Ever questioned whether a common household item could wreak havoc on your cleaning companion? Today, we’re unraveling the mystery: does baking soda ruin your vacuum? Imagine your vacuum as the unsung hero in the battle against dirt and odors. But before you embark on a baking soda spree, here’s the scoop – using baking soda in moderation is generally safe for your vacuum.
However, excessive use or large spills can potentially lead to clogs or affect the motor. Join us on this cleaning adventure as we explore the dos and don’ts of incorporating baking soda into your vacuum routine.
Get ready to navigate the world of household hacks, ensuring that your vacuum remains a reliable ally in the pursuit of a fresh and clean home!
Why Do People Use Baking Soda For Carpet Cleaning
Before we look for does baking soda harm your vacuum, there is something important to grasp. You’ve probably seen people obsessed with sprinkling baking soda on their carpets before vacuuming them. Here are some of the reasons why they are doing so:
- First and foremost, when it comes to home remedies, baking soda is the most affordable cleanser.
- When put on anything, it acts as an excellent antibacterial agent.
- Furthermore, this natural powder may remarkably remove challenging grease stains, causing people to apply it on their filthy carpets.
- When sprinkled on the carpet and cleaned up, these powdered products absorb unwanted odors and typically contain scents to leave a pleasant fragrance on the rug and in the atmosphere.
How Does Baking Soda Ruin Your Vacuum
Now that you are well aware of the usage of baking soda on the carpet before vacuuming, you should consider whether or not to use it.
Despite appearing to be a fantastic item in your house cleaning arsenal, baking soda is not the ideal option for addressing or eliminating the problem of smelly carpets or aromas emanating from somewhere or somewhere in your home.
You must think that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks because they are inexpensive and have many applications. However, it’s not true; baking soda can be harmful to not just your vacuum cleaner but also your carpets! And it can cause you a costly replacement for your vacuum and carpet. Unfortunately, the problem is picking up (vacuuming) baking soda after you’ve used it for cleaning.
We have listed the primary reasons why baking soda ruins your vacuum.
Why Baking Soda Ruins Your Vacuum – (3 Main Reasons)
Look into the three problems baking soda can cause to your vacuum and carpet:
- It has the potential to ruin electric motors.
- It has the potential to clog filters and dust bags.
- It gets pretty tough to eradicate the baking soda from your carpet.
It Has The Potential To Ruin Electric Motors
It is the first answer to your question: does baking soda ruin your vacuum? Even though the suction region of your vacuum cleaner is enclosed and separate from the vacuum’s engine, tiny bits of baking soda continue to penetrate the vacuum.
Usually, for your electric motor to endure, the machines must constantly cool it while in operation, and to achieve this, they suck up air. Therefore, the problem arises when trying to suck the surrounding air; it also erroneously sucks in baking soda powder. It allows the baking soda to enter the motor and, over time, fall between bearings and gears, eventually ruining the motor.
It Has The Potential To Clog Filters And Dust Bags
Because of the small particle size of baking soda or freshener products, they can clog the pores of your vacuum bag or HEPA filter. Or it can cling to debris in your bagless vacuum’s cyclones! It can substantially diminish suction, leading to poor cleaning efficiency and the formation of blockages. Worse, this dust may escape the filtering system, allowing your vacuum’s motor to “breathe” these particles and finally short out.
It Is Difficult To Remove The Baking Soda From Your Carpet
There is also a significant issue posed by the physical nature of Baking Soda’s micro-particles. They are incredibly sharp!! These grains’ “scrubby” feel works excellent in removing filth or slop from your dishes or baths. However, the rough edges at the base of the threads are left behind, buried deeper in your rug. Walking across the rug aggravates the problem. It causes your rugs to break down and thin prematurely. That will be costly!
How To Clean Up Baking Soda Without Vacuum – Alternative Method
As we mentioned, baking soda’s tiny particles can get stuck in your carpet. And instead of vacuuming it repeatedly, we explore removing the baking soda from the carpet.
Now that you know, vacuuming baking soda can cause harm to your vacuum. But what if your carpet has left some baking soda residues on it? How will you remove the baking soda particles without using a vacuum? Then don’t worry; we got you here.
