With its many qualities, baking soda is one of our best allies for home maintenance. Less known, soda crystals represent a powerful disinfectant and degreaser that comes as a reinforcement to accomplish a muscular cleaning!
Soda crystals and baking soda: the differences
Soda crystals come in the form of small white grains. This product 100 % naturel is made from sea salt and chalk, an inexpensive and environmentally friendly process. Mixed with water and carbon dioxide, soda crystals give the famous baking soda. More corrosivesoda crystals degrease, clean and disinfect more effectively than baking soda.
Soda ash
Precautions for use
If their corrosive nature makes them very effective, soda crystals are also formidable with the skin. To avoid irritation, wear rubber gloves with each use. On the other hand, crystals are not suitable for all surfaces. This is the case for parquet floors and raw wood furniture, waxed or aluminum furniture, lacquered facades or glass-ceramic induction hobs. It is also not recommended to use soda crystals in the washing machine containing laundry delicate or clothes in too bright colors that could rub off.
What uses for soda crystals?
- Disinfect. Pour a teaspoon of crystals into a liter of hot water and your disinfectant is ready. Ideal for floors, kitchen or bathroom worktops, or any other surface, the solution will remove bacteria without leaving the unpleasant smell of bleach.
- Degrease. Hot water and soda crystals are a strong ally for cleaning burnt grease on your gas stove and kitchen utensils: leave to act for 10 minutes before scrubbing the hob. To shine the dishes, soak it in a basin of hot water with 70 g of soda crystals. Rinse well.
- Descaling. Pour soda crystals into the bottom of pans and saucepans damaged by overcooking. Add water boiling and wait about six hours for the product to work. Cleaning will then be much easier.
- Remove limescale. With their anti-tartar and anti-limestone power, soda crystals remove all traces of dirt on the walls, the floor of the bathroom or the walls of the bathroom. douche. This product is effective on both interior and exterior tiles.
- Soften: soda crystals have the particularity of softening water, which makes the action of certain cleaners such as laundry even more efficient and therefore allows you to use less. Add a handful of soda crystals to the drum full of dirty clothes when washing.
- Unclog the sink. If your pipes are clogged, there is no need to buy chemicals. In the sink, pour half a glass of soda crystals added to a glass of white vinegar. Leave on for 30 minutes before rinsing off with warm water.
- Peel off wallpaper. In a container, pour a little hot water and three tablespoons of soda crystals. Dip a sponge in the mixture and soak the walls to make it easier to remove the lengths of wallpaper.
- Find the soda crystals. Soda crystals are available in supermarkets (laundry department); in drugstores; in DIY stores. For the price, count between 2 and 5 € per kilo of crystals.
Baking soda
There are two kinds of baking soda. Baking soda eating is an edible version that can be used (in moderation) for beauty care, hygiene, aiding digestion, whitening teeth. Bicarbonate household or technique is less pure than the first and will therefore be used only for cleaning and when donning gloves.
What uses for baking soda?
- To clean. Slightly grainy, this white powder is a soft abrasive, disinfectant, deodorizer, whitener that can degrease and clean almost all surfaces without attacking them. Baking soda is also fungistatic : it stops the development of parasitic fungi thanks to an effective anti-mold power. The uses of baking soda are similar to those of soda ash, but less corrosive.
- Soften. Baking soda can replace some of your washing powder and act like a softener. Add a cup of powder directly to the washing machine and pour two to three scoops into the prewash or detergent compartment.
- Scrub. In the kitchen, baking soda is used to scour the oven or hobs. Make a paste by adding a little water, then apply the mixture to the surface, leaving it to act and then rinse. You can also use baking soda as dishwasher soap.
- Remove limescale : In the bathroom, associated with salt, it will be a powerful anti-limestone to scour the faucets. You can also use it to clean the toilet bowl by sprinkling two tablespoons of baking soda and then adding a little white vinegar.
Other uses of baking soda
- Get rid of bad odors. In the fridge, place a cup of baking soda. On the floor, sprinkle the textiles (rugs, fitted carpets), leave to act then vacuum. For the smell of tobaccoput some baking soda in the ashtrays.
- Treat fungal infections. Before putting on your stockings or socks, sprinkle the fungus on your feet. The powder will absorb the humidity produced during the day. You can also prepare foot baths regularly by diluting 4 tablespoons of baking soda in a liter of lukewarm water and dipping your feet in it for 15 minutes.
- Promote oral hygiene. Baking soda is ideal for getting rid of meal residues deposited between the teeth and responsible for cavities. By neutralizing acids, it also fights plaque and freshens breath. The product also fights against canker sores and painful gums. In mouthwashes: mix a teaspoon of baking soda with half a cup of water then rinse with cold water. Bicarbonate also helps to whiten teeth: sprinkle a little on the brush and brush as if it were toothpaste.
- Facilitate digestion. Bicarbonate, with an alkaline chemical formula, regulates the acidity of the mucous membranes and quickly relieves the stomach. Dilute a teaspoon in a large glass of water and drink slowly. If you are preparing starches or vegetables like cabbage that you have difficulty digesting, add a spoonful of baking soda to their cooking water.
- Find baking soda. Inexpensive, it can be bought in supermarkets, drugstores, DIY and gardening stores or in organic stores. Price: from €5 per kilo. Good check on the label if it is food or household baking soda.