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Is baking powder good for cleaning


Can You Use Baking Powder for Cleaning?

February 1, 2021 May 30, 2022 / Cleaning

Raising agents, such as baking powder is something that most households will have tucked away in a kitchen cupboard. After all, why wouldn’t you? Everyone loves baking perfectly light and fluffy cakes.

You might not know, however, that some raising agents have an extra handy use – they can be used as a cleaning product!

 

Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda

Since the names are remarkably similar, even experienced bakers sometimes assume that baking powder and baking soda are two names for the same substance. In fact, they are chemically different.

Baking soda is comprised of one chemical – sodium bicarbonate. Baking soda is also known as bicarbonate of soda. When used in a cake, sodium bicarbonate requires the use of an acid to start the chemical reaction that causes the cake to rise.

Baking powder, on the other hand, contains sodium bicarbonate as well as acid – usually cream of tartar. This means that baking powder only needs a liquid for the reaction to start.

When it comes to home cleaning hacks, raising agents can have a surprising part to play. You’ll find that most cleaning guides will use baking soda; it is a purer chemical and is often much cheaper to buy in bulk than baking powder.

Baking soda and baking powder are not chemically the same, and so you should not substitute baking soda for baking powder when following a cleaning guide. Whilst baking powder may offer some cleaning effect, it really is just designed for baking, and so it is not recommended that you use it for any cleaning purposes.

Save it for the cakes!

 

Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda) Cleaning Hacks

If you have bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) in your cupboard, there are a whole host of ways that you can use this to clean various areas of your home. This substance is gentle, surprisingly effective and a natural deodoriser too.

1. Stained plastic containers

Leftovers have a nasty habit of staining plastic food containers. To refresh your containers, wipe the surfaces over with a clean sponge dusted with baking soda. If the stains are tough, try soaking the box in a solution made from four tablespoons of baking soda and around one litre of warm water.

2. Deodorising the Fridge

No matter how careful you are, certain foods will always leave a lingering smell in your fridge. Whether it’s last night’s salmon or the chunk of cheese you forgot about, the lingering odour can cling to the rest of the food in your fridge. If that sounds like your fridge, have no fear! Baking soda can absorb these strong odours, leaving your fridge fresh as a summer breeze.

3. Pots and Pans

Scrubbing burnt-on food from pots and pans is no fun. Instead of scrubbing constantly and not seeing any results (and perhaps even damaging non-stick coatings, step up your cleaning game with the addition of some baking soda.

Soak the pans in hot water with a sprinkle of baking soda before getting to work with the sponge, and the grime will come away much easier.

4. Upholstery and Fabrics

Over time, fabric sofas, mattresses and pet beds can all start to smell a little… off. These smells can quickly be banished by sprinkling baking soda on the surface, leaving it to sit for around fifteen minutes, and then hoovering it off.

5. Cleaning Toys

Little ones’ hands are always grubby. Whether it’s food, mud or goodness knows what else, this muck ends up all over their toys.

Over time, they can become a breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria and other nastiness. Fortunately, toys can be quickly and easily freshened up by using a sponge dipped in a mixture of baking soda and water.

6. Crayon

If your kids love drawing all over your gorgeous, clean walls in crayon, have no fear! Use a damp sponge that has been sprinkled with baking soda to carefully scrub at the marks and breathe a sigh of relief as they come away.

7. Bathrooms

Bathrooms can quickly attract grime. Baths, tiles, sinks and shower curtains can all end up looking less than fresh very quickly. Fortunately, this can be quickly rectified with a little elbow grease and a sponge dampened with baking soda and water. Rinse the residue away to reveal shiny surfaces!

8. Drains

Stubborn, clogged drains don’t always need expensive and nasty chemical solutions. Whatever your drain is clogged with, it can be quickly cleared with the use of baking soda and vinegar. Pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by half a cup of vinegar. At this point – we recommend covering the drain with a wet cloth to contain the volcano-like reaction. Leave the mixture for five minutes, then flush through with hot water.

9. Clothing

Both white and coloured clothing alike can come out of the washing machine looking a little sad. Simply add baking soda to the detergent in your washing machine for brighter, cleaner clothes.

10. Water Rings

If someone neglected to use a coaster on your coffee table, leaving an ugly water ring, you can quickly clear these up with baking soda. Mix one part baking soda with one part of white, non-gel toothpaste. Using a damp cloth, buff out the ring with the toothpaste and baking soda mixture. Wipe away the residue with a dry cloth, and polish to finish as normal.

