Since vinegar has a low pH and baking soda high pH, they will neutralize each other when used together. What you want to do instead is to use baking soda first mixed with water to do your laundry. You can pour vinegar into the mix once the baking soda has gotten around your clothes and made its effect.
Don't use vinegar and baking soda in laundry together.
That's because when they're used together, vinegar and baking soda in the laundry will neutralize each other, effectively canceling out the benefits of vinegar's low pH and baking soda's high pH.
Add two cups of white cleaning vinegar to detergent dispenser. Run the washer through a complete cycle. Run another cycle on the highest level and at the hottest water temperature, this time adding 1/2 a cup of baking soda to the drum. When the cycle is done, wipe inside drum of washer with a damp microfiber cloth.
Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the final rinse cycle of your washing machine. If you are washing blankets and comforters, add two cups of vinegar to the final rinse.
FRONT LOAD (HE) WASHER: If you have a HE (front loading) washer, place your towels in the washer with 1 cup of baking soda (no detergent). Start the washer let the water fill for about 1 minute. Add 2 cups of vinegar to the “liquid” cup (again no detergent) and allow the load to run through.
Kitchen Sink: If you have scum or grease buildup on your kitchen sink, vinegar and baking soda can be effective. For the sink, sprinkle baking soda on the surface before scrubbing and rinsing it off. Soak paper towels in white vinegar and let them line the sink for 20 minutes before wiping the surface down.
Add 1/2 cup baking soda right over the towels. Don't worry about using the dispenser, just pour it right over the towels. If you have a standard washer machine, use 1 cup of baking soda and add it to the towels and then fill with water.
Using vinegar in laundry will whiten, brighten, reduce odors, and soften clothes without harsh chemicals. Vinegar is inexpensive, and it's safe to use in both standard and high-efficiency washers. When buying vinegar for laundry, choose distilled white vinegar.
Dissolve 1 or 2 cups of baking soda in some warm water. Fill the washer tub or a large sink with cool water and add the dissolved baking soda. Add your stinky clothes and allow them to soak overnight and then wash as usual.
Soak Your Whites in Baking Soda
Take one gallon of water and combine one cup of baking soda to it. Add your white clothes and let them soak. Run your whites in the laundry as normal. After using baking soda, you should notice whiter, brighter, and fresh-smelling laundry.
Vinegar is acidic and basic soda is basic, so the by-products are sodium acetate, carbon dioxide, and water that are not toxic. The mixing reaction causes the baking soda to foam up and produce carbon dioxide gas.
Baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid; when the two are combined, you get a fizzy chemical reaction that has some properties that can eat away at a clog. However, when you use this combination to unclog a drain, it's just plain ineffective.
A chemical reaction between the vinegar and the baking soda produces bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. The dish detergent in the vinegar helps the bubbles last longer than they would with just vinegar and baking soda.
Most hotels use peroxide-based laundry detergents to keep their sheets and towels bright. While these compounds are extremely successful at preventing white linens from greying or yellowing, they do necessitate some amount of knowledge. When used incorrectly, they might cause damage to your linens.
All you'll need is one cup of white vinegar and one cup of baking soda. You'll be using these two ingredients separately, as using them together will only cancel out the effectiveness of each one, during two washes on the same load of towels.
'One cup per two big towels works well,' she says. Either pour it into the fabric softener dispenser of your machine or straight into the drum. Set your machine to the hottest wash possible and let the vinegar get to work – there's no need to rinse afterward.
Washing Towels with Vinegar
Use about half the recommended amount of detergent while washing and add ½ to 1 cup of white vinegar to the water during the rinse cycle. The vinegar helps set the colors and removes excess detergent residue.
Dire Emergency Method: Take 1/2 cup dishwashing powder and 1/2 cup non-chlorine bleach powder and dissolve them in warm water in your washer. Add the towels or clothes and let them soak overnight, then wash on a regular cycle.
Add distilled white vinegar periodically to your wash
If you're finding your towels getting stiff, I find that adding distilled white vinegar alongside your detergent every so often helps strip the towels and get them feeling fluffy again.