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Baking soda is the layman’s term for sodium bicarbonate. It is commonly regarded as a cooking ingredient, but it has much more to offer. It is a multi-purpose compound that has been widely used in pharmacology, personal care, and housekeeping.
This article will focus on its strong deodorizing property that can help get rid (1) of a variety of common household smells, even the stubborn ones.
Here are some difficult odors that can be neutralized by baking soda.
Note: It’s best to use a fresh, unopened box of baking soda for the following remedies as it will be more potent and therefore better at removing smells than a stale ingredient.
1. Removes Stubborn Underarm Odors Naturally
Body odor is attributed to the buildup of bacteria in the warm sweaty parts of the body, such as the underarms.
The heat and humidity in these confined areas provide the ideal breeding conditions for bacteria that grow in numbers and mix with sebum to form a biofilm over the skin. These bacteria break down the sweat to produce sulfur-like fumes that give rise to body odor.
Sometimes, washing the sweaty area with soap suffices to remove the underarm odor, but sometimes, it can be too strong and stubborn to get rid of this easily. Even spraying deodorant or perfume over it is only a temporary solution as the effect usually wears off after a while.
In such cases, baking soda is a safe and easy solution. It helps break down the bacterial biofilm so that it can easily be removed while also neutralizing the odors. (2)
Plus, its fine granular texture provides a gentle scrubbing effect to deep clean the sweat, bacteria, and grime settled inside skin pores. It also soaks up the sweat and moisture from the skin to limit bacterial growth.
How to use:
- Mix just enough water in 1 teaspoon of baking soda to make a thick paste.
- Apply the paste to your underarms.
- Leave it for at least a minute before scrubbing and rinsing it off.
- If the odor persists, reapply the remedy until it is completely removed.
2. Gets Rid of the Pee Smell From a Mattress
Urine gets quickly absorbed into the mattress, making it difficult to clean and get the stink out.
If the mattress reeks of urine even after washing it thoroughly, give baking soda a try. It removes the stubborn odor by soaking up the urine residue from the mattress and also canceling out its acidic odors due to its slightly alkaline pH.
How to use:
- Spread a thin layer of baking soda all over the mattress surface, applying extra amounts on areas that smell more strongly.
- Leave it uncovered for 5 to 10+ hours before vacuuming it.
- Repeat as needed.
3. Cleans and Refreshes Thermos and Containers
The smell of the liquids you store in your thermos can stick to its inner surface, even after a good wash. Even water can leave it smelling a little musty after a while. The same is true for plastic containers that are used for storing pungent foods such as pickles and sauerkraut. (3)
Baking soda can help thoroughly cleanse the insides of such containers and remove the smell. It loosens the fluid particles or odor molecules that can then be rinsed out properly.
How to use:
- Put 1 large teaspoon of baking soda in the container.
- Pour in boiling water and seal it for a few hours.
- Rinse thoroughly.
4. Refreshes a Vacuum Bag
Vacuum bags collect a lot of dirt and grime, which makes them smell bad.
You can make sachets of baking soda mixed with fragrant dried herbs to banish these foul odors. When you place them inside the vacuum bag, the baking soda will absorb the stink while the dried herbs will impart a nice aroma to the surfaces that you vacuum.
5. Makes for a Dog Deodorizer
Baking soda can be safely used periodically to give your dog a dry bath. This will keep your furry friend smelling fresh with minimal fuss.
How to use:
Method 1
- Dissolve ½ cup of baking soda in 2 cups of water.
- Dip a neckerchief into the solution.
- Let it dry and then tie it around your dog’s neck.
Method 2 (the best solution)
- Mix ¼ cup of baking soda, 1–2 teaspoons of mild dishwashing detergent, and 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution in a bucket until it foams.
- Work the mixture well into the dog’s fur.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Wash it off with warm water.
- You can follow this up with dog shampoo if needed.
Caution:
- This mixture is quite potent, so be careful not to get it in your dog’s eyes.
- Using higher than 3% hydrogen peroxide solution can burn your dog’s skin.
