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Protocol
Method steps
- Check the fabric and the washer manual first Read the care label and your washer's owner's manual before adding baking soda (Whirlpool). Whirlpool says you may not want to use it on wool, cashmere and silk, and UGA Extension says washable wool and silk need a neutral soap with no free alkali.
- If you add it to a wash, put it in the drum, not the dispenser Tide says adding baking soda with detergent increases the risk of poorer cleaning, and no source we found tested a dose. If you still add it, Whirlpool says a half cup, straight into the washer tub, because the dispenser may clog; Arm & Hammer says ½ cup with detergent, or 1 cup with liquid detergent in an HE washer.
- Keep it out of the rinse and away from vinegar Whirlpool and Tide both say to avoid baking soda in the rinse because fabric can stiffen. Tide says baking soda and vinegar in the same wash neutralize each other.
- For a smell that survives the wash, soak and re-launder Texas A&M AgriLife Extension says most odours come out with warm water and adequate detergent; if they persist, soak the items in a solution of baking soda and water, then re-launder.
- If the washer overflows with suds, sprinkle it on the foam Whirlpool says to turn the washer off and sprinkle baking soda on the suds to reduce the bubbles; Tide also says baking soda can control overflowing suds.
Baking soda is a mild alkali, not a detergent and not a disinfectant. An extension service backs it as a follow-up soak for a smell that survives a detergent wash, and two makers use it to calm oversudsing. We found no test behind boosting, softening or whitening. Keep it off wool, cashmere and silk, out of the rinse and away from vinegar.
This page sets the claims about baking soda in the wash against the sources behind them. Three makers disagree with each other: Arm & Hammer (external link), which sells baking soda; Whirlpool (external link), which sells washers; and Tide (external link), which sells detergent. Beside them sit Consumer Reports (external link), the CDC (external link), two university extension services (Texas A&M (external link) and Georgia (external link)) and PubChem (external link) for the chemistry. We found no wash test of baking soda in any of them.
Every claim, checked
Each row gives the claim, what the sources say, and our verdict.
| Claim | What the sources say | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| It can replace detergent | Contradicted by Tide; Arm & Hammer pairs it with detergent (details below) | Myth |
| It disinfects laundry | CDC home-care guidance: not registered with EPA, should not be used for disinfecting; ineffective against S. aureus, Salmonella Typhi and E. coli | Myth |
| It can whiten instead of bleach | Whirlpool suggests it in place of bleach; Arm & Hammer's claim is for a half-bleach mix; Consumer Reports reports whitening only as a user claim (details below) | Maker claims, no test found |
| Add it to the rinse to soften fabric | Arm & Hammer for it; Whirlpool and Tide against (details below) | Makers contradict: skip the rinse |
| A paste lifts ink, nail polish and dried paint | Whirlpool's paste list (details below); Texas A&M treats nail polish with acetone or acetone-based remover, except on acetate, triacetate or modacrylic fibres | Maker list, no test found |
| It boosts your detergent | Arm & Hammer and Whirlpool for it; Tide against (details below) | Makers contradict, no test found |
| It softens hard water | One expert opinion, plus a fibre risk named by Tide (details below) | Expert opinion, not tested |
| It removes odours | Texas A&M: if odours persist after a detergent wash, soak in baking soda and water, then re-launder; Consumer Reports has not tested odour claims | Backed as a follow-up soak |
| It calms oversudsing | Whirlpool: turn the washer off and sprinkle it on the suds; Tide: it can control overflowing suds | Two makers agree |
| Mix it with vinegar for more power | Tide: used together, they neutralize each other | Myth |
| It is safe on every fabric | Tide: its high pH can damage wool, cashmere and silk; UGA: wool is sensitive to alkaline agents | Myth for wool, cashmere and silk |
| It helps on coffee, tea and wine | Tide: it can reduce detergent's ability on these low-pH-sensitive stains; Texas A&M: coffee, tea and fruit stains are set by alkalies such as ammonia | Sources point the other way |
The weakest claims, beyond the table
The weakest claim, that baking soda disinfects, is settled by the CDC row above; that guidance is written for disinfection in the home-care setting, not for laundry specifically. Three more claims have a source that contradicts them, or only maker statements behind them.
It replaces detergent. Tide says baking soda cannot substitute for a high-quality laundry detergent. Arm & Hammer, which sells baking soda, describes it as something to pair with detergent: it says that, paired with detergent, baking soda neutralizes odors by balancing pH levels and softens wash water so you can use less detergent or bleach.
It whitens instead of bleach. Whirlpool suggests using baking soda instead of bleach to help whiten white and light-colored items, and Arm & Hammer says ½ cup of bleach with ½ cup of baking soda gives less bleach odor but the same whitening. Neither cites a test. Consumer Reports notes that users claim half a cup helps with odours and whitens white clothing. For whites that have already turned yellow, see how to whiten yellowed whites.
It softens fabric in the rinse. Arm & Hammer’s routine adds another ½ cup in the rinse cycle. Whirlpool says you may want to avoid baking soda in the rinse cycle, as it can cause fabrics to stiffen, and Tide says it can cause a reaction on fabric that makes it rough and stiff.
Contested and untested claims
These claims rest on maker statements or one expert opinion; we found no independent test of any of them.
