Baking Soda --8 Things You Should Never Clean
Baking soda is a pantry staple for good
reason: it’s a must-have baking ingredient, an effective cleaner and
stain remover, and a medicine cabinet essential. So, it’s hardly
surprising that many people use baking soda as the only cleaner around
the house. But it turns out that even baking soda isn’t universal, and
using it to clean certain surfaces, like wood, marble, and glass, can
damage them. Find out which surfaces should never ever be cleaned by
baking soda and why.
1. Wooden Floors and Furniture
Wooden furniture and wooden floors are
processed with special sealing agents and finish to extend their
longevity, give them a nice shine, and protect them from scratches.
Baking soda consists of granules that can be too harsh and slowly wear
away the finish, which will, unfortunately, end up ruining the furniture
and floor.
Instead of using baking soda, experts
recommend using designated floor detergents for wooden floors. As for
the wooden furniture, diluting a few drops of dish soap in lukewarm
water will do the trick just fine without causing any harm to the
finish.
2. Aluminum Kitchenware
Before you start disagreeing with us, saying that you've been using
baking soda to get rid of stubborn stains on your aluminum pots and
pans, let us specify. It's actually fine if you give aluminum surfaces a
quick scrub with baking soda, but it's not advised to let the baking
soda sit on the surface because long-term exposure to baking soda can
oxidize the surface and cause irreversible damage.
Even the smallest amount of baking soda residue can stain aluminum
surfaces with brown rusty spots, so make sure you rinse them really well
right after you're done cleaning.
3. Ceramic Stovetops
Most stovetops really need a good scrubbing from time to time, and most
of them can also luckily handle baking soda just fine. The only
exception to the rule is ceramic stovetops, which can be easily
scratched by baking soda. In addition to that, baking soda can also
leave an unsightly white film on the surface of the stovetop, which can
be hard to remove. So, it's best to clean it with the same old
dishwashing liquid solution we mentioned earlier.
If you did accidentally use baking soda on the ceramic cooktop and now
have to deal with the white film, simply soak a clean cloth in some
vinegar solution and wipe down the stovetop. This trick will get rid of
the white film.
4. Objects with Cracks or Indentations
Baking soda consists of tiny little granules that can get stuck and
leave a white, milky residue on surfaces. Usually, it can easily be
removed by wiping down the surface with a damp piece of cloth or a cloth
soaked in a vinegar solution, but doing so with objects with deep
indentations and cracks in them may prove difficult or even impossible.
Over time, the residue will only continue building up and become even
more apparent.
Therefore, it's not advised to clean things like computer keyboards,
wicker or straw furniture and other objects, and things made of
decorative metal, for example, with baking soda.
5. Gold Plated Tableware and Silverware
Gold plated cups, tableware, silverware, and decorative dishes always
look impressive and luxurious, but you must really baby them to preserve
the beautiful gold lining. Gold is one of the softest metals, and using
any abrasive cleaners, including baking soda, is bound to scratch away
the beautiful gold lining.
Therefore, it's best to wash the gold-plated tableware and other items
you might have that are lined with gold by hand using a damp microfiber
cloth and dish soap.
6. Marble Surfaces
Marble countertops and furniture are highly sought after these days, and
it's no secret that genuine marble is super expensive, so it's
essential to take good care of it and hopefully peserve it for years.
Cleaning professionals say that one of the most common marble and quartz
maintenance mistakes they see is using baking soda to clean these
surfaces.
They note that marble has an upper protective coating, which regular
cleaning with baking soda can significantly degrade and eventually
scratch the stone. Thus, it's safer to opt for gentler and non-abrasive
cleaners like dishwashing liquid or vinegar instead.
7. Antique Silverware
Submerging silverware in a water and baking soda solution is a common
method recommended to remove tarnish, but there is one problem with this
method. Cleaning experts point out that this mixture can be too
abrasive for antique silverware and will degrade the patina, a natural
protective layer that develops over a long time on the silverware.
This, in turn, will make the priceless vintage silverware to tarnish
even more quickly than it did before. We have an entire article that
lists several safe ways to clean and polish silverware called 8 Silver
Polishing Tricks, which we highly recommend you check out.
8. Glass
Like many other surfaces we mentioned earlier, glass is very susceptible
to scratches, so using baking soda to clean windows, glass tableware,
or any mirrored surfaces can end up in a disaster. Baking soda may also
leave a white film over the glass, ruining its shiny and transparent
appearance.
Therefore, it's just safer to stick to commercial cleaners when you're
working with glass or mirrored surfaces. If you'd like to use natural
cleaners, though, try vinegar - it will make your windows spotless and
as shiny as ever.