If you’re looking for a simple, inexpensive way to get better laundry results, the answer might already be in your kitchen pantry. The question comes up often: can you actually mix baking soda with your laundry detergent?

The answer is a definite yes. Adding baking soda to your laundry is not only safe for your machine but is also one of the most effective ways to boost your detergent’s performance, leaving you with cleaner, fresher clothes. This guide explains the benefits and how to do it correctly.

Baking Soda for Laundry

The Benefits: What Baking Soda Does for Your Laundry

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, works as a natural laundry booster in several ways. It’s not just an old household trick, there’s simple science behind why it’s so effective.

1. It Softens Water and Boosts Detergent: The effectiveness of your detergent is directly impacted by your water’s pH level. Baking soda helps regulate this pH, preventing the water from being too acidic or too alkaline.

According to sources like the U.S. Geological Survey, most homes have hard water, which contains minerals that can interfere with cleaning.

Baking soda softens the water, allowing your detergent’s surfactants to work on cleaning clothes rather than fighting minerals. The result? Your detergent works better, and you may even be able to use less of it.

2. It Eliminates Tough Odors: Baking soda is a powerful deodorizer. Instead of just masking smells with fragrance, it absorbs and neutralizes acidic odor molecules. This makes it incredibly effective on smells from sweat, mildew, and smoke.

3. It Brightens Whites and Colors: By softening the water and balancing pH, baking soda helps your detergent remove dirt and residue more effectively.

This buildup is what can make whites look yellow and colors appear dull. By helping to rinse away that film, it leaves your clothes looking brighter.

How to Correctly Add Baking Soda to Your Laundry

Getting the benefits of baking soda is easy. The key is knowing how much to add and where to put it.

  • How Much to Use: For a standard-sized laundry load, add ½ cup of baking soda.
  • Where to Put It: Add the baking soda directly into the empty drum of the washing machine before you add your clothes or linens. Do not put it in the dispenser drawer, as it may not dissolve properly and can lead to clumping.

This method works for all machine types, including front-loaders and high-efficiency (HE) top-loaders. Because it is a low-sudsing powder, it is perfectly safe for HE machines.

A neatly folded stack of bright white and colorful clothes on a clean surface, looking fresh and soft.

Important Do’s and Don’ts

To get the best results, keep these simple tips in mind:

  • DO add baking soda directly to the drum before clothes.
  • DO use it on smelly gym clothes or musty towels for extra deodorizing power.
  • DO feel confident using it in any type of washing machine, including HE models.
  • DON’T mix baking soda and vinegar together in the same step. Baking soda is alkaline and vinegar is acidic; when combined, they neutralize each other and cancel out their benefits.
  • DON’T put baking soda in the dispenser drawer.

If you want to use both baking soda and vinegar, use baking soda in the wash cycle (in the drum) and add vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser to be released during the rinse cycle.

The Bottom Line: Mixing baking soda with your laundry detergent is a safe, simple, and highly effective way to achieve cleaner, brighter, and better-smelling laundry.