Thanks to a viral video, people are learning that a pantry staple could be a life-saver in a kitchen fire.
A TikTok by Le Petit Geni shows that baking soda will smother flames while water will spread them.
It’s been viewed over 17 million times and liked by a million people, with loads of commenters saying they can’t believe they didn’t know this.
Baking soda is effective against fires because it reacts to heat above 270 degrees Celsius by releasing water and carbon dioxide, which removes oxygen from the flames.
Fire Fighter Now advises that if you do use baking soda on a kitchen fire, use as much as possible and only on smaller fires. If you do dump some on a fire and it doesn’t go completely out, try to cover it with a pan lid or baking paper.
Dumping baking soda is also effective and far safer than using water against small electrical fires.
Also, be very sure that you’re not using baking powder to put fires out. “It is not safe to use because it is much more volatile when in contact with the flames.”
“Sprinkling baking powder on fire could lead to small explosions that worsen the fire and create a bigger health and safety risk.”
For anything larger and out of control, use a fire extinguisher and call the emergency services.
This could be a very helpful tip to keep your kids safe!
