Malcolm Rands: The secret to eco-cleaning

Back in 3500 BCE, the Ancient Egyptians used baking soda as a cleaning agent and to dry out bodies for the process of mummification. Also known as sodium bicarbonate, it's actually a salt. Go ahead and try it; you’ll find that it tastes like a milder version of the salt in your shaker. It is slightly alkaline (the opposite of acidic), which is key to understanding why it’s such a good cleaner.  Keep your fridge smelling nice: Baking soda absorbs odors, so just leave a box of it in your fridge. That’s because most odors are acidic and, because baking soda is alkaline, it reacts with the acids in the air to neutralize them.  Unclog your drains: Baking soda reacts with vinegar, and this acid-base reaction is the reason baking soda and vinegar are cleaning partners in crime. The baking soda and vinegar volcano might be a science-fair classic, but that same explosive chemical reaction can do wonders in your kitchen or bathroom. Pouring baking soda and vinegar down a drain can unclog it; slathering a baking soda paste inside your filthy oven and then splashing a little vinegar on it cuts through grease and leaves it gleaming.  Use it instead of soap/jiff: It’s slightly abrasive. For some things, baking soda works better than typical soap. Although both are alkaline (not acidic), soap contains fat molecules that make it less harsh. Baking soda, on the other hand, is abrasive, which gives it the grit to dislodge particles and remove stains from a number of surfaces. 
Use it as a fire extinguisher: It passes gas, carbon dioxide, the same stuff you exhale. When baking soda is heated above 300°F, it releases the gas. That makes baking soda a great fire extinguisher (and the only way to put out a grease fire) because the influx of carbon dioxide cuts off the oxygen that had been fueling the fire. 
Use it for pest control: It’s a great nontoxic form of pest control, because when ingested by cockroaches or ants, gas builds up inside their hard-shelled bodies and causes their organs to fail. 
And that’s not all - it can also clean your veggies, revive stale-smelling sponges and scrub a BBQ. 
Recipe: Kitchen Cleaner and Deodorizer 
4 tablespoons baking soda 
1 litre  warm water 
To clean kitchen counters, appliances, and the inside of your refrigerator, all you need is baking soda. "It makes a great deodorizer and can be used to shine stainless steel sinks and appliances," says Carolyn Forte, director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab. To deodorize surfaces, use the solution above or pour baking soda straight from the box and into your drain or garbage disposal to remove odors. To shine and remove spots from stainless steel, make a paste of baking soda and water. Apply it with a damp cloth and rub gently in the direction of the metal’s grain. Rinse and buff dry. 
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