How To Wash Clothes With Baking Soda And Vinegar

By Alex Assoune Oct 12, 2021

You can effectively wash your white clothes by using baking soda and white vinegar. It's an all-natural, homemade solution that keeps your clothes fresh and clean by removing stains and odors.

Doing your laundry is very easy if you know how to use these two products. They are natural and very potent cleaners and deodorizers that ensure textiles last longer.

To help you save money, protect the environment, and avoid making mistakes when doing your laundry, here is everything you need to know about using vinegar and baking soda to wash your clothes and shoes.

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Don't mix baking soda and vinegar.

Be very careful not to mix baking soda and vinegar. If you do, it will cause a chemical reaction that will cancel both products' effects. It will result in creating carbon dioxide that is ineffective at cleaning and deodorizing clothes.

pH is a scale used to measure acidity or basicity in chemistry. Since vinegar has a low pH and baking soda high pH, they will neutralize each other when used together.

What you want to do instead is to use baking soda first mixed with water to do your laundry. You can pour vinegar into the mix once the baking soda has gotten around your clothes and made its effect.

How to use baking soda in the washer

You can make a very effective DIY cleaning product by mixing water with baking soda. Baking soda is a fantastic way of getting stains and odors out of clothes and shoes.

The amount of baking soda you need depends on how many clothes you plan to wash. You will need more baking soda for heavier loads.

Craft a solution of baking soda using four tablespoons per glass of water. Then, pour the mixture directly into the washing machine with your load of dirty laundry.

Alternatively, you can place one cup of baking soda into the washer's automatic dispenser. Place it into the powder section of the washing machine drawer.

How to use vinegar in the washer

Depending on how dirty your clothes are, use more or less vinegar mixed with moderately warm water. Start with one cup of vinegar and four cups of water and fill the fabric softer section of your washer up to the top of the indicator. Increase the vinegar proportion if necessary.

Don't worry: your clothes won't smell like vinegar. If you are worried about the odor, you can add an aromatic scent to the mixture using the essential oils of your choice.

Using scented vinegar in place of a traditional fabric cleaner or softener will eliminate static, give a soft feel, and add a fresh scent to your clothes.

Is it safe to wash clothes with vinegar and baking soda?

Be careful not to use too much vinegar or baking soda since some fragile colors may fade. Most clothes are safe to wash. You can place them in the washer at moderate temperatures and tumbling speeds.

Vinegar or baking soda does the job for most fashion items, beddings, and linens. A solution of baking soda or vinegar with water is a powerful cleaner and deodorizer that refreshes textile products naturally.

Wash your clothes in cold water. Use a temperature lower than 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and a tumbling speed lower than 600 revolutions per minute. Clothes that get washed gently are less prone to shrinking and wrinkling.

It's a good idea to measure the right amount of vinegar and baking soda to use and spot test your clothes before washing them.

To avoid dye bleeding, separate light from dark colors before washing your clothes. Dark colors often fade or bleed on other clothing pieces due to the combination of tumbling and temperature.

Only place the proper amount of clothes in the washer. Fill the washing machine between two-thirds and three-quarters. You can damage your washer if it's almost empty. And a full washer won't give you the best results either.

Are vinegar and baking soda good to wash clothes?

You can wash your clothes with vinegar or baking soda only instead of regular detergent. They are natural cleaners and deodorizers that help your clothes stay fresh and clean by removing stains and odors.

Use baking soda and vinegar that don't have any additives harmful to your clothes, skin, or the environment. It's an ideal solution to do your laundry effectively and save the planet at the same time.

Commonly used laundry detergents may stick on your clothes when not correctly dispensed. And any chlorine-based detergent can melt fibers, fabric dyes and also damage textile fibers.

Vinegar and baking soda are great cleaning products commonly used around the house used to remove stains and odors. They are very effective against traces of oil products and soapy residue.

Baking soda and vinegar are affordable and eco-friendly fabric cleaners and conditioners. They effectively eliminate bacteria and clean stains, spots, residue to make your clothes last longer.

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About the Author: Alex Assoune

Alex Assoune (MS) is a global health and environmental advocate. He founded Panaprium to inspire others with conscious living, ethical, and sustainable fashion. Alex has worked in many countries to address social and environmental issues. He speaks three languages and holds two Master of Science degrees in Engineering from SIGMA and IFPEN schools.