Baking soda is one of the most effective natural cleaners to use in your home. While it can do everything from eliminate stains on clothes to remove soap scum in your shower, one of the most well-known uses for baking soda is odor removal. Whether you have an unwanted smell lingering in your garbage can or your carpet or furnishings smell like pet hair, baking soda has been used to neutralize odors for generations. But have you ever wondered if this tried-and-true cleaning technique is actually effective? To get to the bottom of it, we asked experts to explain how baking soda works as an odor eliminator.
Baking soda is an effective way to minimize odors around your home. This is primarily due to the chemicals in baking soda, which counteract the acids that cause bad smells. "Many unwanted smells are the result of acidic compounds," says Audrey Pariés of Aspen Clean. "Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is an alkaline substance, and when it comes into contact with acidic odors, it reacts to neutralize them. This chemical reaction between the baking soda and the acid neutralizes or produces a less odorous compound. The change in pH helps eliminate the smell."
Baking soda typically take at least 24 hours to absorb odors, says Kathy Cohoon, the director of franchise operations ofTwo Maids. For stubborn smells, however, it can take several days to soak up the odor.
How to Use Baking Soda to Absorb Odor
How you use baking soda depends on the types of odors you are trying to eliminate. "Depending on what types of odors you are trying to get rid of, protocol for using baking soda may change," says Cohoon. "For instance, on vaccumable surfaces like carpets, rugs, and mattresses, you can sprinkle baking soda and let sit for up to an hour then simply vacuum it up. For enclosed spaces like a refrigerator or closet, you can keep baking soda in a vented jar and allow to sit, refreshing the powder every month or so."
If you do keep baking soda in your refrigerator, be sure not to dip into it when you need it for cooking or baking. "When we utilize baking soda as an odor reducer, the molecules in the air react to the baking soda to grasp those odors," says Trisha Lake, owner and CEO ofTLC Cleaning. "If we were to take that same box and use it in our food, we would run the risk of having our foods' tastes altered."
Types of Odors Baking Soda Eliminates
Since baking soda has alkaline properties, it's best at killing acidic odors, but the powder can eliminate many other types of odor as well. In fact, there are few odors baking soda can't combat. "Baking soda also absorbs oils and a lot of grease, thus killing their odors," says Cohoon. For very stubborn smells, baking soda can help absorb odor but it may not work on its own. "You can leave baking soda to absorb the smell and then bring in an enzyme cleaner to fully break it up," says Cohoon.
Is Baking Soda the Best Natural Odor Eliminator?
While there are other types of deodorizers on the market, baking soda is widely considered the best option. "It is a great cleaning aid especially when you want to avoid fragrances or added chemicals," says Cohoon. "It’s also customizable as you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to boost the scent of baking soda without causing damage."
Baking Soda deodorizes by bringing both acidic and basic odor molecules into a neutral, more odor-free state. Use Baking Soda as a personal deodorant for underarms and feet, and as a household deodorant on carpets, upholstery and in the fridge and freezer. Baking Soda can also deodorize when it's dissolved in water.
They use chemical compounds called cyclodextrins to literally trap odor molecules. These compounds (which are made of sugar molecules) form a ring with an extremely hydrophobic center.
In a spray bottle, mix 8 ounces of peroxide, three tablespoons of baking soda, and a few drops of dish soap. Spray this homemade odor eliminator mixture onto the affected area and allow it to penetrate for up to 20 minutes.
Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, or sodium hydrogen carbonate, which is a base. Contrasting with vinegar, baking soda absorbs acidic smells. Such as spoiled food, which makes them excellent choices for refrigerators. It will absorb smells and can even be used as a breath freshener.
"Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is an alkaline substance, and when it comes into contact with acidic odors, it reacts to neutralize them. This chemical reaction between the baking soda and the acid neutralizes or produces a less odorous compound. The change in pH helps eliminate the smell."
Comprehensive epidemiological investigations into the olfactotoxic effect of working substances show that the human sense of smell may be impaired by exposure to metal compounds involving cadmium, chromium and nickel, and to formaldehyde.
Clorox's Disinfecting Mist has earned the top spot on our list of odor eliminators because of its ability to kill bacteria and viruses (including the SARS-CoV2 virus) on hard surfaces, kill bacteria on soft surfaces and freshen the air.
Some of the best odor eliminators are coffee grounds, tea, vinegar, oats, and baking soda. Leaving a bowl of any of these odor absorbers out in a room that's due for a little freshening up will help clear out the less-than-pleasant smells from the air.
-Pour a few inches of baking soda into shallow bowls and leave them uncovered around the odorous rooms of the house for a few days. Baking soda is great for absorbing the smells, but it doesn't happen instantly.
Cooking Odors -Boil a teaspoon of white vinegar in ½ pint of water to remove unpleasant cooking odors in the kitchen. Smoking Odors and Perfume - A mixture of 1 teaspoon of vinegar to a pint of water, kept in a hand sprayer, can neutralize these odors.
How Long Do You Leave Baking Soda on Carpet? When cleaning your carpet with baking soda, let it sit for at least 15 minutes. The longer the baking soda stays on the rug, the more odor, dirt, and oil it will absorb, for a more thorough clean. Try leaving baking soda on the carpet overnight and vacuuming in the morning.
Baking soda naturally neutralizes odors. Sprinkle it liberally on the damp area or even an old urine stain, and work the powder gently into the fibers of any fabric, rug or carpet. Let the baking soda sit overnight for maximum odor absorption, then vacuum it up to remove the smell completely.
Essentially an air freshener's primary purpose is to do just that, freshen the air and impart a pleasant scent to it. Odor eliminators use chemical, mechanical or physical means to actually trap and neutralize odor molecules so they are no longer perceptible to the human nose and can no longer return.
How do odor eliminators work? This will depend on what kind of odor eliminator you use. If you opt for one with natural ingredients, such as activated charcoal, it naturally absorbs the odor and bacteria around it. Other products, such as Febreze, contain cyclodextrins that trap odors before they reach your nose.
As Jane Parker, a flavour chemist at the University of Reading explains, it's all down to molecules 'jumping' off whatever it is you're smelling (by evaporation), drifting through the air (by diffusion) and flying up your nose. These molecules trigger nerves at the top of the nose that send signals to the brain.
Body odor is primarily caused by apocrine sweat glands that become activated during puberty. These sweat glands develop in hairy regions like the armpits, genitals and scalp, where they secrete an oily fluid comprised of proteins, lipids and steroids.
Introduction: My name is Stevie Stamm, I am a colorful, sparkling, splendid, vast, open, hilarious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/baking-soda-getty-0620-7e8f66e8e7d54fa88fcf980771794dea.jpg "How to Use Baking Soda to Remove Unpleasant Odors (Plus, the Science of Why It Works) (1)")
