Vinegar and baking soda in the washer: why not to mix them, and what to run instead
Mixed, vinegar and baking soda react; Maytag's blog says they can cancel out their cleaning potency. No maker clean-cycle page we checked combines them.
The recipe is everywhere: a couple of cups of vinegar, some baking soda, the hottest cycle. Amounts vary, and some recipes use one cycle, some two. The fizz looks like it’s working. If you’ve already run it and the smell is back, start with why the smell comes back.
- Do vinegar and baking soda cancel out?
- What washer makers say about baking soda
- What each does on its own
- Using both? Pick one for the machine
- How to clean the washer instead
Do vinegar and baking soda cancel each other out?
Partly. They react, and some of each is used up.
“Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a base while the vinegar (acetic acid) is an acid,” explains Whitman College’s science outreach sheet.
Nathan Kilah’s article in The Conversation adds: “This reaction forms water, sodium acetate (a salt) and carbon dioxide – the fizzy part.” The catch: “Unfortunately, sodium acetate is an even weaker base than baking soda, so it doesn’t do much to clean the surface you’re trying to scrub.” Most vinegar-and-baking-soda cleaner recipes “use a large excess of one or the other components,” the article notes. Our reading: whatever cleaning happens after the fizz comes from whichever ingredient was left over.
The article’s verdict is that “the chemistry behind the bubbly reaction doesn’t support the cleaning hype.” It allows one exception: “There are a few rare cases where mixing vinegar and baking soda may be useful for cleaning. This is where the bubbling has a mechanical effect, such as in a blocked drain.” Otherwise, “in most cases you’ll want to use either vinegar or baking soda by itself, depending on what you’re trying to clean.”
Our reading: none of these sources tested a washer, and in the drum the bubbles aren’t a sign it’s getting cleaner.
What washer makers say about baking soda
Two makers’ laundry blogs flag the mix, and only one clean-cycle page we checked names baking soda at all.
Maytag’s blog cautions: “Keep in mind that baking soda’s high pH and vinegar’s low pH can cancel out their cleaning potency when combined.” Whirlpool’s blog puts it with a softer verb: “if you use them together, it may cancel out the cleaning potency due to baking soda’s high pH and vinegar’s low pH.”
| Maker | Baking soda? | Pages we checked |
|---|---|---|
| GE | Top-load odor page: yes, in place of bleach (below). The other two: no. | Top-load odor page, top-load Basket Clean, front-load odor page |
| Whirlpool | Clean Washer page: no. Blog: “It’s safe to use in most washing machines,” and it “can have deodorizing capabilities for both your washer and laundry.” | Clean Washer page, laundry blog |
| Maytag | Blog: “Baking soda is usually safe to use in your washing machine,” and it “can also typically be used to help rid odors from your washer.” Check your manual first. | Laundry blog |
| Samsung | Smell page: no. Detergent page: a warning about detergents that contain it (below). | Smell page, detergent page |
| LG | No, on all three. | US front-loader Tub Clean, US top-load odor page, US tub-cleaning page |
| Bosch | No, on both. The drum page names the Bosch Washing Machine Cleaner. | US descaling page, US drum-cleaning page |
| Speed Queen | Quick start guide: no. Blog: for towels only (below). | Front-load quick start guide (hosted by retailer P.C. Richard), towel blog post |
GE’s top-load odor page says to add 1 cup of bleach, and “baking soda or vinegar can be substituted.” That’s one of them in place of the bleach, with no amount given for it. Samsung’s US detergent page warns: “Do not use regular detergent, organic detergent, natural detergent, or HE detergents containing natural ingredients, such as vinegar or baking soda. Using these can cause damage to the washing machine.” That’s about detergents, not plain baking soda added on its own.
Our reading: none of the maker pages we checked tells you to put vinegar and baking soda in the same cycle. For any make not listed, check your manual. For your machine, the washer cleaning cycle picker shows what its maker’s page says.
What each does on its own
Vinegar is an acid, and The Conversation’s article notes: “This is why vinegar is an excellent cleaner for showers or kettles – it can react with and dissolve mineral deposits like limescale.” That isn’t washer advice.
Bosch’s US descaling page says: “We advise you not to descale your washing machine with household products that contain acid or vinegar. These can attack the rubber parts of the machine.” Maytag’s and Whirlpool’s blogs also say you may want to avoid vinegar in the washer (Whirlpool: it “can damage the rubber seals and hoses on some machines”). Some maker pages allow it; see vinegar vs bleach vs cleaner tablets for each maker’s position.
Baking soda is “a relatively weak base,” per the same article. Whirlpool’s blog calls it “a mild alkaline compound that works well in freshening and brightening clothing.”
For a load of laundry, not a machine clean, Maytag’s blog suggests “up to a half cup” in the tub, and Whirlpool’s “a half cup.” Whirlpool adds: “Don’t put it in the detergent or fabric softener dispenser, as it may clog your machine.” Maytag notes: “You may want to avoid using baking soda on delicate fabrics like cashmere, wool and silk.”
Using both? Separate washes are for towels; pick one for the machine
The one maker method we found that uses both is for towels, in separate washes. Speed Queen’s towel post says: “Wash towels in hot water and one cup vinegar. Don’t add any detergent.” Then: “Wash the towels a second time (without drying them) in hot water and one cup baking soda.” That’s a towel fix (why towels smell when wet), not a washer clean.
Our advice: to clean the machine, pick one, and make it the one your maker names. On a GE top-loader without Basket Clean, that can be baking soda in place of the bleach (above).
How to clean the washer instead: the cycle your maker specifies
Most maker clean-cycle pages we checked name a washer cleaner or bleach (Samsung’s routine Self Clean needs no product), and some also allow vinegar on its own.
Use the washer cleaning cycle picker. Pick your maker, machine type and the cleaner you have, vinegar included, and it shows what that maker’s page says about the cycle, the amount and where it goes. Then see what the clean cycle reaches, and the step-by-step guides for a front-load or top-load washer.
On a Whirlpool, for example, the Clean Washer page says: “Place an affresh® Washer Cleaner tablet at the bottom of the washer basket.” (affresh Washer Cleaner tabletsad on Amazon.) It adds: “Do not add any detergent or other chemicals to the washer when following this procedure.” Our reading: that rules out baking soda or vinegar alongside the tablet.
Never mix bleach with vinegar or ammonia
If your maker’s clean uses bleach, keep it away from vinegar and ammonia. Washington State’s health department warns: “Don’t mix bleach with ammonia, acids, or other cleaners.” It lists vinegar among products that contain acids, and says: “When chlorine bleach is mixed with an acid, chlorine gas is given off.” With ammonia, it adds, “toxic gases called chloramines are produced.” Our advice: don’t run one straight after the other either.
Still smells after the clean? Here’s why the smell comes back.