Want to know all the household uses for Soda Crystals? well we have you covered! Keep Reading!
Household cleaners and detergents found in stores contain powerful chemicals. Not only can they irritate your skin, but they harm the environment as well. Thankfully, natural cleansers such as soda crystals are back in fashion! in this blog post we cover 20 ways to use Soda Crystals for Cleaning.
What Are Soda Crystals?
Soda crystals is an effective solvent with a pH of 11. Also called sodium carbonate, soda ash or washing soda, the solvent is a white, highly alkaline solution. Used for more than a hundred years, soda crystals can solve common problems at home.
Not to be confused with caustic soda, soda crystals are of great value at £1 a kilo. Eco friendly and contains no petrochemicals, it can tackle the toughest cleaning jobs in your home.
Here are 20 ways to use Soda Crystals…
1) Using Soda Crystals to Restore Your Silver Jewellery
Want to restore your silver jewellery to its former glory? All you need to do is add 200g soda crystals to 1 pint of hot water. Wait for it to dissolve, then immerse your silver pieces. Make sure you don’t immerse the precious stones.
Immediately you immerse the silver, you’ll see a fizzing reaction. This is how the tarnish dissolves. Rinse each piece and allow it to dry.
2) Using Soda Crystals to Clean Your Toilet
Continued use of your toilet will leave rings and limescale around the inside of the bowl. To get rid of the rings and limescale, follow these three steps. First, pour soda crystal into the bowl, then scrub it plus the rim with a stiff toilet brush.
Second, add citric acid and hot water instead of bleach to dissolve the limescale. The effect is very quick. Lastly, spritz the toilet bowl with white vinegar, then wipe the toilet seat with a clean cloth.
3) Using Soda Crystals to Clean your Sink
Food, grease and debris can quickly clog your sink. If this happens, you’ll notice water takes longer to drain, followed by an unpleasant smell. Instead of using toxic and expensive drain unblockers, use soda crystals.
Just pour a cup of soda crystals down the plughole, followed by hot water. This will flush the crystals down and unblock your sink.
4) Using Soda Crystals to Clean your Over
The fastest way to clean your oven is to use soda crystals. Unlike baking soda, soda crystals are more alkaline. As such, they can remove stubborn stains such as burnt-on food quickly and easily. To remove stains in your oven, spray liquid soda crystals and allow the solution to sit for an hour. Take a sponge and wipe off the solution, then rinse with clean water.
5) Using Soda Crystals to Clean Your Extractor Fan Filter
An extractor fan is an excellent solution for removing unwanted odours and moisture from your home. To ensure it continues providing the best performance, clean the extractor fan filter.
Prepare a strong solution using soda crystals and warm water. Allow the filter to soak for 15 minutes, then gently scrub any leftover residue. Rinse using a sponge.
6) Using Soda Crystals to Clean Decking and Patios
If light is always restricted from areas of your patio or decking, green algae will form. Affected surfaces become slimy when wet, and they can cause a slip hazard. To prevent this, you can clear the algae using soda crystals.
Just prepare a solution, pour over the affected area and leave the solution to sit for an hour. Use a bristle brush to scrub the algae away. For any remaining alga, rinse with a hose.
7) Using Soda Crystals to Clean Mucky Garden Ornaments
Most materials, even stone, are not impervious to the damaging effects of weather. To restore your garden ornaments, use liquid soda crystals and a bristle brush. This will remove the caked-on mud and grime.
8) Using Soda Crystals to Remove Stains From Your Chopping Boards
Chopping boards come in contact with food. Over time, your chopping board forms a rainbow of stains such as green and yellow from chopping herbs and red stains from beets and carrots. To remove the stains and grime, use liquid soda crystals. The solution will not leave any odour after rinsing it off.
9) Using Soda Crystals to clean your Carpet
There are several factors that will dull and fade your carpets. One of those is natural light. Strong natural light from the Sun will fade the colour of your carpet.
With time it will become noticeable. Other factors include foot traffic, dust and ageing. To restore your carpet colours, use soda crystals. Sprinkle the crystals in an even layer, allow it to sit for a few minutes, then use a carpet cleaner.
