The Pantry Ingredient That Will Help You Avoid High Kitchen Humidity

Baking soda may be the secret to fluffy baked goods, but it isn't just for leavening your breads and cakes. Thrifty home cooks trust baking soda as the ultimate cleaning agent – and when your kitchen gets clammy, there's no better place to turn. Not only is excessive humidity baseline uncomfortable, in the kitchen, it can also damage your cookbooks and houseplants, cause your wallpaper to peel, and incite mold and fungal growth in hard-to-reach places behind cupboards or (gasp) behind the oven. 

30% to 50% humidity in an enclosed space is normal, according to the EPA. But, everyday culprits like boiling water, not using your range hood, not having a ceiling fan in the kitchen, living in a building with steam radiators, or taking a steamy shower in a bathroom adjacent to the kitchen can all contribute to excess humidity in your space. (Fellow apartment-dwelling foodies, rise up.) Enter: Baking soda (aka sodium bicarbonate), the fine white powder with legendary absorption capacity. 

Maybe you have an open box of baking soda stashed in the back of your refrigerator right now as a deodorizer. (We've also used vanilla extract and bunched-up newspaper to beat fridge smells.) Just as baking soda naturally absorbs odors, it also wicks away moisture from the air and stores it. While expired baking soda shouldn't be used for cooking or baking, it's totally fine to use as a household cleaner, making this tip a zero-waste way to use up older boxes.

To naturally reduce moisture in the air, just open a box of baking soda or transfer it to a small bowl and set it out in the kitchen. That's it. Just keep in mind that the dish or box will need to be shaken up or replaced from time to time as it absorbs more and more moisture from the room. When the baking soda begins to physically harden into a solid lump, it's time for a refresh.

You could get multiple smaller boxes of baking soda, like this 12-pack of Arm & Hammer pure baking soda for $17.88 on Amazon, and stash 'em all around the room: One on top of the fridge, two in the pantry, three on top of the cabinets, one in the windowsill, etc. Alternatively, if you have any cleaned-out glass food jars or decorative votive holders lying around, you could buy that baking soda in bulk and fill each small jar with a few inches of powder for aesthetic appeal (or easier concealment from eyeshot). A 10-pound bulk bag of Milliard brand baking soda runs for $24.99.

It's worth noting that this baking soda tip works best for smaller, enclosed spaces that need dehumidification. If you have a tiny, windowless kitchen, this is the inexpensive, non-toxic, DIY method for you. But, for larger, wide-open kitchens experiencing excess humidity, larger dehumidifier appliances might be necessary to get the job done.