I poured white vinegar over the bicarbonate on my burnt hob every week just to see it fizz: the day I scrubbed with the powder alone, I understood what the foam had been taking away
For years, the ritual of pouring vinegar over baking soda and watching it fizz felt like real cleaning power. But chemistry reveals an uncomfortable truth: the foam is pure theater. The actual cleaner was always the unreacted powder left behind, and the vinegar was quietly sabotaging it.