Our Top 6 Substitutes for Baking Soda in Cleaning

DIYers and health and toxin-conscious consumers buy baking soda in bulk for a reason: it’s one of the most versatile and effective natural cleaning substances on the planet.  

But what do you do when you run out?! Is there even a viable substitute for this multipurpose natural cleaning wonder?

Fortunately, there are several comparable alternatives.

In this article, we share seven plus substitutes for baking soda in cleaning using other human-safe and natural alternatives.

Table of Contents [add jump links when publishing]

• Branch Basics
• Sodium Citrate 
• Vodka
• Lemon Juice or White Vinegar
• Baking Powder 
• Club Soda

1. Branch Basics

Baking soda has many uses in cleaning, nearly all of which can be tackled using Branch Basics All-Purpose, Bathroom, and Oxygen Boost.

Branch Basics All-Purpose and Bathroom dilutions, made using Branch Basics Concentrate plus water, are ideal for removing germs, dirt, grease, stains, food, and grime from surfaces. 

Oxygen Boost is an incredible baking soda swap because it contains baking soda (sodium carbonate) plus sodium percarbonate (oxygen bleach), making it an incredible human-safe scouring agent, laundry booster, and bleach alternative.

Branch Basics products were created to the highest human-safe and environmentally-friendly standards and are: Certified Made Safe, EWG-Verified, Cruelty-Free Verified/Never tested on animals, and independently, third-party tested as non-skin or eye irritants.

Cleaning Uses

All-Purpose is ideal for removing germs, dirt, grease, and grime from surfaces, washing dishes, cleaning produce, and can be used to remove almost any stain from clothing, carpets, upholstery, and more. You can even use it to clean your car.

Branch Basics Bathroom is the more concentrated version and is recommended for counters, toilets, showers, sinks, stuck-on food, or whenever you have a messier cleaning job that requires more suds.

Oxygen Boost can be used alone or paired with Branch Basics All-Purpose, Bathroom, or Laundry dilutions to tackle any cleaning job in the home, including stain removal, scouring, cleaning tile grout, as a soaking agent, bleach alternative, and a laundry booster.

How to Use

Branch Basics products are made with only human-safe and earth-friendly ingredients, are simple to use and safe for the most sensitive skin.

For detailed instructions on all their uses, click the links below:

• How To Use Branch Basics All-Purpose: Complete Guide
• How To Use Branch Basics Bathroom Solution: Complete Guide
• The Cleaning Power Of Branch Basics Concentrate And Oxygen Boost

2. Vodka

If you love baking soda as a natural deodorizer, you’ll also love using inexpensiveVodka to eliminate odors and freshen your home.

Cleaning Uses

Vodka is a wonderful natural deodorizer that can be sprayed onto surfaces, including upholstery and clothing, to absorb odors naturally.

How to Use

Vodka can be used as a spray or placed in a dish to absorb odors in the fridge or around the home.

To make a natural vodka air mister:

• Combine 1 part inexpensive, un-flavored vodka to 3 parts distilled water into a spray bottle 
• Use as an air mister or spray directly onto clothing, pet beds, mattresses, etc., to absorb and eliminate odors.

To use vodka in the fridge or room:

• Pour some inexpensive vodka into a bowl.
• Set in the area you wish to deodorize.
• Note: If you have children or pets around, be sure to place the vodka out of reach.

Related reading: 7 Non-Toxic Air Fresheners & How To Remove Odors Naturally

3. Lemon Juice or Vinegar

Lemon juice or vinegar are acidic, making them the opposite of alkaline baking soda, however, they can tackle many of the same jobs such as deodorizing, bleaching, softening clothes, and dissolving dirt and grime.

Cleaning Uses

Lemon juice and vinegar make wonderful natural bleach alternatives and can be used to brighten clothing, remove or lighten stains, soften your laundry, and clean surfaces.

How to Use

Lemon juice and distilled white vinegar can be used alone or diluted 50:50 with distilled water to make a powerful all-purpose cleaner.