10) Using Soda Crystals as Floor Cleaner
Besides restoring dull and faded carpet colours, soda crystals can help you eliminate dust, dirt and other stains from your floors. Just add a few tablespoons of soda crystals in your mop bucket, allow the crystals to dissolve then start cleaning. To leave your floors smelling nice, add essential oils such as lavender, lemon or peppermint.
11) Using Soda Crystals to Clean Grimy Pans
Cleaning grimy pans is now easier when you use soda crystals. Just mix half a cup of soda crystals, half a cup of white vinegar with hot water in a sink. Submerge your grimy pan in the mixture and allow to soak for 30 minutes to an hour. Using the coarse side of the sponge, give the pan a serious scrub. Rinse with clean water and allow to dry.
12) Using Soda Crystals to Clean your Oven Hob
To leave your hob sparkling clean, use liquid soda crystals.
- Prepare a strong solution of 200g soda crystals dissolved in 1 pint of hot water.
- Allow the stubborn stains to soak for a minute or two.
- Wipe down the hob with a clean cloth.
Remember, do not use the soda crystals on aluminium surfaces. The soda crystals will react with the aluminium surface and discolour them.
13) Using Soda Crystals to Remove Stains on China
If your favourite teapot or mug has tea or coffee stains, scrubbing and bleach are not the best solutions. What you need to do is soak the teapot and mug in soda crystal solution overnight. In the morning, give the teapot or mug a gentle wipe and rinse with water. This will remove the unsightly stains.
14) Using Soda crystals in your washing machine
Washing your clothes at a low temperature in your washing machine will lead to mould growth. With time, the mould will start to produce an unpleasant smell. To prevent this from happening, add 500g to 750g of soda crystals to the detergent dispenser. Run a hot wash every month.
15) Using Soda Crystals to Clean Tiles and Grout
Have the lines between your tiles gone black? Well, we have bad news for you. Your grout is dirty. Grout is less durable, unlike the tile it’s holding together. If you use bleach and other harsh cleaners, you can erode it.
The best solution is soda crystals. Thanks to their alkaline nature, they can cut through muck and grime without eroding the grout. For effective results, use liquid soda crystals and an old toothbrush.
16) Using Soda Crystals to wash towels
If you’ve hard water and lack a water softener system, your water is causing deposits to build up in your towel fibres. To make your towels soft and fluffy, soak them in liquid soda crystals and warm water.
Leave the towels for 10 minutes in the mixture, then rinse them off. Place the towels in your washing machine, add one cup of household ammonia and put on hot water cycle. In future, we recommend buying 100% ring spun or combed cotton.
17) Washing with Soda Crystals to Remove Stains From Clothes
People have been using soda crystals for hundreds of years. This explains why it’s called washing soda. If you add liquid soda crystals and soak your clothes for an hour, the solution will remove even stubborn stains.
Besides removing stains from clothes, you can add the solution to your laundry, giving it a boost. Just add a tablespoon of liquid crystals to your detergent.
18) Using Soda Crystals to Soften Hard Water
If you live in a hard water area and don’t have a water softener system, you can use soda crystals to soften the water. Just add two tablespoons of liquid soda crystals to the detergent draw, and it will quickly soften your water.
Hard water leaves mineral deposits on your clothes. These deposits can cause soiling to build up, leaving your whites to look dingy.
19) Using Soda Crystals to Wallpaper Paste
To remove leftover wallpaper paste, prepare a liquid soda crystals solution. Apply the solution after stripping your wallpaper. This will soften the paste and help you remove it. The solution also enables you to prepare your wall for the next covering.
You can also use soda crystals to brighten your uPVC window frames or prepare bare wood for painting.
20) Using Soda Crystals to Clean Baby Clothes
Babies have delicate skins. Using store-bought bleaches and household detergents can irritate their skin. This is because the detergents contain harsh chemicals, fragrances and enzymes.
To protect your baby and young children, soak their clothes in a solution of soda crystals. To prepare the solution, add 100g soda crystals to 1 pint of water. Leave the clothes for an hour or overnight, then machine wash using soap flakes.
Final Thoughts
Soda crystals are highly alkaline, which makes them an effective solution for removing even stubborn stains. It does not give off any harmful fumes, but you need to wear gloves when handling soda crystals. This is because it causes mild skin irritation.
To buy soda crystals, visit your local grocery stores, home goods stores or online – Amazon, Tesco and others.
