Is baking soda or vinegar better for laundry odor?

Author: Dr. Daryl Frami I  |  Last update: Monday, March 3, 2025

Removing Odors: If your carpets undergo a pet accident or a nasty spill, most experts would advise you to use baking soda to get rid of the stain. The same applies to other smelly fabrics, too. Baking soda helps remove odors like those from perspiration and smoke, leaving your clothes smelling fresh.

Is baking soda or vinegar better for smelly laundry?

Baking soda in the laundry can be a great addition for a natural fabric softener or controlling excess suds, while vinegar in laundry can be an amazing agent for getting those whites extra sparkling and banishing mildew odor. They help even the best laundry detergents to be more effective.

Is vinegar or baking soda better for odor?

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, or sodium hydrogen carbonate, which is a base. Contrasting with vinegar, baking soda absorbs acidic smells. Such as spoiled food, which makes them excellent choices for refrigerators. It will absorb smells and can even be used as a breath freshener.

Can you mix vinegar and baking soda in laundry?

Add baking soda in the wash and vinegar in the rinse. This combination can tackle a wide range of odors while also benefiting fabric cleanliness and softness. Ultimately, the choice may depend on the specific odors you're dealing with, but both are excellent natural options for deodorizing laundry.

Is it better to wash produce with vinegar or baking soda?

Let's finalize it: baking soda or vinegar for cleaning produce?
  • Baking soda removes pesticides & is best for produce that is soft or with crecices
  • Vinegar removes bacteria & is best for produce with a ``harder'' outer surface

Facts About Using Vinegar in the Washing Machine

What cleans better, vinegar or baking soda?

Baking soda is a natural deodorizer and a fine abrasive, which makes it excellent at scrubbing as well as absorbing odours. As a mild acid, vinegar is able to dissolve mineral deposits, dirt, grease, and grime.

How to use vinegar in laundry for odor?

Using vinegar in laundry is simple. You can add it to the fabric softener dispenser in your washing machine or pour it in during the final rinse cycle. When adding vinegar towards the end of the cycle, manually pause your machine right before the final rinse cycle and add a 1/2 cup of diluted white vinegar to the load.

How to get towels white again?

“Oxygen bleach and other shop-bought laundry whitening products can restore white towels,” advises Paterson. “Oxygen bleach is a powdered product (sodium percarbonate) that can be used to remove stains and disinfect. It's considered gentler and eco-friendlier than chlorine bleaches.

How to use baking soda in laundry for odor?

Pour half a cup of baking soda directly into the washing machine drum before you add clothes. This helps fight grime and odors right from the start. The baking soda works during the wash cycle to keep your laundry smelling fresh. For hard water areas, this method softens the water, making your detergent work better.

What is the absolute best odor eliminator?

11 Best Odor Eliminators of 2024, Tested and Reviewed by Cleaning Experts
  • Best Overall. Clorox Disinfecting Mist. Read more.
  • Best Value. Febreze Odor-Fighting Air Freshener. Read more.
  • Best for Bathroom Odors. Poo-Pourri Before-You-Go Toilet Spray. Read more.

What is the best natural laundry deodorizer?

Lavender, lemon, orange, lemongrass, and eucalyptus are excellent options for a homemade laundry scent. Combine a quart of white vinegar with 30 – 40 drops of the essential oil you've selected. This mixture will be your natural laundry freshener.

What is the secret to good smelling laundry?

Deodorize With Baking Soda

Baking soda is a great way to deodorize your laundry. You can use baking soda as a laundry detergent replacement or as a booster. Baking soda allows you to use less detergent and makes the wash more effective.

What happens if you use vinegar and laundry detergent together?

Adding vinegar directly to the wash with your laundry detergent may compromise its cleaning performance. Laundry detergents are formulated for specific pH levels, which may be disrupted by the acidity of vinegar, leading to less effective cleaning. It's best to avoid mixing them to ensure optimal results.

How to get bo smell out of clothes?

You can try using vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser of your washing machine. Not only will it help remove odours but it will also soften your clothes. If you have the option, drying the clothes in the sunshine will also help.

What do hotels use to keep towels white?

Hotels and laundries have a chemical called Potassium permanganate which is a very strong oxidizer that can kill everything and also remove stains effectively. So now you know how hotels manage to keep towels white. There are numerous stain remover solutions available in the market.

How to wash towels with vinegar and baking soda?

Washing towels with vinegar and baking soda can bring them back to life in just three steps:
  1. Wash towels in hot water and one cup vinegar. ...
  2. Wash the towels a second time (without drying them) in hot water and one cup baking soda.
  3. Dry your towels but avoid fabric softener, which builds up on towels and reduces softness.

Why do my husband's towels turn yellow?

Body Oils and Lotions: Natural oils from your skin, as well as lotions and other personal care products, can transfer to your towels. Over time, these oils can cause discoloration, particularly on white fabrics. Sun Exposure: Prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause white towels to yellow.

Is distilled vinegar the same as white vinegar?

White vinegar, also known as distilled vinegar or spirit vinegar, is made by fermenting grain alcohol (ethanol) which then turns into acetic acid. Water is then added to the vinegar, so white vinegar is made of five to ten percent acetic acid and ninety to ninety-five percent water.

How long does it take for vinegar to remove odors?

A bowl of vinegar can start absorbing odors almost immediately and is typically adequate for up to 24 hours. When left out in a room, the acetic acid in vinegar neutralizes alkaline odors, such as those from smoke, cooking, or pet accidents, by binding with the odor molecules and neutralizing them.

Can you whiten your teeth with strawberry and baking soda?

According to Operative Dentistry, when compared with proven OTC, in-office, or at-home options, a strawberry-baking soda mixture was not effective at whitening teeth. In fact, it could be actively harming them…

Is it better to clean fruit with vinegar or baking soda?

Both batches of berries lasted a full week without going moldy, but the ones washed in a solution of water and baking soda were noticeably softer and stodgier than those washed in a water and vinegar, which remained firm.

Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar to clean strawberries?

Never fear: vinegar can help rinse off pesticide residue as well as dirt or bacteria. Pour three cups of cold water and a cup of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar into a bowl, then submerge your strawberries for five to 20 minutes.

Previous article
How do I increase the flow rate of my faucet?
Next article
Can I write off supplies for my business?