Find out more about the chemistry of vinegar and baking soda; it’s a great example of safe cleaning for the entire family or just the kind of kitchen chemistry you want your kids to discover on their own.
The Fizzy Reaction
An eruption of vinegar and baking soda, for example, may come to mind, reminiscent of childhood science experiments. But, this fizzing action does nothing to help clean your surfaces!
When acetic acid in vinegar mixes with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), it generates water and the salt sodium acetate which releases carbon dioxide gas. This gas is the one responsible for all that big fizzed-out bubbly stuff happening. Although it may look satisfying, this does not mean that the lid is any cleaner. Most of the baking soda, in fact, even is unreacted and the cleaning agent itself turns out to be the baking soda just a bit intra-converted into its reaction products.
Understanding the Chemistry
Before going into what vinegar and baking soda can do as cleaners, it helps to understand some of the chemistry behind why they work. Acids (specifically the good acetic acid in vinegar) help dissolve mineral deposits as well as break down some types of grime. For example, bases like baking soda can help raise insoluble substances by attaching to lipid molecules and breaking them.
Vinegar is a useful cleaner in some areas (like descaling showers or kettles), but the reaction with baking soda doesn’t make it clean better. Baking Soda is already a super weak base, and the produced sodium acetate is even weaker so does not meaningfully contribute to cleaning. Instead, you should simply use either vinegar or baking soda separately as per the cleaning need.
Conclusion
Sure, the fizzing combo of vinegar and baking soda seems cool but is that going to help you clean any better than what your shouts would achieve? When used separately, they can each take full advantage of their chemical properties to better address specific cleaning challenges. This knowledge of the basic chemistry in your home can guide you to better decisions on how best to clean.
