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So, how does it work, and is it worth using these chemicals for cleaning? To understand all this, it helps to know a little more about chemistry.
What’s an acid?
Other common acidic cleaning ingredients are oxalic acid, used for revitalising timber decks, hydrochloric acid in concrete and masonry cleaners, and sulfamic acid in potent toilet cleaners.
Adding some vinegar to your shower cleaning routine can help to dissolve away the limescale deposits on the glass. Source: The Conversation / Karolina Grabowska/Pexels
What’s a base?
Sodium hydroxide is a potent drain cleaner – its strong base properties can dissolve fats and hair. This allows blockages to be broken down and easily flushed away.
Mixing a base and an acid
Crunching the numbers behind the chemical reaction shows that after the fizz subsides, over 99 per cent of the added baking soda remains. So the active cleaning agent here is actually the baking soda (and the “elbow grease” of scrubbing).
Ovens can be cleaned much more rigorously with stronger, sodium hydroxide-based cleaners (although these are also more caustic). Many modern ovens also have a self-cleaning feature, so read your product manual before reaching for a chemical cleaner of any sort.
What about the sodium acetate?
Sodium acetate is used in crystallisation-based heating packs and as a concrete sealant, but not typically as a cleaner.