Fresh Air Soda Recipe to Refresh Odorous Places

Cleaning the whole house fast means tackling dirt and odors. Shoes, workout clothes, pets, wet dog, musty odors and lingering food smells can cause even a clean house not to smell clean. Sure, you can buy commercial air fresheners in aerosol cans that aren’t great for the planet. OR, you can make your own natural odor-neutralizing spray with baking soda and put it in a reusable spray bottle for a more eco-friendly and cost-saving choice. It’s super easy with this recipe, and you can make as much as you need.

Gather these ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
• Essential oil of your choice
• Water
• Small bowl
• Spray bottle

Directions to make baking soda odor refresher spray:

1. Combine 1 tablespoon of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda with 5-6 drops of your favorite essential oil.
2. Mix well with a spoon—ensure the baking soda and essential oils are fully combined because the oils and water won’t mix easily.
3. Pour the baking soda mixture into a spray bottle.
4. Add enough water to fill the rest of the spray bottle and shake well.
5. Keep it handy and spray where needed.
6. Enjoy the fresh, scented air!

6. Wall Marks Magically Erase with Baking Soda

You’ve probably heard about the special sponges that seem to erase marks on your wall by magic. But did you know that you can make your own “erasers” to clean your walls using any sponge and a solution of baking soda and hot water in minutes, for a fraction of the cost? Now you do! Here’s how.

Gather these ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
• Water
• Measuring cup
• Reusable sponge (non-abrasive)
• Small bowl big enough to hold the sponge

Directions to clean walls with baking soda sponge eraser:

1. In a shallow bowl, mix 1 teaspoon ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda and ¼ cup hot water until dissolved and the solution is cloudy.
2. Soak the sponge in the solution until it puffs up and absorbs some of the liquid.
3. Start scrubbing away! Be careful not to apply too much pressure to avoid leaving any residue behind.
4. To prevent stains: reduce the amount of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda in your mixture, using trial and error to find the right mixture for the color of your walls.

7. Wash Your Window Screens with Baking Soda Screen Saver

Your kids are used to hearing how they should reduce their screen time – here’s some screen time you can encourage they get into. When you’re doing spring cleaning and washing your windows, don’t forget to wash your screens as well. How? Baking soda, water, and brush is all you need to get rid of dirt and pollen to see – and breathe – a little easier.

Gather these ingredients:

• 1 pound ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
• Bucket
• Water
• Soft bristle brush or sponge

How to clean window screens with baking soda screen saver:

1. If you can, remove your window screens and lay them flat.
2. Pour a box of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda into a bucket.
3. Fill the bucket with warm water and make sure baking soda is fully dissolved.
4. Dip a soft bristle brush or sponge into the mixture. Scrub your screens gently.
5. Follow up by rinsing with your garden hose.
6. Allow your screens to air dry before reinstalling them.
7. Optional: If you can’t (or don’t want to) remove your screens, mix water and baking soda in a spray bottle and mist. Then, scrub with your brush and clean with a wet sponge to prevent water from splashing where you don’t want it.

While you’re outside cleaning, you can also use baking soda to clean your grill grates! All this cleaning might make you ready for some hamburgers!

8. Clean Faucets & Fixtures with Baking Soda Hardware Polishing Paste

Bathroom faucets in the sink and tub and fixtures such as handles and knobs can get dull, sticky or grimy from everyday use. You don’t need a specialized metal polish to get rid of scum, spots, streaks and buildup. Reach for the baking soda and some distilled water to make your own hardware polishing paste that’ll have your fixtures gleaming.

Gather these ingredients:

• ¾ cup ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda
• Distilled water
• Microfiber cloth

How to make a baking soda polishing paste:

1. Mix ¾ cup ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda with ¼ cup distilled water to make a paste that you can form with your hand, but is still wet enough to spread.
2. Spread the paste on your fixtures and let sit for 15-20 minutes.
3. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe the paste away, applying gentle pressure as you go.
4. Rinse with distilled water to remove any excess paste.
5. Buff the fixtures dry with a fresh microfiber cloth and see yourself in the shiny surface!

Hint: this hack requires distilled water, which you can buy by the gallon on the water aisle at any grocery store. Use leftover distilled water to make baking soda slime or to water your plants.

More Ways to Use Baking Soda in Your Home

If these baking soda hacks have got you thinking about other ways you can use baking soda to clean and deodorize areas of your home, we’ve got more cleaning tips, hints and tricks for every room in your house – and outdoors, too.

• How to Wash Shoes with Baking Soda
• Baking Soda Cleaning Tips for Every Room in Your House
• Baking Soda Cleaning Hacks for Your Home
• Clean Your Oven with Baking Soda
• How to Clean a Burnt or Scorched Pan with Baking Soda