- Make sure to use this solution immediately after mixing, and then discard it after. Storing it in a closed container can make it explode.
- The longer you apply the mixture to the dog’s coat, the greater will be the bleaching effect, so use it accordingly.
6. Treats the Carpet
Carpets absorb spilled liquids and collect dirt, food particles dust, pet dander, and other debris. They also get trampled on throughout the day.
What’s worse is that they can’t be washed frequently. So, they can smell bad and ruin the whole atmosphere of your living space. Baking soda can help get rid of the unpleasant odor to freshen up your carpet without a wash.
How to use:
- Sprinkle a generous amount of fresh baking soda over the area you want to treat. To keep the baking soda from clumping together, you can put it in a shaker and then spread it evenly on the carpet rather than doing it with your hands.
- Gently scrub it into the carpet. If you are concerned that scrubbing may damage the texture of your carpet, consider using an old sock or t-shirt to lightly rub the soda into the carpet.
- Leave it for several hours at least, overnight, or a whole day if possible. The longer it sits, the better are the results.
- After the waiting period, vacuum the carpet to remove the baking soda residue.
7. Deodorizes Smelly Shoes
Your shoes collect a lot of sweat and heat, which makes them ideal breeding grounds for foul-smelling bacteria. The stink can be so stubborn that it might not go away with a simple wash. Moreover, smelly shoes can lead to smelly feet.
Baking soda provides an easy fix to this problem by absorbing and neutralizing the offensive smell from your shoes.
How to use:
- Sprinkle baking soda all over the bottom of your shoes and leave it overnight or longer if needed.
- Shake out the loose powder before wearing the shoes.
8. Cleans Surfaces
Baking soda can help remove stubborn and pungent odors from various surfaces around the house, such as kitchen slabs, tables, and floors.
How to use:
- Directly sprinkle baking soda over the affected area.
- Let it sit for at least 30 minutes or overnight for strong odors.
- Vacuum the surface to remove the residue.
- Repeat until the smell is gone completely.
9. Deodorizes Cat Litter Box
A cat litter box is bound to smell of cat feces and often continues to stink even after being cleaned. Baking soda can help subdue the strong odor to save you from the unpleasant ordeal.
How to use:
- Spread a ¼-inch layer of baking soda on the bottom of the box and then add the litter on top. Do this every time you change the cat litter.
- You can also sprinkle baking soda over the litter between changes.
10. Freshens Musty Towels
Towels soak up a lot of sweat and moisture, which inadvertently makes them smell musty. These malodorous molecules can get so deeply trapped in the fabric that the towel remains smelly even after a wash.
Baking soda can help neutralize such stubborn, off-putting odors to make your towels smell clean and fresh.
How to use:
Simply add ½ cup of baking soda to the rinse cycle when you are washing the towels.
11. Sanitizes Fridges and Freezers
Use baking soda to keep your refrigerator and freezer smelling fresh even when storing pungent foods inside. Strong smells from foods such as onion and fish often get transferred to other foods while also stinking up the entire fridge.
How to use:
- Remove the front and back panels of the baking soda box.
- Keep it in the back of the fridge or freezer, near the air duct.
- Change the box every 3 months.
Why Doesn’t Baking Powder Remove Smells?
Baking powder is often confused with baking soda, but they are not the same and therefore do not offer the same effects. Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, which is responsible for its deodorizing and cleaning properties. (3)
Meanwhile, baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate as its chief ingredient along with several other ingredients that dilute its potency and render it ineffective as a deodorant.
Final Word
Baking soda is cheap and easily available kitchen ingredient that serves as a useful household cleaner that can banish some of the most stubborn and foul smells. Unlike other deodorants, baking soda doesn’t mask the unpleasant odor with its own strong fragrance but neutralizes it to remove the stink for good.
These foul smells generally stem from strong acids (spoiled milk) (4) or strong bases (rotten fish). Baking soda shifts these acidic or basic particles towards a more neutral, odorless state. In simple words, it ends up absorbing the bad smells rather than just camouflaging them.
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