Chances are you have a secret weapon in your cupboard that you can use for a variety of purposes: baking soda.
Whether for cooking, hygiene or cleaning, this versatile powder never ceases to surprise. In this article, we show you how you can solve three washing machine problems with just half a cup of this powder.
Whether in your standard or high-efficiency washing machine, it is perfectly safe to use baking soda.
Along with white vinegar, baking soda is one of the best products to use to condition the machine, deodorize laundry, or remove stains. Here’s what you can do with it to make your appliance easier to use.
You can do this with half a cup of baking soda in the washing machine.
Natural ingredients are healthy and environmentally friendly, and baking soda is no exception. Here’s how to use it to solve detergent problems and take care of the washing machine.
1: Baking soda for soft, fragrant laundry
Sodium bicarbonate is a natural, environmentally friendly air freshener, rivaling commercial products designed to keep laundry soft and fragrant.
Simply mix half a cup of baking soda with a few drops of lavender essential oil in the fabric softener drawer, then start your regular cleaning cycle.
Like white vinegar, baking soda acts as an eco-friendly fabric softener once you add your choice of essential oils. Eucalyptus aroma can also be a good substitute for lavender.
2: Sodium bicarbonate to remove stains from clothes
If you are faced with a stain on your favorite fabrics, it is entirely possible to remove it by mixing water with half a cup of baking soda.
After making sure that the resulting substance is neither too dense nor too soft, apply it directly to the stained area of the fabric, then rub gently with a damp sponge.
Leave the stain for an hour then wash it in the washing machine. The result should remind you once again that baking soda is one of the best eco-friendly household products available.
3: Bicarbonate to maintain your washing machine
If the washing machine begins to perform so poorly that performance suffers, limescale deposits may be the cause. Baking soda is a very good descaler.
In this case, you can use its descaling properties to thoroughly clean your machine so that it can perform at its best.
To do this, put half a cup of baking soda in the detergent dispenser and 250 ml of white vinegar in the drum. Then activate a wash cycle at 60°. The heat further complements the cleaning action you can expect from both products in this solution.
You will quickly notice that bad odors will disappear and the performance of your washing machine will improve considerably.
Baking soda can also give your old sheets a new shine.
Whether it’s sheets, clothes, or any other type of laundry, they can lose their natural shine over time. However, baking soda proves to be a very effective cleaner that does not damage the fabric.
If you want to lighten or whiten your textiles, the process is very simple, you just need to use the powder to pre-treat your stained bedding.
To do this, rub your laundry with a paste of baking soda and water, and the result will be incredible after machine washing.
Now that you have learned the benefits of using baking soda in your washing machine, you also need to know the washing mistakes to preserve the life of your machine.