Baking Soda Paste for Ovens and Bathtubs

Baking soda is the cleaner we'd keep if we could only keep one homemade thing. It's gentle and cheap, and it scrubs without the fumes of a store oven cleaner. It won't do miracles on ten years of baked-on grease in one pass. With some patience, though, it gets most ovens and tubs looking a lot better.

Use these at your own risk, and test a small hidden spot first. Surfaces and finishes vary, and a homemade mix doesn't come with a manufacturer's label to warn you.

Why baking soda works

Baking soda is a mild alkali and a fine, soft grit. The alkaline side loosens greasy, acidic grime. The grit gives you scrubbing power without the deep scratches a scouring powder can leave. New Mexico State University Extension lists it as a plain sink scrub on a damp sponge, and for ovens it suggests a paste of baking soda, salt and water.

GE even recommends a baking soda and water paste for heavy soil on its stainless steel, rubbed on with a soft cloth. That's a good sign of how mild it is.

Cleaning the oven

Start with the oven off and completely cool. Pull out the racks and set them aside.

Mix the paste in a small bowl. Add water a spoonful at a time until it spreads like thick frosting. Too runny and it slides down the oven walls. Too dry and it won't stick.

Put on gloves and spread the paste over the dirty spots with a sponge or your fingers. This is the important part. NMSU's guide says not to let baking soda touch wires or heating elements. On a gas oven, keep it out of the burner opening too. And leave the soft door seal alone, because scrubbing can tear it.

Then wait. NMSU's quick version lets baking soda sit about five minutes before scrubbing, which is enough for light grime. For baked-on drips, a longer sit helps a lot. A lot of people leave it overnight with the oven door closed.

To finish, scrape the softened gunk with a plastic scraper or an old gift card. Wipe with a damp microfiber cloth, rinse the cloth, and wipe again. Baking soda leaves a white haze if you rush this step. Two or three passes with clean water usually clears it.

For the racks, NMSU suggests scouring them with steel wool. You can also soak them in hot water with dish soap first. If you soak them in the bathtub, lay an old towel down so the racks don't scratch the tub.

Self-cleaning ovens

Read the manual before you put anything inside a self-cleaning oven. The American Cleaning Institute warns that store oven cleaner can damage a self-cleaning oven's surface. Baking soda is much gentler, but your manual decides what's allowed on that coating.

Cleaning the bathtub

Wet the tub first. Sprinkle baking soda on the damp surface, or spread a thin layer of paste on rings and grimy corners. Scrub with a non-scratch sponge in small circles. Rinse well, and rinse again, since leftover grit feels gritty underfoot and dulls the shine.

Baking soda is good on body oil, soap film and the gray ring at the waterline. For hard water scale, the white crusty buildup around drains and faucets that North Texas water leaves behind, you need something else. Scale is a mineral, and minerals respond to a mild acid. See our hard water spot remover for that job, and don't use both products at the same time.

Porcelain enamel tubs usually handle baking soda well. Acrylic and fiberglass tubs scratch more easily, so check the care sheet that came with the tub and test a spot near the drain first.

A note on tile floors

If you use the paste on a tile floor, go easy. The IICRC says many newer porcelain tiles, especially the ones made to look like wood or stone, can be damaged by alkaline cleaners, and it recommends a neutral pH cleaner for routine floor care. Test first, and don't make baking soda your weekly floor cleaner.

About the vinegar fizz

You'll see recipes that pour vinegar over baking soda for a big foam. It looks busy. Mostly, though, the acid and the base cancel each other out into salty water and a lot of bubbles. If you want both, use one, rinse, then use the other.

Never seal the two together in a jar or spray bottle. The gas has nowhere to go and pressure builds up.

The never-mix rules

These apply every time you clean, homemade or not.

• Bleach and ammonia make chloramine gas.
• Bleach and vinegar, or any acid, make chlorine gas. Poison Control notes that some toilet bowl cleaners are acidic too.
• Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar in the same bottle form peracetic acid, which the Missouri Poison Center calls corrosive to skin, eyes and the airways.
• Baking soda paste and store oven cleaner don't go on together. Pick one, and if you switch, wipe the oven clean first.

Open a window while you work. Keep kids and pets out of the kitchen until you're done and everything's rinsed. If anyone swallows a cleaner or gets it in their eyes, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222.

Sources

1. Green Cleaning Methods for Your Home, Guide G-315 (New Mexico State University Extension, revised Jan 2019) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
2. Room by Room Cleaning Guide (American Cleaning Institute) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
3. Cleaning Product Safety (American Cleaning Institute) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
4. How to Clean Stainless Steel (GE Appliances support) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
5. Consumer Floor and Furnishings Care Information, tile, stone and grout (IICRC tip sheet) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
6. Chlorine gas, what happens if you mix bleach and other cleaners (Poison Control, National Capital Poison Center) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)
7. Some Things Just Don't Mix (Missouri Poison Center, updated Jul 7, 2025) (accessed Oct 8, 2026)