Baking soda is not only used for baking pastries. It is useful for home cleaning and in the laundry room. This may sound old-fashioned, but soaking clothes in baking soda overnight can make your whites whiter and colored clothes even brighter.
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is like the compound popularly known as washing soda (sodium carbonate), commonly used for washing laundry. It is a natural and effective clean that can do wonders on your clothes. It can help remove odors, brighten your clothes, and break down stains.
So, how does soaking clothes in baking soda overnight clean them? Let’s find out how!
Does Baking Soda Ruin Clothes?
Generally, baking soda is safe to use for cleaning and treating clothes. However, this is not always the case with some materials, i.e., protein-based fabrics like cashmere, silk, and wool. These materials don’t react well when soaked with baking soda.
So, if the clothes you’re about to wash consist of the material above, don’t soak them with baking soda. Instead use a specialized product to clean and treat these delicate fabrics. As cliché as it may sound, prevention is better than cure.
Why Leave Clothes in Baking Soda Overnight?
There are many reasons why you should leave clothes in baking soda overnight. They work wonders for your laundry, so if you haven’t tried doing this hack, you might start doing it now upon learning these benefits.
Treat Stained Clothes
This is the reason why people leave their laundry in baking soda overnight. The natural chemical in baking soda breaks down terrible stains from clothes.
If you put your extra dirty clothes in a bucket full of baking soda, the ingredient, which is alkaline, will then neutralize and remove the dirty marks from the clothing material. The following day, that stain should either be loose or entirely gone.
Refresh Clothes
Your clothes or any fabric doesn’t need to be stained to soak them in baking soda. Some people like to bathe their clothes in it to freshen their clothing. It’s like doing a mini laundry wash!
Remove Stinky Odors
In addition to having fresh clothes with baking soda, this hack is also helpful in removing pungent odors in clothes. By allowing your clothes to rest with baking soda overnight, the ingredient starts to do its magic in eliminating stinky odors from it.
Whiten Clothes
White clothes tend to lose color over time, especially if you wear them often. However, leaving discolored items in a tub with baking soda overnight, you are helping them get whitened once again.
Can Soaking Clothes in Baking Soda Overnight Remove Odor?
As mentioned earlier, one of the benefits of using baking soda on your clothes is it will deodorize them. If your clothes smell like smoke or sweat, it’s better to clean them with baking soda solution overnight.
Allowing your clothes to absorb the baking soda and water mixture overnight will help it to work as a deodorizer. You can then wash your clothes, as usual, the following morning.
Can Soaking Clothes in Baking Soda Overnight Remove Stains?
Do you constantly struggle to remove tough stains on your clothes? Then, maybe your laundry detergent is not enough. You might need to pre-wash your clothes with baking soda by allowing them to rest in the solution overnight.
This method helps draw a stain from your clothes and essentially traps odor and pigment in the baking soda. As you allow the fabric to soak in the solution for an extended period, the stain will come off more and more.
Can Soaking Clothes in Baking Soda Overnight Remove Wrinkles?
Wrinkles can be a pain to remove, but you can soak clothes in baking soda as a remedy. Baking soda may help reduce wrinkles on clothes to some extent, but you should not rely on it alone.
Baking soda works for deodorizing and cleaning purposes, but it is not known to resolve major wrinkle problems on clothes. Its wrinkling-removing abilities are limited.
Can You Wash Clothes with Baking Soda Only?
Yes! Using only baking soda in the laundry is possible. Baking soda is a natural cleaner that can make your clothes fresh, clean, and odor-free.
Washing clothes with baking soda is an old-time technique – years ago, people washed laundry by hand with common household products like baking soda.
To learn how to clean your clothes using baking soda, read our post – Can Baking Soda Clean Clothes?
What Type of Laundry Can Be Left to Soak in Baking Soda Overnight?
The list of laundry items you can soak in baking soda overnight is endless. So, adjust the list below to suit your home:
- Sweat-ridden clothes or gym clothing
- Clothing items stained with bodily fluids/ functions
- Clothes with underarm sweat patches
- Old and musty-smelling clothes
- Extra dirty white garments
- Stained clothes
- Clothes you haven’t worn but have a terrible odor in them
How to Soak Clothes in Baking Soda Overnight
So this is the cleaning method you have been waiting for. Follow these steps for a better result in cleaning clothes with baking soda.
Things you’ll need:
- Baking Soda
- Water
- Bucket
Instructions:
- Fill a clean bucket with five liters of warm water and add baking soda.
- Mix the water and baking soda mixture with a long spoon.
- Add the laundry items you wish to clean. Make sure that they submerge in the water.
- Allow the clothes to rest in the tub overnight.
- The following day, remove the clothes and drain the water.
- Rinse the items with water and hang them to dry (yes, you can wash clothes with baking soda only) or wash them like you usually do when washing clothes.
Watch the video below to see me show how to soak clothes in baking soda.
Conclusion
So, there you have it! We have answered the most common question, “Can I soak clothes with baking soda overnight.” And again, the answer is YES, YOU CAN! Doing so will do more good than harm to your clothes.
Baking soda is an efficient, eco-friendly cleaning solution that is helpful in various household chores, including laundry. It can remove stains, foul odors, and whiten your clothes. Baking soda can also act as a fabric softener, so never hesitate to use it in your next laundry task.
To soak your clothes with baking soda overnight, follow our step-by-step guide above.
To learn more about using baking soda to wash clothes, read our post – Unveiling the Truth: Does Baking Soda Bleach Black Clothes?
If you want to learn how to use other household products to clean your clothes, read our post – Can Vinegar Clean Clothes?
Question: Have you ever soaked your clothes in baking soda overnight?
