Skip to content
logo The DIY portal for home and garden
Household remedies

The differences between baking powder, baking soda, and soda ash

Baking powder, baking soda and sodium bicarbonate look almost identical. And yet there are some differences between the powders
Baking powder, baking soda, and soda ash look almost identical. Yet, there are some differences between the powders Photo: Getty Images

October 10, 2024, 10:51 am | Read time: 3 minutes

When cleaning your home, it makes sense to use household products. As a rule, they are inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and efficient. When looking for suitable agents to remove stains and dirt, you often read that you can use baking powder, baking soda, or soda ash. What is the difference between these products?

Share article

At first glance, baking soda, baking powder, and washing soda look quite similar. After all, they are each a white powder that can be used for cleaning. From a chemical point of view, however, there is much more to these household remedies. myHOMEBOOK explains the differences between baking soda, baking powder, and washing soda.

What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder?

When it comes to getting rid of bad odors in the home, cleaning blocked drains, or removing stains, it is often suggested that you use baking soda or baking powder. This is no coincidence, as baking soda is an ingredient in baking powder. “The term ‘baking soda’ is used inconsistently for both sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate,” explains Dr. Bernd Glassl from the German Cosmetic, Toiletry, Perfumery and Detergent Association (IKW) myHOMEBOOK. Both compounds are salts that are formed from carbonic acid and caustic soda.

Sodium hydrogen carbonate is a component of baking powder, which is why it is often offered as an alternative to baking soda. However, baking powder also contains other ingredients. The actual purpose of the powder is to make bread and cakes rise and become fluffy during baking. This is why acids and either flour or starch are added to the sodium bicarbonate as separating agents. “Ingredients are not helpful for cleaning, as the acids in combination with water neutralize the baking soda and therefore cancel out the cleaning effect,” says the expert.

The flour or starch it contains could also hinder home cleaning. This is the case, for example, when baking soda is used to clean black grout. The dark color occurs when mold forms. If you clean the grout with baking powder, it initially appears lighter. “However, because the flour serves as food for the mold, it soon multiplies even faster, and the grout turns black again,” Glassl explains.

What is the difference between baking soda and soda?

Both baking soda and washing soda are compounds that are created by combining carbonic acid and caustic soda. “Soda is a historical name or trivial name for sodium carbonate,” says the expert. Now, it gets a little tricky. Glassl reminds us that sodium bicarbonate refers to both sodium carbonate and sodium hydrogen carbonate, the ingredients in baking powder.

Both salts have an alkaline reaction when dissolved in water. If washing soda and baking soda are used, i.e., when cleaning with water, an alkaline solution is produced. According to Glassl, the aqueous solutions are both well suited to removing greasy dirt. “They also cause textile fibers to swell so that other active washing ingredients can penetrate deep into the fabric.” In this way, baking soda and soda ash can help to clean the fabrics. This effect is particularly helpful with cotton and linen.

The expert points out that it is a misconception to think that washing soda is a harmless alternative to standard cleaning agents. The hazard warning on the packaging of soda as a cleaning agent indicates that the salt can cause skin irritation and severe eye irritation.

More on the topic

Summary: The differences between baking soda, baking powder, and soda ash

Washing soda is the everyday term for the salt sodium carbonate. The term ‘baking soda’ is used as a synonym for both sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. The latter salt is a component of baking powder. All three household remedies can be used to clean the home. However, you should always pay attention to their use and your safety.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of MYHOMEBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@petbook.de.

Topics Cleaning
Your data privacy when using the share function
To share this article or other content via social networks, we need your consent for this .
You have successfully withdrawn your consent to the processing of personal data through tracking and advertising when using this website. You can now consent to data processing again or object to legitimate interests.