Using baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) during laundry is an inexpensive way to remove odors from cloths, boost detergent and bleach performance, soften clothes, clean an iron, and control detergent suds.
During laundry, one may ask “Can you put baking soda in HE washer” Well, we’ve got the answer to the question. Read On…
What Is A HE Washer?
The HE washer simply means high efficient washer which has an advantage over other washers because of its lower carbon footprint on the environment.
Its service is usually preferred in the laundry because of its ability to use much less water than a standard top-loading washer with a center agitator.
What’s Baking Soda?
Baking soda or bicarbonate soda or Sodium bicarbonate is a chemical compound with the formula NAHCO3. It is an acidic salt from a reaction of sodium ion NA+ and bicarbonate ion HCO3– with a crystalline appearance.
Most times its appearance is in the form of white powder, it has a slightly salty alkaline taste, resembling baking powder.
It is used as a stain remover especially paint stains, rust and it can be used on your clothes. More so, because of its ability to remove stains and whitening ability, it is called the whitening wonder.
To whiten your clothes during laundry, add ½ cup of baking soda to the mild detergent then laundry. You can also pre-treat stains with baking soda by mixing a small amount of baking soda with the water to form a paste and applying the paste on the stained area on your baby’s fabrics before washing.
Can You Put Baking Soda In HE Washer?
YES, baking soda is safe to use in both standard and high-efficiency washers, it is one of the top two best products (along with distilled white vinegar) to green your laundry by reducing your dependence on chemicals.
Read Also: Can You Put Baking Soda in Baby Clothes?
How To Use Baking Soda In HE Washer
When using baking soda in your HE washer do not put it in the automatic detergent dispenser with your other regular detergents because it can cause clumping and as a result, clog your dispenser.
You may be wondering why you should take this precaution, the reason is that; baking soda is dry and I am sure you don’t want to clog your HE washer.
Therefore to avoid clumping and the formation of clog it is best advised to sprinkle ½ cup of baking soda into the washer tub while it is empty before you load your clothes.
Using baking soda in your laundry process helps achieve the brightening of clothes without using bleach since baking soda is a natural brightener and deodorizer.
If you also have particularly smelly clothes you want to wash, using baking soda is your ideal option. All you need to do is use a full cup of baking soda and don’t be scared the increased quantity won’t affect your HE washer.
To get an excellent result when using baking soda, it is best advised you allow your clothes to soak in the solution of baking soda and water for at least 30 minutes before completing the wash cycle.
Here is a video showing how to add baking soda to your laundry
Other Uses Of Baking Soda
1. It Soften Fabrics Naturally
Baking soda helps to regulate the pH level in the HE washer’s rinse water by simply regulating it from being too acidic or alkaline.
Pouring 1/2 cup of baking soda into each rinse cycle in your washer acts as a balance to suspend detergent or mineral residues in the water and keep them from redepositing on clothes that can make your fabric feel stiff.
As a natural mineral, using baking soda during laundry is less harsh on the environment than synthetic fabric softeners with perfumes that mask odors.
This also makes it a decent choice for those with sensitive skin and allergies, especially babies. Unlike synthetic fabric softeners that can react with fire-retardant finishes on baby’s pajamas, baking soda can be used safely.
2. Helps Control Excess Suds
Overflowing suds from the HE washer looks funny on TV, but it isn’t funny when it happens to you during laundry. With the popularity of the new HE or high-efficiency front-loading washers, suds control is a necessity.
Mistakenly, if you use regular laundry detergent rather than HE detergent, you’ll see those suds begin to flow.
If this occurs, turn off your washer and grab your baking soda then sprinkle the baking soda directly on the suds to quickly break them down. Hence, the baking soda absorbs some of the moisture and laundry will be easier.
Read Also: Can I Use Regular Fabric Softener In My HE Washer?
3. Iron Cleaner
Naturally, baking soda is a gentle abrasive. To eliminate built-up starch and scorch deposits from the faceplate of a cool iron, simply mix a paste of baking soda and water.
With your white cloth, rub the paste over the face of the iron. For stubborn stains, use the cloth to scrub gently and repeat the process until the stain build-up is gone.
After you’ve finished wiping off the faceplate with a clean cloth dampened with distilled white vinegar. Your iron will glide smoothly making ironing your clothes easier and leave no tell-tale deposits.
Can Other Natural Products Be Used In HE Washers?
Having known that baking soda can be used in HE Washers I am sure you will anxious to know if other natural products give the desired effects in the laundry without being harmful to the machine.
The answer is Yes. Other natural detergent boosters can be added to your HE washer while performing your laundry.
While the HE washers do not require the use of low sudsing HE detergents formulas due to the lower water level used in each cycle natural detergent boosters can still be used in the machine
These detergent boosters help in the laundry process by lending their cleaning and brightening powers to less expensive laundry detergents, helping them to whiten whites, remove stains and then act as water softeners.
Read Also: What Happens When You Use Regular Detergent In A HE Washer ?
Some Natural Products Used In HE Washer
There are lots of natural detergents that can be used in the HE washer and they include:
Borax
When using borax, it is best advised that is used the way a dry baking soda is used to avoid clogging. Just sprinkle ½ cup of borax into your empty washer tub before adding the dirty laundry.
Note:
Before you do this, make sure that there are no lumps in the borax powder. If the laundry is performed with cold water it may not dissolve properly.
Distilled White Vinegar
If you want to use the white distilled vinegar, then it should be placed in the fabric softener dispenser so that it will be added during the rinse cycle.
The vinegar helps in removing any detergent or soil clinging to fabric clothes and as result leaves them feeling soft and clean. But remember to fill the fabric softener cup to the top level with the white vinegar during use.
Ammonia
Sometimes if you want to remove strong smelly odors from clothes like those of hog farmers and skunk encounters then the use of strong ammonia becomes the best option.
When you want to use ammonia make sure it is non-sudsing household ammonia because it is safer to use it in HE washers and this simply means that you must read the label carefully to be sure that it won’t leave excessive suds after usage.
Remember also, you can add ammonia directly to the washer drum before loading the dirty clothes and adding water.
Read Also: How To Use Woolite In HE Washer
Take-Home
We hope this article has given an in-depth discussion to answer the question, can you put baking soda in HE washer and other related questions during laundry.
Remember, having the right information will help you to determine the best approach to use during your laundry especially washing baby clothes. Still, need to know more? Learn How To Whiten Baby Clothes Without Bleach