Stop Using Baking Soda And Vinegar This Way - It Doesn't Work - Tasting Table

"When you're looking for cleaning advice online, you'll probably come across a lot of dubious claims about the efficacy of certain all-natural cleaning products. You might even find instructions for making your own household cleaner using items you have in your kitchen. While some household staples, like white vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide, do have major cleaning power, that doesn't mean that mixing them together will amplify their cleaning abilities."

"One tip that is often repeated in cleaning how-tos is to mix baking soda and vinegar together to make a paste. If you ever made a volcano for your science project, you may remember what happens when you mix these two ingredients together. They foam up in an exciting way. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that they will clean better or faster than using these ingredients separately."

"In fact, mixing the two together renders both totally ineffective. Because baking soda ( which is different from baking powder!) is a base and any of the different types of vinegar you might use is an acid, mixing them creates a chemical reaction that neutralizes the most effective cleaning properties of each. The result is essentially salt water and carbon dioxide gas, a very weak solution that isn't going to clean any better than plain water would."

Many household staples such as white vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide have significant cleaning power, yet combining them does not increase effectiveness. Mixing baking soda, a base, with vinegar, an acid, triggers a chemical reaction that neutralizes their cleaning properties and yields mostly salt water and carbon dioxide. Baking soda alone can be made into a mildly abrasive paste for removing grime, grease, and stuck-on food from cookware, sinks, and countertops. Baking soda with a lemon wedge cleans butcher-block counters, wood cutting boards, stainless sinks, and copper pots, and a bit in a garbage disposal reduces odors. Avoid using lemon on natural stone.

Read at Tasting Table