Life Hack: Five of the most Googled baking soda hacks and how to do them

From cleaning jewellery to freshening up mattresses, baking soda is the kitchen staple than can seemingly do anything

More of us are Googling how to use baking soda in hacks, it's not hard to see why

Baking soda: is there anything it can’t do? Labelled as sodium bicarbonate on shelves here in Ireland, it’s the unassuming ingredient that is probably used more around the house than it is in any recipe. Unsurprisingly, it is the subject of many online searches and new research from Dr Oetker has highlighted the top most Googled uses of the substance.

Despite its reputation as a cleaning agent in the kitchen, the most popular search is about how baking soda can whiten your teeth, with Google searches on the topic up 200%. For a homemade whitening toothpaste, mix one teaspoon of baking soda with two teaspoons of water and brush your teeth. It’s a popular experiment on TikTok, but dentists on the app are warning that this can wear down your enamel and cause sensitivity, so if you choose to try it, do it sparingly.

A few months ago we tested the viral hack to clean a washing machine with a dishwasher tablet and the second most popular search promises similar results. Some house proud people have been cleaning their washing machines with a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar and the results seem effective. If you ever notice a damp smell from clothes coming out of your washing machine, add a cupful of baking soda into the drum with white vinegar and set it for a hot wash to get rid of odour-causing grime.

A stain on a mattress can be tricky to remove but trusty bicarbonate of soda is once again the key. Make a paste with baking soda and water, spread it on the stain, and leave it to dry. When you brush off the dry powder, the stain should be absorbed.

Even jewellery can be gently cleaned with baking soda. Although it is mild, baking soda can remove tarnish from silver safely. To transform your jewellery, dissolve a couple of tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl of warm water and drop your silver items into the bowl. Soak them for 15 minutes before checking if the tarnish will wipe away. Leave the silver to soak for longer if the tarnish is slow to budge.

Another room that benefits from baking soda's powers is the bathroom, particularly the showerhead. These can quickly build up with calcium deposits, which are difficult to remove and can cause your shower to lose some water pressure. A deep clean can help improve things: make a paste using baking soda and water and rub it into the showerhead. Let it sit for a while before rinsing it away.