Baking soda is a neutralizing buffer. The last thing you want to do is lower the PH of a chlorine bleach bath. Realistically chlorine bleach run below 10.5PH will burn the textile. So NO with bleach. You get far more bang with borax than Sodium Bicarbonate.

Sin...everything I'm reading on the internet says that baking soda INCREASES the potency of bleach. It even boosts your detergents effectiveness. So much that you can use less of both (detergent & bleach).

Top loaders half a cup, front loaders quarter of a cup (4 Tablespoons).

Example:

http://www.rd.com/home/cleaning-organizing/8-ways-to-boost-laundry-detergent/

Rspinfoman, could you compare borax and baking soda? How is it better?

Thanks.

I once read over on AW by one of the chemical experts that baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) is a weak form of Sodium Carbonate, and will do no more for cleaning clothes than washing in warm water alone will do, that it is a mild abrasive and adding it to rinse water will do nothing but clog the fibers and make clothing a bit abrasive to skin.

Now I'm just reporting what I've read, I don't personally know the answer to this question.

IBaking Soda is the weakest Alkaline substance, I doubt its going to hurt anything to give it a try, but with Sodium Carbonate already being in powder detergent, I'd think trying it with liquid detergent might be a mild booster.

Might being the key word lol

I will say though that Arm & Hammer has over inflated the properties of Baking Soda in the laundry for years, how many of our parents and grandparents believed this is astounding..and even though baking soda is the weakest alkaline Arm &Hammer has convinced us of its magical properties.

I started using baking soda to reduce suds a white back, at the suggestion of someone here. I believe I mentioned it on the "optimum suds" thread.

But over time I noticed it doesn't dissolve. So residue was sitting in my detergent drawer and no doubt it's sitting on the bottom of my septic tank.

For me, it's a bit like vinegar. It reduce suds but otherwise no benefit plus it had a down side. I still have 2 huge boxes of Arm & Hammer in the cupboard.

Easier, I'm finding, to use a low-suds detergent.

Think I'll stick to using it in spicy cakes.

Mama...backing soda is AWESOME at removing things that have stuck to your "non stick" pans.

Some baking soda with a dash of water so it makes a paste scours the pan with out scratching.

While not a "cure all" baking soda has it's place.

I'm always leaning...still.

I really wonder why we add ANYTHING to a detergent that has been formulated by a bunch of professional company chemists who want us to buy their superior product.

Bea, I personally don't see where it would hurt anything trying baking soda in with a liquid detergent.