Baking soda can be a very useful ingredient, used in many different home DIY’s, especially those to do with cleaning. But could baking soda remove paint? Like, let’s say you’ve accidentally painted over an area that you didn’t want to paint. Could baking soda be the miracle solution?
Well, yes and no. It depends on the type of surface that the paint is on. On metal surfaces, baking soda is almost always pretty efficient at removing the paint, so it is ideal for use on doorknobs and similar surfaces.
However, on all non-metal surfaces, baking soda is very unlikely to be effective at removing paint of any type. What it will do, is maybe slightly affect the coloring of the paint, but most of the time it won’t be able to remove any bit of it.
So basically, baking soda is an excellent non-toxic, and affordable solution for removing paint from metal surfaces, such as from doorknobs, hinges, and others. But on all other surfaces, it will be an inefficient solution.
For the metal surfaces in which baking soda can remove paint, you might be wondering how exactly it works, or what to do. So here are the main steps for using baking soda as a paint remover in those situations:
- Fill a pot a quarter of the way with water, then add a quarter of a cup of baking soda. Make sure you let the baking soda sink to the bottom of the pot, do not mix or stir!
- Place the pot on the stove and heat it up until the water comes to a low boil. While the mixture is simmering, you can prepare the metal painted pieces from which you want the paint removed.
- With the help of some tongs or similar, place the metal pieces into the simmering pot. Make sure they do not touch each other or the sides of the pot.
- Leave the metal pieces in the simmering pot with the baking soda for around 15 minutes or so. During this time, the paint should begin to peel off.
- Once you take them out of the simmering pot, you can use a brush or similar to finish removing the paint, as it will be sufficiently softened and loosened, helping it come right off!
- Dry your metal pieces and clean up the materials used, and that’s it! You have successfully removed paint from the metal pieces.
You can adapt the amount of time you leave the metal soaking in the baking soda solution. As long as it takes for the paint to be removed!
Does baking soda and vinegar remove paint?
Baking soda and vinegar together are another excellent DIY hack combination that is used in many different contexts and as the solution to many different problems. Especially within the context of a home and of cleaning!
We’ve established that baking soda can be used to remove paint on some surfaces, specifically metal surfaces, but could it maybe have more of a reach with the addition of vinegar?
Well, although adding vinegar into the baking soda solution might help strengthen it and make it all the more effective, it will still be limited in regards to the surfaces that it works for.
Vinegar can help remove paint from metal surfaces, as well as from mirrors, hard plastics, and similar. It is very unlikely to strip paint from a wall.
In fact, vinegar is often the main solution for removing dirt from a wall without damaging the paint, solely because it will not remove the paint, so there’s that!
Do use baking soda and vinegar, add both of these ingredients into a pot of water, and bring to a simmer. They both work better when warmed up! A quarter of a cup of water and a few drops of white vinegar should do the trick.
You can then apply with the help of a sponge, a cloth, or simply soaking the painted items in the solution until the paint begins to peel off.
Does baking soda remove paint from wood?
Baking soda can be used to remove paint from metal surfaces and similar, but unfortunately, it won’t really work for removing paint from wood.
If anything, using baking soda with warm water might soften up the paint a little, which might make it easier to scrape off and strip from the wood. But the use of baking soda in of itself will not remove paint from wood, so you will have to search for a different method.