Jess Harrison

Lover of coffee, painting, and all things cute and fluffy. I’m always on the lookout for easier, more gentle ways to tackle awful household chores.

Can You Use Baking Powder For Cleaning The Green Way?

Bicarbonate of soda and baking powder are both widely used in baking. Bicarbonate of soda is a key ingredient in green cleaning recipes. It would stand to reason that you can use baking powder for cleaning. But can you actually use baking powder for cleaning? Let’s take a look at if you can or can’t, and what you might want to use instead.

Peek into the cupboard of any home baker and you’ll find a tub of bicarbonate of soda and a tub of baking powder. Both are key ingredients when it comes to baking. Then peek into the cupboard of any green cleaner, and amongst their eco-friendly cleaning essentials, you’ll find a tub of bicarbonate of soda, but no baking powder. Aren’t the two things interchangeable? Can’t you clean with both?

The truth is you shouldn’t use baking powder for cleaning, because it has a different chemical composition that’s better suited to baking rather than cleaning. Want to know more? Let’s take a deep dive into why you can’t and what you might want to use instead.

Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Use Baking Powder For Green Cleaning

Baking powder isn’t suitable for cleaning because it’s a mix of different ingredients that are less effective when it comes to cleaning. Baking powder is in fact a mix of bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar and cornflour.

Understanding why baking powder is a mix of different ingredients requires a little knowledge of basic chemistry. I promise to keep this as simple as I can! Ready for the science part? Let’s go!

In chemistry terms, bicarbonate of soda is a base, and cream of tartar is an acid. Bases are substances that can react with acids and neutralise them, often causing them to release gases.

In the case of baking powder, when added to a liquid, the bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar react to form carbon dioxide bubbles and a tiny bit of salt. As such, baking powder is used to lighten the texture and increase the volume of baked goods, without making the baked goods dense.

What about the role of cornflour? Well, the cornflour is added to baking powder to prevent the bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar from reacting too soon. Cornflour has great moisture absorption properties, so it helps to keep the other two chemicals dry. Acting as a buffer, this means you get the benefits of the bicarb and cream of tartar chemical reaction in your baking, and not in the tub!

So Why Doesn’t Baking Powder Clean Well?

I mean, you technically can use baking powder to clean. It certainly won’t cause any harm to your surfaces or your health. The problem is its delicate chemical makeup. It’s this makeup that makes it a completely ineffective cleaner.

Why is this? Well, from what we’ve just learned about baking powder, you’ll know that as soon as the powder comes into contact with water, it’s going to react. This means it will immediately break down into carbon dioxide and salt. What this means in terms of cleaning, is that as soon as it’s added to water, you will end up with slightly bubbly and slightly salty water.

Salty bubbly water does not make for an effective cleaning solution. It leaves smear marks. It takes a whole lot more elbow grease to get sub-standard results. Plus it’s a pretty costly way of cleaning your home.

What Should You Use Instead of Baking Powder For Cleaning?

There are tons of different natural ways to clean your home that are much cheaper and much more effective. So keep the baking powder for baking, not cleaning. Instead, try one of these ways to clean your home the non-toxic way:

Bicarbonate of Soda

Bicarbonate of soda on its own is fantastic at cleaning. Unlike baking powder, bicarbonate of soda is comprised of just one chemical – sodium bicarbonate. Sodium bicarbonate reacts with oils and fats and dissolves them. This means that bicarbonate of soda will tickle dirt, grease, oil, and fats around the home with ease. What’s more, it does not react with water, so can act as a great mild abrasive.

Check out my full guide to cleaning with bicarbonate of soda to see just why it’s such a great cleaner, and what you can clean with it. Bicarbonate of soda is also cheap to buy in bulk.

Soda Crystals

Soda crystals are again an incredibly simple, one-ingredient product – sodium carbonate. Simply speaking, this is a salt that contains no other additives.

Soda crystals have great oil, grease, and dirt-cleaning properties. This makes it great for cleaning things like your drains, and your washing machine, as well as greasy surfaces in your kitchen. And crucially, unlike baking powder, soda crystals don’t react with water when you clean with it!

See my guide to soda crystals uses around the home for ideas on how to effectively clean with this super cheap ingredient.