Boosting detergent: the makers disagree. Whirlpool says a half cup of baking soda can boost the cleaning power of detergent and bleach by regulating the pH of the wash water. Tide, which sells detergent, says adding baking soda to the wash with detergent increases the risk of poorer cleaning, because detergents are optimized for a specific pH that baking soda alters.
Softening hard water: a possible benefit with a named risk. Consumer Reports’ laundry expert says baking soda may be helpful if you have hard water, as it acts as a water softener, and that CR has not tested claims that it helps with odours. Tide says using baking soda under hard water conditions could lead to fibre breakage on some fibres like nylon and elastane.
If you try the stain paste anyway. Whirlpool’s paste of equal parts baking soda and water is applied to the stain, then the item soaks for around 30 minutes; it lists sweat, deodorant, grass, grease and oil, dried paint, crayon, ink, nail polish and makeup, and says to test on a hidden area first. We found no test of the paste on any of them.
What baking soda is, in three facts
- A mild alkali. A freshly prepared 0.1 molar solution of sodium bicarbonate at 25 °C has a pH of 8.3 (The Merck Index, via PubChem).
- The mildest cleaning alkali. UGA Extension lists baking soda as the mildest alkali used as a cleaning agent, with washing soda and lye the harshest.
- Not washing soda. Arm & Hammer says its baking soda is 100% sodium bicarbonate and its Super Washing Soda is 100% sodium carbonate, and that they are not the same. For oxygen-bleach powder, see sodium percarbonate in laundry.
When to leave it out
Check the garment, the stain and the machine against this table before you add any.
| Situation | What the source says | Our call |
|---|---|---|
| Wool, cashmere or silk | Tide: its high pH can damage protein-based fibres; Whirlpool: you may not want to use it on these; UGA: wash wool and silk with a neutral soap with no free alkali | Leave it out |
| Colours with dyes that may be pH sensitive | Tide: baking soda's high pH could fade their colour | Leave it out on colours you can't risk fading |
| Nylon or elastane, and your water is hard | Tide: in hard water it could lead to fibre breakage on these fibres | Leave it out |
| Coffee, tea or wine stains | Tide: it can reduce detergent's ability on these stains; Texas A&M: coffee, tea and fruit stains are set by alkalies such as ammonia | Leave it out |
| The rinse cycle | Whirlpool and Tide: fabric can stiffen | Leave it out |
| An HE washer | Arm & Hammer: 1 cup with liquid detergent; Whirlpool: check your washer's owner's manual first | Follow your washer's manual |
For those fibres, washing a wool sweater and silk have their own guides, and coffee has its own route in removing coffee stains.
Not sure what the label allows?Read the wash and bleach symbols on the care label in the decoder before you add any laundry additive.
Decode the labelStep by step: if you use it
These five steps follow the makers’ and extension guidance in the order you meet it; the doses are the makers’ own, not tested results.
1. Check the fabric and the washer manual first
Whirlpool says to check your washer’s owner’s manual and the clothing care labels before adding baking soda, and that you may not want to use it on delicate or sensitive fabrics like wool, cashmere and silk. UGA Extension lists wool as a natural protein fibre that is sensitive to alkaline agents, and says washable wool should be washed in lukewarm water with a neutral soap with no free alkali. For silk, also a natural protein fibre, the same guide says that if the garment is washed, it is important to use a neutral soap with no free alkalies.
2. If you add it to a wash, put it in the drum, not the dispenser
No source we found tested a dose, and Tide says adding baking soda to the wash with detergent increases the risk of poorer cleaning, because detergents are optimized for a specific pH that baking soda alters. If you still add it, Whirlpool says to add a half cup of baking soda↗ directly to the washer tub, not to the detergent or fabric softener dispenser, as it may clog the machine. Arm & Hammer’s routine adds ½ cup to the washer with detergent; for HE washers, its FAQ says to add 1 cup with your liquid laundry detergent. For the detergent dose itself, see how much detergent to use.
3. Keep it out of the rinse and away from vinegar
Whirlpool says you may want to avoid baking soda in the rinse cycle, as it can cause fabrics to stiffen. Tide says baking soda and vinegar used together neutralize each other, cancelling vinegar’s low pH and baking soda’s high pH.
4. For a smell that survives the wash, soak and re-launder
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension says most odours are removed by laundering in warm water with adequate detergent; if odours persist, soak the items in a solution of baking soda and water, then re-launder. The guide gives no dose or soak time. The full odour protocol, with the other options, is in how to get the smell out of clothes.
5. If the washer overflows with suds, sprinkle it on the foam
Whirlpool says that if the washer is overflowing with suds, turn it off and sprinkle baking soda on the suds to reduce the bubbles. Tide also says baking soda can control overflowing suds.
- Not a disinfectant: the CDC says baking soda should not be used for disinfecting.
- Not in the dispenser: Whirlpool says it may clog the machine.
- Not in large amounts: Tide says extreme use can affect coatings on the washer's drive-shaft components.
Your next step
Look up the garment’s fibre and care symbols, check the “When to leave it out” table, and only then decide whether baking soda goes in the drum. More on detergents and additives is collected in the detergents hub.
Related reading
- How to get the smell out of clothes — the full odour protocol.
- How much laundry detergent to use — dosing the detergent itself.
- How to whiten yellowed whites — for whites that have already yellowed.