In Case You Didn't Know, You Can Use Baking Soda to Wash Your Clothes

Baking soda is such a versatile home necessity, and you may already be using it as an effective cleaning agent in the kitchen. But did you know that baking soda can also can make your weekly laundry chore easier? This wonder ingredient is a deodorizer-, a stain remover-, and a fabric conditioner-in-one, and it’s safe for most types of fabrics—even those that should be handled with care like linens and silk.

Here are a few ways on how you can use it with your laundry:

Hand wash

1. Put your whites and coloreds in two separate basins filled with water.

2. Add around half a cup of baking soda to each basin (or eyeball it depending on how many articles of clothing you have).

3. Make sure the powder has completely dissolved before giving your clothes a quick and light scrubbing. Leave them to soak for 15 to 30 minutes.

4. After soaking, you’ll notice that most of the dirt has already been dislodged. You can now wash your clothes with a bit of detergent (no need to use as much as you did before). This will result in brighter and crisper clothing.

With a top-loading washing machine

Option 1

1. Fill your tub to minimum.

2. Add half a cup of baking soda. Make sure the powder has dissolved before adding your load.

3. Allow the machine to run for around three minutes to dislodge dirt and grime.

4. Replace the muddy water and continue to wash using less detergent.

Option 2

1. Fill your tub to minimum.

2. Add half a cup of baking soda to half your usual amount of laundry detergent.

3. Wash clothes as usual.

With a front-loading washing machine

1. Mix baking soda with your laundry detergent.

2. Wash as usual.

RL Tip: If you’ve run out of detergent, you can actually use baking soda as a replacement. One cup will do. Just make sure to rinse well!