Borax

Borax is a key ingredient in many natural cleaning product recipes, particularly when it comes to laundry products. This is because it’s gentler than soda crystals yet stronger than bicarbonate of soda. It’s also cold-water-soluble, unlike soda crystals, which cakes with cold water. See my uses for borax around the home for tips on where to start.

Castile Soap

Castile soap is a concentrated vegetable-based soap, that makes for an amazing non-toxic natural cleaning product. You can use it diluted in a variety of different applications, from making cleaning sprays to cleaning pastes. See my full guide to cleaning with castile soap to help get you started.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a key staple when it comes to green cleaning. And for good reason. It is incredibly cheap. It is incredibly effective. And it cleans almost anything with ease. See my full guide to cleaning with white vinegar for everything you need to know about cleaning with this eco-friendly powerhouse.

I hope this has helped answer your cleaning with baking powder question. If you are looking for more green cleaning assistance, then do check out my guide to natural cleaning product recipes. Here I talk you through my best recipes to make a wide range of effective non-toxic cleaning solutions for your whole home.

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Baking powder: 10 ways to use it

We usually use baking powder to make cake or pie crusts rise well, light and fluffy. What else can this product be used for? It turns out that baking powder is useful for cleaning, washing, and for maintaining order in the house.

1. Coffee and tea stains on cups

Do stains from dark coffee or tea annoy you? We know very well that they are very difficult to clean. For this, a baking powder is needed. We simply wash the mug with dishwashing liquid and then rub the baking powder into the stains with a sponge. If they still do not want to leave, pour a tablespoon of baking powder into the dishes, fill with water and leave overnight.

2. Cleaning the microwave

To clean the microwave, place a bowl of water in the oven and add a few teaspoons of baking powder to the bowl. Stir and set the microwave to high power for about 4 minutes. We do not open the door immediately, but wait until the water vapor settles inside the microwave. Then clean the inside of the appliance with a paper towel - it will be much easier to wash off the dirt.

3. Cleaning the oven

Make a paste with water, baking powder and vinegar. Apply to the most soiled parts in the oven, transfer the remaining amount of pasta to a baking dish. Preheat the oven to 100 degrees Celsius and keep that temperature for 30 minutes. Then, when the oven has cooled down a bit, wipe it with a damp cloth, perhaps adding more pasta.

4. Washing off blood stains

Are you low on baking powder? In many cases, regular baking soda can be used. The powder has additional properties due to the fact that it contains starch, but if it is primarily about cleaning, ordinary soda will work.

Blood is one of the most difficult substances to wash because it penetrates very deeply into the fabric fibers. The first thing we should do is try to wash them off with cold water. However, if the blood has dried, baking powder can be used. The material should be soaked, a baking powder applied to the stain and left for several hours in a basin of water. Then you need to wash it in the washing machine or by hand using regular powder. The blood stain should wash off well.

Baking powder will also help with stains from sweat, wine, rust, coffee, tea, tar and juice.

5. Washing and bleaching

Are you out of laundry detergent for white clothes? Make sure you have baking powder in your closet. This product will perfectly cope with yellowed curtains, dirty socks or stains on the tablecloth. Put half a sachet of baking powder into the detergent drawer and wash it in the normal program.

6. Joint cleaning

Joints between tiles get dirty very easily. Instead of using intensive cleaners, you can try to bring them back to their former beauty with baking powder. Mix the powder with a little water to make a fairly thick paste. Then apply to dirty joints and leave for 20 minutes. Then it is enough to wash off the paste with a toothbrush or a special grout cleaner.

7. Hair care

See also: 5 ways to replace baking powder for dough

Do you have oily hair problems? Dissolve the baking powder in a liter of water and rinse your hair with it (if you have a sensitive scalp, just water your hair). Then wash off with regular shampoo. Repeating this procedure from time to time, you will improve the condition of your hair (potato starch, which is part of the baking powder, will moisturize them well!), And each time you will give your hair more volume.

8. Garnish

Baking powder is also suitable for baking more than just cakes. When you rub, for example, chicken or other meat with a mixture of spices, add a little baking powder to it. This will make the meat softer and more tender. Adding baking powder (just a little) to the puree will make it fluffier. Add a little to simmering cauliflower to keep it pretty.

9. Getting rid of ants

Do you have problems with ants in your garden? Sprinkle the places where they appear with baking powder. It is also a good way to control aphids. You can also make a trap - leave a tablespoon of honey on a small plate and sprinkle it with baking powder.

