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Saddlecreek Apartments

How to Clean Your Apartment with Baking Soda

Saddlecreek Apartments

How to Clean Your Apartment with Baking Soda

Baking soda is one of the most inexpensive and yet highly effective cleaning agents you have in your home. You can use it to clean everything from fruit to appliances. Knowing the simple baking soda cleaning tricks can help you save a significant amount of money while keeping your home in tip-top shape.
Anything that needs to be shiny, clean, and good to eat can benefit from the baking soda's power. Let's take a closer look at how to clean fruit with baking soda while keeping the rest of your apartment in top shape.

How to Clean Fruit with Baking Soda

You may be surprised that fruit needs any serious washing at all. However, even the freshest produce from the farm can be covered with dirt and pesticides. Meanwhile, products that come from overseas can be coated in wax for better transportation and an appealing look.  

What you'll need:

  • 1 tablespoon of baking soda
  • 1 cup of water

How to do it:

  • Fill a bowl with water and add the baking soda
  • Stir until the powder dissolves
  • Place your fruit in the bowl
  • Let it soak for 1015 minutes
  • Gently scrub with your hands
  • Rinse thoroughly under clean running water
Using baking soda allows you to remove all the harmful substances without leaving residue or funny odors behind.
A person washing strawberries under running water.

How to Clean a Washing Machine with Vinegar and Baking Soda

Over time, washing machines build up grime and mildew. Baking soda and vinegar work together to break them down.

What you need:

  • ½ cup of baking soda
  • 2 cups of white vinegar
  • 2 drops of essential oil for scent (optional)

How to do it:

  • Add baking soda and the oil directly to the drum
  • Pour vinegar into the detergent drawer
  • Run a hot water cycle with no laundry
  • After the cycle ends, wipe the inside with a dry cloth

Why not just use a special washing machine cleaner? Chemicals and toxins in such cleaners don't wash out completely. They remain in your washer and continue harming it and your laundry (not to mention the environment).

How to Clean a Carpet or Rug with Baking Soda

Carpets and rugs are famous for trapping odors and dirt. They may look clean on the outside but hold all types of hazards on the inside. Baking soda can help remove the smells and freshen the fibers. This way, you can save on expensive professional carpet cleaning. Or at least put it off for a while.

What you need:

  • Baking soda (no need to mix)

How to do it:

  • Sprinkle a generous layer of baking soda over the carpet
  • Let it sit for at least 15 minutes (overnight for strong odors)
  • Vacuum the entire area thoroughly

If you have a light stain on the carpet, mix soda and water to create a paste and apply it to the stain. Allow it to sit overnight, and then vacuum the area. The toughest stains can be removed with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar (a 1-to-1 ratio). As a bonus, you'll get to see the erupting volcano effect.

A grey couch with a glass table in front of it.

How to Clean an Oven with Baking Soda

Ovens are always the toughest to clean, especially if you ignore the grime for a while. Thankfully, baking soda comes to the rescue yet again. 

What you need:

  • ½ cup of baking soda
  • 2–3 tablespoons of water

How to do it:

  • Mix baking soda and water into a spreadable paste
  • Apply the paste to the dirty oven surfaces (avoid heating elements)
  • Let it sit overnight
  • Wipe clean with a damp cloth the next day

You can also spray some vinegar on the area after removing the baking soda and wipe the surface one more time. This can help with tougher spots and odors.

How to Clean a Dishwasher with Baking Soda

Food buildup doesn't just cause your dishwasher to smell. It harms the exterior and reduces the appliance's lifespan. Baking soda deodorizes and cleans the interior beautifully.

What you need:

  • 1 cup of baking soda
  • How to do it:

Empty the dishwasher

  • Sprinkle baking soda over the bottom of the machine
  • Run a short, hot water cycle (no dishes inside)

If you haven't cleaned your dishwasher in a while, consider running a cycle with vinegar first. Place a cup of vinegar in a dishwasher-safe bowl and put it on the top rack. Run the dishwasher on the hot water cycle, but turn off the dry heat option. Then, let soda do its job.

Plates are stacked in a dishwasher.

Start a New Cleaning Tradition in a New Apartment

When you buy a new apartment, don't bring your old chemical-filled cleaners with you. All you need for a fresh start is a box of baking soda and a bottle of vinegar.

If you are looking at apartments in Roswell, NM, check out Saddlecreek Apartments. They can easily turn out to be the dream place you've been looking for.