Baking soda (pH 9). It deodorizes fridges, cleans sinks, and makes cookies puff. It’s the Swiss Army knife of the kitchen.
Soap (pH 9–10). It breaks down grease because fat hates high pH. That’s why your hands feel squeaky clean.
Bleach (pH 12–13). It kills germs by denaturing their proteins. Basically, it makes germs fall apart like a bad joke.
A Wild Warning: The Lye Danger
Lye (pH 14) is used to make pretzels and soap. But if you touch it? Chemical burn. It literally dissolves your skin. Yikes.
That’s why pretzels are dipped in a lye solution for 10 seconds, then washed. Delicious, but also terrifying.
Respect the high pH. It’s a powerful, bubbly, dangerous friend.