If the baking soda gets stuck in your carpet or between the tiles or wood of your flooring. Instead, use a steam cleaner or gently scrub it away with a soft brush to remove the soda. You can also try the following DIY method:
- Mix a few tablespoons of white vinegar with equal parts warm water.
- Soak your sponge in the solution.
- Apply the sponge gently to where the baking soda residue can be seen.
- Apply pressure to the affected region with a dry towel.
- Repeat these instructions until you have removed all of the baking soda stains.
- Allow the moist area to dry naturally.
How To Keep Your Vacuum Smelling Fresh Without Baking Soda?
After reading the information above, you should be wary about applying baking soda to your carpet. However, after vacuuming, you want it to leave a pleasant odor on your carpets and throughout the house. What now? The good news is that non-toxic, effective, entirely recoverable vacuum-freshening products are available that will not clog or blow up your vacuum! These scented items will take care of your stinky vacuum without causing any adverse side effects! These products are made of fragrant puffy granules that aren’t too big to fall through the carpet or clog your vacuum.
All you need to do is shake a bit out of the re-sealable bag onto your rug and vacuum normally. The exhaust will soon emit a pleasant scent! Furthermore, as the granules are sucked up, they help to remove some of the dusty buildup, which helps to clean the inside of the vacuum’s hoses and tubes! Is it so good for multitasking?
What Alternatives Can You Use To Clean The Carpet?
We recommend using something other than baking soda to clean carpets since it can damage your vacuum. Baking soda can also make your carpets seem worn. Here are some different ways to keep your carpets and floors clean:
- Make it a habit to vacuum your home regularly. Carpet odors develop when dirt or grime remains in carpets for an extended period, allowing bacteria to grow. Regular vacuuming prevents this. You’ll need to vacuum more frequently if you have pets, children, or a busy household.
- It is critical to remove any spills as soon as they occur. The longer a stain remains in the carpet fibers, the more difficult it is to clean. Blot up as much liquid as possible immediately for liquid stains. However, do not rub since this can cause discoloration.
- Allow the mud stains to dry before you try to remove them. Trying to clear wet mud will only exacerbate the stain!
- You can use Ice cubes to remove chewing gum from carpets. Place the cubes in a sandwich bag. Now place it on the gum for 30-60 seconds. You should then be able to remove the gum using a knife gently.
- Some individuals propose eliminating carpet stains with white shaving cream. Spray the cream onto the stain and wait 30 minutes before blotting with a soft towel. Use just white shaving cream for this, not colored cream or gel.
- We recommend contacting a professional carpet cleaner for highly soiled carpets or significant odors. It’s also a good idea to deep clean your carpets at least once a year to remove stains, filth, and other items that could damage them.
Conclusion
You now have the answer to your question, does baking soda ruin your vacuum? Baking soda might clog your vacuum filters when vacuumed up from the carpet. Worse, if your vacuum’s filters leak, the baking soda particles could damage the motor.
Aside from potentially harming your vacuum, baking soda acts like tiny grit bits in carpet fibers. Because it is nearly impossible to remove all baking soda particles from carpets, the particles can cause your carpet to appear worn and exhausted.
FAQs
Why do people recommend baking soda?
The main reason why baking soda is recommended is that almost everyone has it, and it can assist in eradicating certain odors. Baking soda is commonly used in refrigerators to combat odor. People would automatically assume that it would work on carpets or floors.
Why is baking soda damaging to Vacuum Cleaners?
When you look at each grain of baking soda individually, it is relatively tiny. The major disadvantage of baking soda is its small size, which ruins your vacuum cleaner. These tiny particles might clog the vacuum filter and damage the suction motor.
How do you clean up a baking soda spill?
- Mix three parts of hot water and one part of white vinegar in a mixing bowl.
- Soak a clean sponge into the mixture.
- Scrub the afflicted area with a sponge.
- Repeat the process till the baking soda residue is gone.
External Resources
- SharkNinja And iRobot’s Vacuum-Cleaning Robot Dispute Lands In Federal Court – THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
- Vacuum Cleaner Noise Annoyance: An Investigation Of Psychoacoustic Parameters, Effect Of Test Methodology, And Interaction Effect Between Loudness And Sharpness – MDPI
- Design And Development Of Automatic Cleaning And Mopping Robot – Institute of Physics
- Comparing The Recommendations Of Buyers Of Energy-Efficient And Inefficient Vacuum Cleaners – MDPI