Here are some ways to use them:

• To remove stains: Apply lemon juice or vinegar directly on stains, or apply salt to a cut lemon and apply to stains to lift and remove them, naturally.
• Always test a small section to ensure colorfastness and remove promptly on colored fabrics to prevent over-bleaching.
• To brighten and whiten clothing: Add 1 cup vinegar or lemon juice to your laundry along with your favorite natural laundry soap or detergent, like Branch Basics Laundry or Branch Basics NEW Laundry Detergent.
• To clean sinks and faucets: Use vinegar or lemon juice diluted 50:50 with water, spray on, rinse, buff clean.
• To clean and deodorize cutting boards: Pour undiluted lemon juice or vinegar directly onto cutting boards, scrub, and let dwell a few minutes. Rinse clean
• To clean surfaces: Use a 50:50 mixture of lemon juice or vinegar and water as an all-purpose cleaner for most types of surfaces.
• Freshen your garbage disposal or drain: Place lemon peels or pour lemon juice or vinegar directly down the garbage disposal or drain to clean and deodorize.
• Soap scum and watermarks on glass: Spray a 50:50 mixture of vinegar or lemon juice and water on glass to remove watermarks and soap scum. Let dwell 5-10 minutes for stubborn stains. Wipe clean.
• To deodorize clothing: Spray a 50:50 mixture of vinegar or lemon juice with water to remove odors on clothing, pet beds, carpets, etc.
• Always test a small area first to ensure color fastness and remove promptly to avoid discoloration.
• To remove stains on countertops: You can use a freshly cut lemon, pure lemon juice, vinegar, or a freshly cut lemon with salt to naturally bleach away stains on many types of countertops.
• Always check manufacturer’s recommendations before using on natural stone.

Note: Vinegar contains natural acetic acid, which is a lung irritant when sprayed and not recommended for use around babies, small children, or anyone with compromised lungs or health. Otherwise, use in a well-ventilated area or avoid spraying.

Related reading: 12 Ways To Use Vinegar In Your Home

4. Salt

Plain table salt makes an excellent natural baking soda substitute for scouring and stain removal.

Cleaning Uses

Salt doesn’t receive as much attention as baking soda these days, but it can be used for many of the same purposes including:

• Scouring—choose a fine salt for a gentler scour
• Stain removal
• Deodorize drains
• Save burnt pots and pans
• Greasy messes
• Mildew
• Brightening whites
• And more

How to Use

For most jobs, a fine table salt will do the trick. Here’s how to use it:

• For scouring: Make a paste of salt and water or add salt directly to a pot or pan, and gently scour.
• For stains: Salt will remove blood, wine stains, and sweat stains. Here’s how:
• Blood: 
• Soak the item in a strong saltwater solution for 30 minutes to an hour. 
• Wash in warm soapy water with Branch Basics Laundry or another natural soap.
• Pour boiling water over the remaining stain and watch it come clean.
• Wine:
• Pour a pile of salt on top of the wine stain and leave for at least 30 minutes.
• Wash as normal.
• Sweat stains:
• Soak affected item in 1/4 cup salt with 4 cups of very warm water for 10-30 minutes. 
• Launder as usual.
• Deodorize drains: Pour a mixture of several tablespoons of salt and very warm water down the drain to flush and deodorize.
• You can also combine several tablespoons of salt with a can of club soda to unclog and deodorize your drains.
• Burnt pots pans: Boil a mixture of several tablespoons salt with water for 5-10 minutes. Let sit, and the burnt parts should scrub off easily.
• Greasy messes: Use a strong salt water solution or plain salt to cut through and remove grease on surfaces, dishes, or clothing.
• Mildew: Combine salt with lemon juice or vinegar and make a paste. Apply to mildew on clothing, fabric, or grout and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Scrub to remove or launder as usual.
• Brightening dingy whites: Soak dingy socks and other whites in 1/4 cup salt with 3 cups water to whiten before washing.

Although we love table salt for cleaning, we do not recommend its use for cooking or consumption.

For a list of healthier, mineral-rich salt brands, see: How To Make Recipes Healthier.

5. Baking Powder

Baking powder and baking soda may not be interchangeable in baking, but you can use baking powder as a substitute for baking soda in cleaning.

Both are made with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), but baking powder has an added acidifier, which is usually cream of tartar. This changes how it reacts during baking and also makes it a finer texture.

Cleaning Uses

Baking powder can be used to clean anything you’d normally clean with baking soda. Just note its texture is not as abrasive, so it may not work as well as a natural scouring agent.

How to Use

Use baking powder the same way you would use baking soda, making adjustments for scouring power.

Related reading: Cleaning With Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate): 12 Surprising Uses

6. Club Soda

Did you know club soda contains baking soda? It’s true! Club soda is made with water, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and citric acid.

This is why we’ve listed it as a comparable baking soda alternative for several tasks.

Cleaning Uses

Obviously, club soda won’t have the same scouring power as baking soda. However, it will work wonders on stains, deodorizing, and in various cleaning applications, including:

• Removing various stains
• Cleaning and deodorizing your fridge
• Cleaning up and deodorizing pet stains
• Removing stains on mugs and other dishes
• Shining stainless steel
• Unclogging and deodorizing slow drains

How to Use

Club soda works best used “neat”/undiluted in cleaning. You can either use it in a spray bottle, pour it directly onto stains and surfaces, or pour some onto a clean cloth and apply.

Here’s how to use it for different cleaning chores:

• For stains: Pour club soda directly onto red wine, mustard, tea, coffee, blood, fruit, and vegetable stains. Let sit a few minutes, then blot up with a clean cloth and repeat if necessary. 
• Note: club soda will not work on grease or oil stains and works best on fresh stains.
• For fridges: Spray or wipe club soda directly onto the inside and outside of your fridge using a cloth. Wipe clean.
• Pet stains: Put on gloves and remove as much of the pet stain as you can. Next, pour club soda directly onto the stain. Let sit for a few minutes. Gently blot up using a clean cloth. Repeat if necessary.
• Removing stains on mugs and dishes: Pour club soda directly into the mug, bowl, etc. and let sit for 30 minutes. Wash as usual.
• Shining stainless steel: Spray club soda directly onto stainless steel appliances, pots and pans, water bottles, etc.; wipe off with a clean dry cloth.
• For clogged drains: Pour 1-2 cups of club soda directly down the drain with several tablespoons of salt. Let sit a few minutes, then flush with warm water. Repeat as necessary.

Related read: Natural Drain Cleaners: 5 Safe Options For Your Home.

Need a Natural Alternative? We Can Help With That 

We love DIY cleaning products like baking soda—and have used them for years—but we also yearned for a simple solution that encompassed all the cleaning needs of the health- and toxin-conscious consumer.

That’s why we created Branch Basics as an all-in-one natural cleaning line.

Our signature Concentrate was designed to replace every single synthetic chemical cleaning and laundry product in the home. 

Here’s how it works.

• Grab the designated bottle for All-Purpose, Bathroom, Streak-Free, Laundry, or Foaming Wash in your Branch Basics Starter Kit,
• Add the recommended amount of Concentrate,
• Top off with water, 
• And you’re ready to clean, launder, or wash anything (including your hands, face, car, pets, babies, jewelry, deck, concrete, carpets, rugs, and much more). 

Our Premium Starter Kits also contain Oxygen Boost, that powerful baking soda/sodium percarbonate combo we told you about earlier, and refillable plastic or glass bottles.

Yes, we still love our baking soda as a healthy adjunct to our human-safe cleaning routine. But when we run out, it’s nice to have options!

For more information on Branch Basics ingredients, formulas, and philosophy, see: How Branch Basics Is A Healthy And Sustainable Cleaning Line.

For more educational resources on identifying, removing, and replacing harmful products in your home, check out our blog and Toss The Toxins Online Course.