Why You Should Leave A Bowl Of Baking Soda In The Bathroom

Your bathroom should be a place of cleansing, renewal, and relaxation, though it takes a fair amount of effort to keep it sparkling week after week. Aside from regular cleaning rituals, another requirement is odor reduction. Back in the days of yore, we were spraying our bathrooms with aerosol room fresheners, but hopefully, we've all become aware that this is really not a great idea. Room freshening sprays aren't great for our respiratory systems, may cause other health issues, and add chemicals that degrade the inside air quality. That's why we like a non-toxic, low-cost, reliable way to combat bathroom odors — leave a dish of baking soda sitting free and clear on a shelf or on the back of the toilet. If it happens to spill and you get baking soda in your toilet, it will remove stains and help unclog it, so that's a total win!

Bathroom smells come from a few sources: the toilet, of course, but the sink and bathtub drains and pipe areas accumulate all sorts of grime that can stinkify the area. Those types of smells are often acidic in nature, and what's so helpful about baking soda is that it is alkaline. By creating a chemical reaction that shifts the pH level in the room, baking soda absorbs and neutralizes odors. But don't ever repurpose baking soda into a recipe after it's been on full-time duty absorbing odors; we bet you can guess why.

Instead of leaving an unglamorous open box of baking soda on the back of the toilet, you might want to place it in a cute dish, bowl, or open mason jar, further securing it on a small rack or tray. Since we're often barefoot in the bathroom, for maximum safety, you might choose a melamine or wood vessel in case it gets knocked over. If you have scented bath crystals you like, you might mix in some of those. Another great place to deodorize is your bathroom garbage can. As soon as you've emptied it, sprinkle some powder in the bottom of the can.

To combat unpleasant mildew and pipe scents, you might create a little baking powder pouch. If you have an old pair of nylons, a nylon sock, some cheesecloth, or a piece of cotton, place at least a half cup of bicarbonate onto the fabric, then secure it closed with an elastic ponytail holder or rubber band. To make it slightly more festive, use leftover holiday ribbon to tie it to the pipes under your sink, or just use string. Because of those pungent pipe smells, it's better to keep linens out from under your sink. Finally, check whether the open bowl and pouch are still working somewhere between one and three months. When they've done all they can, toss the powder down both the sink and tub drains and then flush them with hot water, deodorizing the pipes.