Cleaning with bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar: what each does and what to avoid

TUREFF• •0

Bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar are cheap, easy to find and useful around the house. They are also surrounded by myths, especially the idea that mixing them makes a powerful cleaner. They work best separately, on the jobs that suit their chemistry. Bicarbonate is a mild alkali and a gentle abrasive. Vinegar is a mild acid.

What bicarbonate of soda is good for

Gentle scrubbing. Mixed with a little water into a paste, it is mildly abrasive. It shifts baked-on food in pans, marks on the hob and grime on sinks without scratching most surfaces.
Oven cleaning. Spread a thick paste over the inside of a cold oven, avoiding the heating elements, and leave it overnight. Wipe it off with a damp cloth and a scraper the next day.
Absorbing smells. An open pot in the fridge, a sprinkle in shoes or bins, or a dusting on a carpet or mattress left for a while before vacuuming can reduce odours.
Lifting fresh spills. Sprinkled on a fresh wine or grease spill on carpet, it helps soak up the liquid.
Freshening laundry. A small amount in the drum can help with musty smells.

What white vinegar is good for

Limescale. Acid dissolves limescale. Soak a showerhead in vinegar, wrap a vinegar-soaked cloth around a tap, or descale a kettle by filling it with equal parts vinegar and water, boiling, leaving it to stand and rinsing thoroughly afterwards.
Glass and mirrors. Diluted vinegar in a spray bottle cleans streak-free with a microfibre cloth.
Soap scum on shower screens and tiles.
Hard water marks on glasses and around taps.
Coffee stains. Diluted vinegar can lift a coffee mark after the fabric has been rinsed.

Use distilled white vinegar sold for cleaning or cooking. Wine and malt vinegars can stain.

Why you should not mix them

Pouring vinegar onto bicarbonate makes a satisfying fizz. That fizz is the acid and the alkali reacting and neutralising each other. What is left is mostly water, a little salt and carbon dioxide. It is not harmful, but it is not a stronger cleaner than either alone. The fizz can give a little mechanical help in a drain, but for a blocked drain a plunger or drain snake usually does more. If you want to use both, use them one after the other on different jobs, or scrub with bicarbonate and then rinse it away before using vinegar.

Where not to use vinegar

Vinegar's acidity damages some surfaces.

Natural stone. Marble, limestone and travertine contain calcium carbonate, which acid etches, leaving dull marks. Granite is more resistant, but vinegar can break down its sealant. Use a pH-neutral cleaner made for stone.
Grout, which can be weakened by repeated acid cleaning.
Waxed or oiled wood. Vinegar can strip the finish.
Cast iron and aluminium cookware.
Some electronic screens. Many manufacturers advise against vinegar and other cleaners on screens. Follow the device instructions.
Rubber seals and hoses, in some appliances. Check the manufacturer's guidance before descaling a washing machine or dishwasher with vinegar.

Where not to use bicarbonate

Polished or delicate surfaces that scratch easily, such as some high-gloss finishes. Test on a hidden spot.
Aluminium, which it can discolour.
Gold-plated or antique items, where any abrasive can wear the finish.

Safety

Never mix vinegar with bleach. Bleach mixed with an acid releases chlorine gas. Do not use vinegar straight after bleach on the same surface, and rinse well if you switch products.
Neither is a disinfectant to rely on. For raw meat spills or illness in the house, use a product designed and labelled for disinfecting, following the instructions.
Label any spray bottle you fill yourself.
Keep vinegar away from your eyes and wear gloves for long jobs if your skin is sensitive.

A simple kit

A pot of bicarbonate of soda for scrubbing and smells.
A spray bottle of diluted white vinegar for glass and limescale.
Washing-up liquid for grease.
Microfibre cloths and an old toothbrush.
One proper disinfectant for the jobs that need it.

What do you swear by bicarbonate or vinegar for? Share your tips in the comments.