Why we use bicarb soda to clean: The surprising connection between Oppenheimer and sodium bicarbonate

It's in every kitchen pantry and one of the most popular, versatile and effective cleaning products on the market.

But have you ever stopped to wonder how bicarb soda (also known as baking soda or sodium bicarbonate) went from being used in baking as a leavening agent to cleaning our homes?

Well, according to dry cleaner Zachary Pozniak it's because of the Manhattan Project, which was led by J. Robert Oppenheimer.

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If that name sounds familiar it's probably because of Christopher Nolan's recently released film Oppenheimer, about the scientist whose team developed the atomic bomb.

Pozniak explained in a TikTok video that Oppenheimer and his team needed baking soda to help mitigate a dangerous side-effect of their research.

"They stumbled into the cleaning benefits of baking soda when trying to remove the radioactive dust from their clothing because laundry detergent alone just wasn't cutting it," he said.

"Eventually they figured out that baking soda or sodium bicarbonate breaks up those metallic bonds and allowed the uranium to come off their clothes."

The New York dry cleaner said baking soda remains "the best way to remove metallic particulate stains from clothing", which just means it's good at removing dirt.

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Bicarb/baking soda is great to add in the washing machine to help remove odours, and makes a powerful cleaning paste when combined with dishwashing detergent.

However, the popular hack of combining baking soda with vinegar to create a cleaning solution (most commonly used to clean drains) isn't as good as the hype suggests.

READ MORE: 13 things you should do before putting a load of laundry on

Pozniak wrapped up his baking soda history explainer by reminding his followers not to combine baking soda and vinegar together as they actually cancel each other out.

Instead of an effective cleaner, the chemical reaction creates carbon dioxide and salt water which isn't as good at cleaning as using those ingredients on their own.