How To Clean Stove Top With Baking Soda

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Baking soda – it's been around for a long time (even dating back to ancient Egyptians who used it as a cleansing agent, like soap). Turns out, they were onto something. It's incredible that such a simple product can be a powerful cleaner and yet non-toxic and gentle at the same time. .

Many people are looking for a greener way to clean their homes. If you've got kids or pets, baking soda should be on your list of must haves since it's a perfect non-toxic cleanser. Hey, even if you don't have kids, harsh chemicals can leave lasting effects on everyone. Baking soda is a healthier, gentler way to a clean your home. Here are my 8 best baking soda cleaning tips:

Tip #1: Use Baking Soda as a Kitchen Scrub

Does your kitchen need a good scrubbing? There's no need to use harsh chemicals that can damage surfaces and make you sick. Just mix equal parts baking soda and dish soap. My favorite is the original blue Dawn dish soap. Mix thoroughly and use this as a soft scrub to clean your sink, stove top, stubborn residue on pans, bathtubs, tile grout, and just about anything else in your kitchen. As with any scrub, you'll want to make sure to test an inconspicuous spot first to make sure it doesn't damage your particular surfaces.

Tip #2: Use Baking Soda to Clean Your Oven

Pairing baking soda with its good friend, vinegar, takes cleaning to a whole new level! (Even Ask Science says so. Check out his episode called Vinegar + Baking Soda = The Ultimate Cleanser?)

To clean your oven, first scrape out any loose icky burnt stuff and then sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over all the other gooey, burned spots. Next, put some plain white vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz it over the baking soda. Now, watch for the cool science project that will happen in your oven. Let this bubble for a while; maybe 30 minutes or so. Then take a tough scrubby sponge or wired scrubber and start working away at the stubborn spots. Once all the stuck-on stuff is loosened, rinse with a cloth and warm water. You'll probably want to wipe and rinse thoroughly a few times. Now, isn't that better than using that smelly, chemical oven cleaner?

Tip #3: Use Baking Soda to Clean Your Stove Top

The same cleaning technique you used to clean the inside of the oven also works great for cleaning the top of the stove. Use this method when you've had a bad spillover or there are some messy rings on the burners. The soft scrub mentioned earlier will do the trick on regular stove top messes, but when you've got a big job, baking soda and vinegar will tackle it much better. Sprinkle baking soda generously over the top of the stove and then spritz with vinegar. Let this sit for at least 15-30 minutes before scrubbing. Be sure to use a scrubbing sponge that's recommended for stove top cleaning; especially if yours is glass. Don't use a wired scrubber for this surface.

Tip #4: Use Baking Soda to Unclog Drains

Do you have a clogged drain? Maybe your drain is running slow? Baking soda comes to the rescue here as well.

Simply dump a ½ cup of baking soda down the drain followed by a ½ cup of white vinegar. (are you sensing a theme here?) Let that bubble and fizz for about 15 minutes. Then follow up with a nice big pot of boiling water. If you have a stubborn clog you may have to repeat this process one more time. Unclogging your drain using this method not only saves quite a bit of money, it's also easy on your pipes.