Does Baking Powder Get Rid Of Smells?

Does baking powder get rid of smells?

In this brief guide, we are going to answer the question “does baking powder get rid of smells” with an in-depth analysis of whether or not baking powder helps in getting rid of foul smells. Moreover, we are going to discuss the uses of baking soda to get rid of foul smells.

So if you are tired of foul-smelling ice cubes and want to get rid of the irritating garlic or onion smell that found its way to your ice, or if you want to get rid of that nasty smell of unwashed laundry or smell of old rugs then you need not worry as we are going to tell you the ways by which you can get rid of these foul smells.

So without much ado, let’s dive in and figure out more about it.

Does baking powder get rid of smells?

So when it comes to baking powder, it does contain some amount of baking soda in its formulation but it also contains certain extra ingredients like cream of tartar and starch. So baking powder won’t be the best choice when it comes to getting rid of the foul smells.

Thus, it is better to use your baking powder for your culinary purposes, in baking or cooking as it really works wonders as a leavening agent there.

Why is the baking powder not a good odor absorber?

Strong smelling compounds like fatty acids and thiols have a lot higher pKas (4.8 and 7-10, respectively) than tartaric acid, present in the formulation of baking powder, which has a pKa of 3. Thus baking powder won’t be able to kill these smells and it implies that baking powder is not a good odor absorber.

Does baking soda get rid of smells?

So using baking soda for getting rid of the foul smells is an inexpensive and effective remedy. Baking soda is the pure form of sodium bicarbonate with no extra additives. As baking soda has the power to neutralize the acids and bases and this particular property of baking soda makes it an excellent odor absorber. So if you want to get rid of foul smells in your refrigerator, your kitchen cabinets or rugs, etc. simply buy some baking soda and let it do its magic.

How baking soda acts as an odor absorber?

Baking soda is a compelling odor absorber due to its alkalinity. When it comes to smells most of the foul smells are acidic in nature. So when the baking soda neutralizes the very compounds that are responsible for a particularly foul smell, it gives them an ionic character which reduces the vapor pressure and makes them more water-soluble. Now, what reducing the vapor pressure does is that it makes the smell less available for the nose to detect.

You can read about how to use baking soda to freshen your laundry here.

How to clean the ice maker and freezer with baking soda?

So firstly you have to defrost all the ice present in the freezer. For doing that you should get all the items out of the freezer, turn it off and let it thaw.
Take a lemon and roll it on the counter a few times while preceding it gently. Afterward cut the lemon into two halves.
Take some baking soda on a plate.
Now take the half sliced lemon and coat its cut side generously with the baking soda present on the plate.
Now take this lemon and with the help of this, wipe and clean your ice maker. Moreover, you can also use a toothbrush for cleaning purposes. All you gotta do is to take a clean toothbrush and add some baking soda and lemon juice to it and then scrub your ice maker with it.
So once you have completely covered the ice maker with enough lemon and baking soda mixture, leave it for an hour and afterward clean it with the help of a damp sponge.
So once you have thoroughly wiped away all the baking soda and lemon mixture from the ice maker with the help of a sponge, now it’s time to put it back in the freezer and turn it on.
Place some baking soda in an open container and let it stay there in the freezer for some time.
After a couple of hours take the baking soda container out of the freezer and you will notice a significant difference in the freshness and cleanliness of your freezer.

How to clean the oven with baking soda?

Turn off your oven.
Remove the oven racks.
Make a baking soda paste with water.
Apply this paste on the inside of the oven.
Leave it for a couple of hours.
Afterward, clean the oven with the help of a damp sponge.

Other FAQs about Baking Powder which you may be interested in.

Can you get sick from eating expired baking powder?

How long does baking powder last?

Does baking powder have yeast?

Conclusion

In this brief guide, we answered the question “does baking powder get rid of smells” with an in-depth analysis of whether or not baking powder helps in getting rid of foul smells. Moreover, we discussed the uses of baking soda to get rid of foul smells.