Bicarbonate of soda is a safe and easy-to-come-by product, so it’s no wonder that it’s used so much to clean surfaces and items in a home.
And one of the many ways bicarb gets used is in paste form. But making such a paste usually proves to be more challenging than it first sounds.
Pastes that are too runny end up causing more mayhem than they’re worth, and lumpy pastes that are too thick to handle are just difficult to work with.
So, how do you get the consistency just right?
Find out below how to make the perfect bicarbonate of soda paste for cleaning below!
How to Make a Bicarbonate of Soda Paste for Cleaning
It’s very straightforward to make a bicarb paste. All you need is some water, bicarbonate of soda, a pot and a spoon.
These are the measurements you should follow to make a bicarb paste for cleaning:
Use two parts of bicarbonate of soda to one part of water.
You can decide what you measure the parts in—cups, teaspoons or tablespoons, for example.
Simply mix the water and bicarbonate of soda together in a pot, or whatever is most suitable, until you get a paste-like consistency.
You may need to add a touch more bicarb here and there, or some more water may be needed to water-down a paste that is too thick.
You must adjust the measurements above to suit the type of cleaning job you plan on doing. So, you can scale up for larger jobs, or scale down for smaller jobs.
When it’s time to use the paste, just spread it over the area you intend on cleaning, and leave it there for a period of time (as instructed by the cleaning method you’re following).
For example, if you wanted to clean a chopping board with a bicarbonate of soda paste, here’s what you’d do.
You mix two teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda to one teaspoon of water in a bowl.
You keep stirring the mixture until you get the right consistency, then you spread the paste on the chopping board, making sure to cover one entire side.
You then leave the paste on the board for a period of time, then clean it off and repeat the process on the other side of the chopping board.
What Can You Clean with Bicarbonate of Soda Paste?
There are so many uses for bicarbonate of soda paste that it’s impossible to cover them all, so here’s a brief list for you:
Ovens and oven door glass
Cleaning chopping boards – both wooden and plastic
But don’t forget you don’t actually have to make a bicarbonate of soda paste to use it for cleaning, it can also be used in non-paste form.
Here are some extra uses that you can consider:
Cleaning the dishwasher
Unclogging the sink
Removing poor odours from the bin and fridge
Treating limescale
Cleaning the toilet
Descaling kettles
The list goes on and on!
Where Can I Buy Bicarbonate of Soda for Cleaning?
It’s super easy to get hold of some bicarbonate of soda because most supermarkets sell it.
You can usually pick up a 200g tub made by Dr. Oetker, in leading supermarkets—Tesco, Morrisons and Asda, for example.
A tub of this size will see you through many different cleaning exercises, and of course, it can be used during cooking too, so that’s an added bonus.
Although, if you plan on doing a lot of cleaning with bicarb you should consider investing in a larger tub, or a more specialised bicarbonate of soda product.
You can, for example, pick up large containers of bicarb, like the 5kg Sodium Bicarbonate tub sold by Hexeal on Amazon.
Or, you could buy some bicarbonate of soda from leading brands, like that of Dri-Pak or Arm and Hammer.
You can use any of these items to clean a variety of goods and surfaces in your home, and they’re safe to use.
Baking soda is the American name for bicarbonate of soda, whereas here in the UK we prefer to call the product bicarbonate of soda, or bicarb for short.
Are Soda Crystals the Same Bicarbonate of Soda?
Soda crystals and bicarbonate of soda are not the same thing, and you should not mix these two products up, especially when cooking.
And while both abrasive cleaners may look similar, they are, in fact, quite different. They have different pH levels for example.
Bicarb has a pH reading of 8 and soda crystals has a pH reading of 11.
It is this high alkaline reading that makes soda crystals inedible, whereas bicarbonate of soda’s lower pH reading means that it can be used during the cooking process.
What Can You Add to a Bicarbonate of Soda Cleaning Paste?
There’ll be times when you will need your bicarb paste to pack a little more punch, and it’s during these times that you’ll likely think about adding another ingredient to the paste.
So, what can you safely add to a bicarbonate of soda paste to strengthen it?
Here are some cleaning items that can be safely combined with bicarb:
Bethan has a passion for exploring, reading, cooking and gardening! When she’s not creating culinary delights for her family, she’s concocting potions to keep her house clean!
