Counter and surface stains are nearly intolerable, drawing the human eye like moths to a flame. But how to get rid of them without hosing the countertop down with abrasive, unhealthy cleaners?
Motherhood and lifestyle expert Fatima (@fatima.kosar) breaks it down in a TikTok clip, keeping it simple and affordable. "Love this tip" is one of many appreciative response posts, thanks to a common household ingredient.
@fatima.kosar Cleaning tip for stains #cleaningmotivation #cleaningtips #cleaninghacks #bakingsoda #cleantok101 #cleaningtiktok #stainremoval #cleanwithme ♬ original sound - fatima | motherhood+lifestyle
The scoop
Baking soda and water. That's it. Simply mix the two ingredients (baking soda and water, in a 2:1 ratio) to form a paste.
Leave it on the stain for ten minutes or so, and scrub the stain out using a paper towel. Fatima's advice is to go over it once more just to clean up any lingering residue.
How it's helping
Baking soda and water are a simple mixture. However, the two form a chemically reactive paste that, when combined with the physical effort of scrubbing, lifts stains from countertops and other hard surfaces.
Baking soda is an alkali with a pH of about nine, so it tends to work better against acidic stains, such as fruit juices, Kool-Aid, and other notorious countertop villains.
The abrasiveness is the other factor. Baking soda has a gritty texture, providing some mechanical abrasion to the effort. It goes beyond just cleaning stains, lifting oils, and cleaning food residues or dried spills.
Baking soda also absorbs, trapping oils within its granular structure. And, if the stain is smelly, baking soda also neutralizes odors. That's a lot of work for the average $1.00 box of baking soda (usually around 16 oz).
Even better, baking soda is non-toxic, biodegradable, sustainable throughout the production process, and reduces chemical pollution. It's versatile, produces no harmful fumes, and is also safe for septic systems.
It's potent and probably one of the most underutilized power cleaners in the average home. Everybody has a box of baking soda jammed into a dark corner of the food pantry or cabinet. Maybe it's time to start breaking them out.
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Oven 🍲 What everyone's saying
When simple tips like this come along, the response is usually a facepalm, followed by plenty of accolades and appreciation.
Baking soda does so much for so little that it's hard to complain. Not to mention the savings. According to Statista, the average expenditure on laundry and cleaning supplies is $169.83 per consumer unit.
"Definitely using this on my white dining table (turmeric stain)," one response post shared.
Another took the suggested 10-minute wait time to a new level: "This worked, but I let it sit overnight!!!!"
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