Have you ever confused baking soda with baking powder or vice-versa? Both are common rising or leavening agents used for baking. A rising agent increases cakes, breads, biscuits and other baking items.
Most people get confused between these two ingredients because they almost look the same- white powders, but have different textures and consistencies. Of course, both can be used for different cleaning purposes, but you need to know when to use baking soda and when to apply baking powder.
For that, you need to know more about their properties, chemical compounds and efficacy before using them, especially for household cleaning to maintain a healthy indoor environment and
improve indoor air quality.
Here is a complete guide to help you know the basic difference between baking soda and baking powder and when to use them for effective sprucing results.
Baking Soda Vs Baking Powder: What is the Difference?
Baking soda, also known as Sodium bicarbonate, has a smooth and fine texture. It is composed of a single ingredient and is used as a rising agent in baking recipes like cakes and bread. The chemical formula of baking soda is NaHCO3, and is slightly alkaline.
It produces gas (carbon dioxide) when mixed with an acid. This helps in rising the batter or dough. It is one of the most versatile cleaning ingredients as well and can be used to remove stains and grime when performing a
thorough end of lease cleaning Canberra and secure the full bond back.
On the other hand, Baking Powder is a mixture of baking soda and one or more acid salts, filler or cornstarch. It has a slightly grainier texture, and the chemical formula is NaHCO3, cream of tartar or monocalcium phosphate and a moisture-absorbing agent.
When baking powder is mixed with moisture, the acid salt reacts with the sodium bicarbonate and creates carbon dioxide gas. This allows the dough to rise and helps you make fluffy baked items.
When to Use Baking Soda For Baking and Cooking Purposes
It is always good to use baking soda in dishes with acidic elements, such as buttermilk, curd and cocoa powder, to let the batter rise and get fluffy.
When added to the batter, the baking soda interacts with the acid and produces CO2 gas. Baking in hot appliances allows the batter to rise -which is a great sign.
When you use Baking Powder for Baking Purposes
Baking powder already includes acid salts, so you can use it when a recipe doesn’t need an acidic element, such as buttermilk, curd or cocoa powder. Baking powder reacts or activates when you mix it with water and will rise again when you put it on heat or flame.
Most baking dishes, like cakes, include both baking soda and baking powder to give extra lightness and fluffiness to your baking item.
Apart from cooking and baking, both ingredients have different uses when it comes to cleaning.
When to Use Baking Soda for Cleaning
Baking soda is the best cleaning products that can help you remove stains, oil splatters, grease, musty odours and germs from all surfaces. It is a great alternative to store-bought cleaners that are laden with ammonia and other harmful chemicals. This is one of the key ingredients to
clean your kitchen and remove grease and glory with ease.
Professional end of lease cleaners Canberra suggests people to use baking soda for the following cleaning purposes:
Stain Removal
It is alkaline in nature and can help you remove greasy and oily stains from almost all surfaces, such as countertops, sinks, cookware, carpets, rugs and much more.
You can prepare a paste of baking soda and warm water to create a thick paste and apply it over the stained surface. Leave it for a few minutes and wipe it down with a damp cloth.
It is a great scrubbing or scouring ingredient
Being a mildly abrasive product, baking soda can be used to tackle stubborn stains, grime, grease and other tough stains without causing any damage to the surface.
You can use it as a scrubbing agent to
clean your oven, microwave, bathroom fixtures, floors, and much more.
Banish Bad Odours
It is one of the best cleaning products that can absorb bad odours from carpets, rugs and upholstery furniture with ease. You can use it to deodorise your oven, microwave, refrigerator, bathtub and trash cans.
Sprinkle it over your carpets and leave it overnight or until you vacuum clean it to get rid of powder residue.
Disinfect Surfaces
You can also use baking soda to disinfect contaminated surfaces, especially natural stone areas, sink, faucets, windows, and much more.
However, you can use also
clean your house with baking soda and vinegar and achieve great outcomes.
When to Use Baking Powder For Cleaning
Removing Stains from Silverware
Baking powder is not as useful as baking soda but can be used to for several cleaning purposes. You can use it to remove stains and polish silverware.
You can create a paste by mixing baking powder with water. Coat it over the silverware and let it sit for half an hour. Scrub and rinse it thoroughly to see sparkling results.
Clean Your Drain
Baking powder can be used with white vinegar to create a fizzy reaction. This can be used to unclog garbage disposal, bathroom drains and clogged pipes.
Pour a mixture of baking soda followed by vinegar down the drain and leave it for 10 minutes or until you flush or pour hot water to get rid of stuck food crumbs, stains and debris.
If you want to pass the rental inspection at the end of your tenancy, hire professionally-trained people for a thorough end of lease cleaning Canberra and secure your full bond money. Before that, check the initial condition report and spruce up the property according to the checklist.
Wrapping Up
There is no denying that both baking soda and baking powder have different properties, chemical reactions and cleaning purposes. However, baking soda is more powerful when it comes to removing stubborn stains, oil splatters, grease, bad odours and germs. But, it is good to test these ingredients on a small area and ensure they don’t cause any damage to the surface.