10. Refreshing shoes

Have your favorite shoes started to smell bad? Unfortunately, it's normal for shoes to be worn frequently and feet to sweat in hot weather. To refresh them, you can pour a spoonful of the product into each shoe and put it on the balcony overnight.

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Baking powder or baking soda: what's the difference and which is better for baking?

Have you ever baked flat and hard muffins? This is the biggest disappointment for every housewife, which completely discourages the desire to cook homemade cakes. Fortunately, everything is easy to fix - the main thing is not to forget to add one very important ingredient to the dough, which is responsible for the splendor and height of the pies. But what is better to use baking powder or soda for this, the Permanent Sales Store will tell right now.


Baking soda is a finely crystalline white powder known as sodium bicarbonate, which is often used as a leavening agent to make fluffy and tall baked goods. It reacts with the acidic ingredients of the dough (lemon juice, kefir or sourdough) and neutralizes them, resulting in the production of carbon dioxide. Its bubbles start a reaction in the mixture, due to which it begins to rise. Tall and fluffy pies come out of the oven. But without this ingredient, baking is flat. And here we can safely conclude that the more soda added to the dough, the more magnificent the cake will turn out. But no! If you go too far with this ingredient, you can easily spoil the taste of the dessert. Baking will have a bitter, soapy, and even metallic taste, which is why a freshly baked pie will have to be sent to the trash can or to be eaten by pets. So strictly follow the recipe and do not experiment.

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What is baking powder and how to use it in baking?

Baking powder contains two important components: baking soda and dry acid. Since the acid in this product is dry, the baking soda does not react with it until liquid appears in the bowl. So how does baking powder affect baking, what are its benefits?

There are two types of this ingredient:

When can and should you use baking powder in baking?

The component is used in recipes that do not require the addition of acidic ingredients. For example, in a simple cookie recipe where only flour, eggs and milk are needed. The ingredient reacts with liquids and begins to work to increase the dough. In order not to miscalculate the dosage, use the golden rule for perfect baking: use 1 teaspoon of baking powder per 1 cup of flour.

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Baking soda and baking powder - what's the difference?

So, what is the difference between baking soda and baking powder? The key difference is in the composition: baking powder already contains acid, while baking soda needs an acidic product, such as kefir, to start working. Otherwise, she simply will not have anyone to react with. Therefore, use baking soda in dessert recipes with acidic ingredients (sourdough or lemon juice), and baking powder where they are not. It is good for making pancakes, cornbread or cookies.

Baking powder is the same baking soda, only mixed with dry acid.

Why do some recipes call for baking powder and baking soda?

There are three main cases in which the recipe calls for the simultaneous use of these two ingredients:

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Can baking soda be substituted for baking powder?

So, you are going to bake a pie, but there is no soda on hand. Is it possible to replace it with baking powder and what will be the effect? Yes, you can do autocorrect, but the dose will have to be increased exactly 3 times. So, for example, if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of baking soda, add 3 teaspoons of baking powder to the dough.

But such a replacement can lead to unpleasant consequences:

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What can be used instead of baking soda and baking powder?

If your kitchen doesn't have either, use beaten egg whites. They are filled with tiny air bubbles that create carbon dioxide. Use this technique when making cakes, pancakes or soufflés. Beat the egg whites with a mixer, gradually increasing the speed of the household appliance. Then gently fold the egg whites into the batter.

The second option is to replace the liquid in the recipe with soda, which already contains baking powder to help the dough rise. You can use it in place of milk, but of course, unpleasant surprises are possible. This method requires trial and error.

The best substitute for baking powder and baking soda is self-rising flour. It contains flour, salt and baking powder and will replace all-purpose wheat flour in a one-for-one recipe.

Also read:
• How to make the best crispy banana bread
• Which oven tray to buy: a complete guide to choosing
• How to cook the perfect apple charlotte: recipe

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What is the shelf life of soda and how to understand that it is of high quality?

Sealed packaging keeps the high quality of the product for 24 months. In an open container, it should be replaced every 6 months.

To test the freshness of an ingredient, mix 1/4 teaspoon of the product with three tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice. If the mixture is bubbling, it is still bakeable.

What is the shelf life of baking powder?

Baking powder is always safe to use, but loses its properties over time. Sealed packaging has a shelf life of 18 months. An open container of baking powder should be replaced every three to six months, depending on how much air and humidity it has been exposed to. Due to its special composition, this ingredient deteriorates from moisture more than soda.

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