Here are my top soda crystals uses around the home to help you tackle everyday cleaning jobs the eco-friendly way.
Soda crystals are one of my go-to green multi-tasking products. They’re simple, affordable, and powerful – especially when it comes to cutting through grease and grime without relying on harsh chemicals.
As such, I’ve always got a bag to hand – I keep them in my eco-friendly cleaning kit, which I use to make my DIY natural cleaning products.
If you’ve bought a bag of this green cleaning product and are wondering how to use it up, or if you’re curious about how to use soda crystals, then let me help. Here are 14 of the many practical ways I use soda crystals in my home.
I’ve covered all my top cleaning tips – including how to use soda crystals for everything from laundry and drains to ovens and floors, along with a few tips to help you get the best results.
14 Clever Soda Crystals Uses Around the Home
One of the main reasons I love soda crystals is just how versatile and effective they are. They are commonly used for cleaning grease, softening water in laundry, unblocking drains, and freshening appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. Their natural alkalinity makes them especially effective on oily and stubborn grime.
Ready to get cleaning? Here are my favourite ways to use them:
How To Clean Your Washing Machine Naturally
Soda crystals are fantastic at giving your washing machine a good clean. Once a month, simply place roughly 150 grams in the drum and run an empty 90°C wash (or the hottest your machine will go). Then sit back and relax, and let them get to work without having to lift a finger!
They work by dissolving soap build-up and hard water deposits. This helps prolong the life of your machine and leaves clothes feeling fresher.
Want to know more? Try my in-depth guide on how to clean a washing machine.
How To Naturally Clean Your Sink & Drains
Got a slow-draining kitchen sink? Never fear, another great use for soda crystals is as a natural sink and drain cleaner.
Simply pour a cup of soda crystals down your sink or drain, then carefully pour a kettle full of boiled water. This will remove any fat or grease deposits, making your drain smell sweeter. It will also allow the water to drain away faster.
Check out my full guide on how to naturally unblock a drain for the full how-to.
How To Use Soda Crystals To Soften Your Water
If you live in a hard water area, then try putting a spoonful of soda crystals in with every laundry load, alongside your regular detergent. This helps soften the water, prolonging the life of your machine. It also has the added benefit of improving the cleaning effectiveness of your usual laundry detergent.
How To Clean Wood-Burning Stove Glass The Non-Toxic Way
If the glass of your wood-burning stove is quite sooty, then soda crystals will take care of that. All you need to do is dissolve a quarter cup of soda crystals in a litre of hot water. Saturate a cloth with the solution and use it to clean the soot off the glass. Clean glass in no time!
How To Clean Greasy Kitchen Surfaces Naturally
Greasy cooker hood? Greasy tiles? Fear not. Dissolve one part soda crystals in three parts water. Pop on some rubber gloves, wet a cloth with the solution, and the grease will wipe off with ease.
And if you have food splatters on your hob, you can sprinkle a little bit of soda crystals on it, and then wipe it with a damp cloth. The splatters should wipe away with ease.
Is your extractor fan filter full of grease? I used to dread this job, but soda crystals really do make it easier without too much elbow grease!
All you need to do is dissolve two large spoons of crystals and three large spoons of laundry detergent in hot water. Pop your extractor fan filters in to soak for around 20 minutes before giving it a light scrub. They should come up clean with minimal effort!
How To Clean A Toilet With Soda Crystals
Soda crystals make a good bleach alternative for cleaning stained toilets. Try combining equal parts crystals and water. Then pour your solution down the toilet and leave for 15 – 30 minutes before giving it a good scrub with your toilet brush.
How To Use Soda Crystals To Remove Stains From Clothes
Stained clothes? Remove stains the natural way by adding one cup of soda crystals to a pint of hot water. Next, pre-soak your clothes for an hour before washing them as normal.
This solution is especially good at naturally removing stains such as tea, coffee, blood, oil, grease, and ink from clothes.
Want to go deeper? I also have heaps more natural stain removal tips this way.
How To Remove Tea And Coffee Stains From Mugs Naturally
You know those pesky stains you get in the bottom of mugs? To remove these tea stains from cups, add half a teaspoon of soda crystals per mug and fill with boiling water. Leave to soak until cool, and then rinse and wash as normal. The stains should wash out easily.
