Why can baking soda wash dishes?

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, which is weakly alkaline. The lipid on the bowl is decomposed into alcohol and acid by heating, while acid and alkali are neutralized, so the existence of baking soda promotes the decomposition of lipid. In this way, the hydroxyl group on the alcohol is hydrophilic and soluble in water, and the salt generated by acid-base neutralization is basically soluble in water, so it is washed away with the water flow when washing.

Therefore, it is best to use alkaline detergent with hot water (to speed up the reaction) to remove the grease in the bowl.