Food & Drink

4 Things You Should Never Clean with Baking Soda

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Baking soda is such a great cleaning agent that it’s tempting to wish to apply it to every little thing. And though you should utilize it for tons of issues, you’ll be able to’t actually use it for eachfactor. It’s abrasive, which implies you need to watch out with surfaces which are calmly sealed or which have a end that may be worn away (the identical method you’d watch out with scrubbing too arduous with a scratchy sponge). And a few metals are extra reactive than others, so baking soda may cause discoloration. Whereas it doesn’t completely wreck the metallic, it’s definitely ugly.

The opposite factor to watch out of with baking soda is combining it with one thing acidic, like vinegar or lemon juice. Because the chemical compounds mix with that satisfying fizz, they type a gasoline. If you happen to mix them in a sealed container, like a soda bottle, it may probably explode and hurt you. So if you wish to use them together, do it proper earlier than you clear as an alternative of attempting to retailer up an answer.

That being stated, in all my analysis, I may solely discover a couple of issues to keep away from cleansing with baking soda altogether. Right here’s the brief listing.

When you can provide many metallic surfaces a scrub with baking soda, use warning in the event you’re cleansing aluminum cookware. If you happen to use it rapidly and rinse it off, you is likely to be nice, however permitting a baking soda combination to take a seat on the floor for too lengthy may cause it to oxidize, which signifies that the floor adjustments coloration.

Though utilizing baking soda and aluminum foil can rapidly remove tarnish from silverware, some sellers warning towards utilizing it on vintage silver, as it may be too abrasive and wreck the end (particularly in the event you’re uncertain of the provenance and it’s doable that the items aren’t truly sterling silver). And undoubtedly don’t apply it to any serving items which have ornamental insets like turquoise or pearls. If one thing is actually treasured, take it to knowledgeable.

3. Gold-plated serving items

Okay, it’s unlikely that lots of your huge serving items are literally plated with 24k gold — more than likely it’s brass or a gold alloy — however if in case you have marriage ceremony china with a gold rim or serving items with true gold accents, take care with baking soda. As a result of gold is a smooth metallic, it’s simply scratched even with a lightweight abrasive like baking soda.

Though I’ve learn some suggestions on the market to make use of baking soda to scrub marble, stone producers don’t suggest it. Despite the fact that baking soda is barely mildly abrasive, repeated functions can put on away on the sealant. Finest to stay to designated marble cleaners.

Have you ever ever had a nasty expertise cleansing with baking soda? Inform us within the feedback under.

Ayn-Monique Klahre

Contributor

Ayn-Monique is a way of life editor and author who’s labored for Good Housekeeping, Lady’s Day, FamilyFun and extra. She loves lattes, jogging and hanging out on the playground along with her husband and daughters.

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