How To Clean Burnt Pots, Pans & Baking Trays With Soda Crystals
If your pots have burnt-on food that just won’t budge, then add a quarter cup of soda crystals and fill the pan with boiling water. Leave to soak overnight and clean as normal.
The food should shift quite easily with very little scrubbing. Avoid using this solution on any aluminium pans or bakeware, though, as they can damage the surface.
How To Clean Oven Racks Without Harsh Chemicals
If your oven racks are looking a bit crusty, then soda crystals can help get them clean and shiny again.
Simply run a shallow amount of hot water into your bathtub, and add a cup of soda crystals. Pop your oven racks and grill tray in the solution, and leave them for 30 minutes. Then give them a quick scrub, and they should come up lovely and clean without too much hard work!
See my full guide to homemade oven cleaner for more tips and tricks.
How To Reduce Your Use Of Laundry Detergent
Laundry detergent tends to be much pricier than soda crystals. For a really thrifty take on laundry, you can use soda crystals to reduce the amount of detergent you use by half, without impacting on performance.
To reduce your laundry costs, use a ratio of 50% detergent and 50% soda crystals in the drawer for really clean and fresh-smelling clothes.
How To Clean Solid Floors Naturally
For an eco-friendly solid floor cleaner for everyday tiles, vinyl, and sealed surfaces, simply add 1 tablespoon of soda crystals to a mop bucket of hot water. Swirl with the mop to mix, and then wash your floors as usual – just avoid using it on laminate, wood, or stone floors.
How To Remove Crayon Marks From Walls With Soda Crystals
Finally, if your kids have got a little too creative and got crayon on the walls, then you don’t need to redecorate!
Simply add equal parts water and soda crystals and mix to form a paste. You can then use this paste to scrub the crayon mark off the wall.
An important word of warning, though – don’t use this paste on wallpapered walls. It’s also advisable to spot test on a hidden part of your wall (maybe behind some furniture). This is because the crystals can remove some of the paint on brightly coloured walls.
Where To Buy Soda Crystals
If I’ve been able to convince you to give them a go, your next question might be where you can find soda crystals.
Soda crystals are widely available in supermarkets – find them in the laundry aisle. Failing that, hardware shops often stock them in the cleaning section. They’re usually very affordable – generally under £2 for a 1 kg bag.
If you can’t find any locally, take a look at my guide to where to buy soda crystals for the best online options.
What Are Soda Crystals?
After all of this, you might be wondering just what soda crystals are. Sometimes known as washing soda, soda crystals are made from sodium carbonate, a simple mineral salt with no added ingredients.
What makes it so effective at cleaning is that soda crystals are alkaline. In everyday terms, that means they’re particularly good at breaking down grease, oil, and fatty residues, which is what you want when you’re doing the laundry and cleaning your kitchen.
They contain no toxic ingredients, which is why they are favoured in green cleaning recipes. They’re also biodegradable, free from synthetic fragrances, vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and suitable for septic tanks.
What’s more, because of their simple ingredients, soda crystals are much less likely to cause an allergic reaction, compared to perfumed or enzyme-based products.
A quick word of warning. Many people think soda crystals are the same as borax, but they’re not the same. They have different chemical compositions, which means they work in different ways. Soda crystals are particularly effective at cutting through grease, while borax tends to be better for lifting stains and tackling odours.
Soda Crystals Safety Guide
Soda crystals may be a natural product, but they’re still a chemical, so it’s worth using them with care.
They can irritate skin in strong solutions, so I would always recommend wearing gloves for heavier cleaning jobs. It’s also best to avoid using them on aluminium or lacquered surfaces, as they can damage these types of surfaces.
Finally, I would advise against mixing soda crystals with vinegar. Whilst not a safety concern, much like mixing baking soda and vinegar, mixing the two creates a weak salt water solution that isn’t very good at cleaning anything.
More Green Cleaning Resources
Once you start using soda crystals regularly, you might start to look at what other cleaning products you can replace with natural alternatives.
If you decide to look at what else you can swap, then I’ve got loads more green cleaning tips to help you out:
Sign Up For The Moral Fibres Substack
Get all the latest articles from Moral Fibres straight to your inbox, once a month, free of charge through Substack. You can also upgrade to be a paid Substack subscriber, where you’ll receive an additional two exclusive articles a month. Sign up now:
