Unique uses for Baking Soda!
Written by Mrs Money on February 17, 2009 – 7:43 pm -
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I can’t live without baking soda
Beauty
- I use baking soda as my everyday shampoo. It’s cheap, easy, and natural!
-Baking soda sprinkled on your fingertips makes an excellent face scrub. It’s not too abrasive and feels great when you use it! It can also help clear up blackheads.
-Rubbing baking soda on your underarms works great as deodorant! I stay dry all day and don’t smell.
-A toothbrush dipped in baking soda can be substituted for toothpaste. Make sure you don’t go overboard though! I add a few drops of peppermint essential oil so it tastes better.
-Baking soda in the bath is a nice, relaxing natural way to help soothe your skin and make it softer while getting you clean. It also helps detoxify your body.
-Put a 1/4 cup of baking soda and 2 T of salt in a bucket with hot water and soak your feet. It removes all the embedded dirt and grime and also helps soften the skin on your feet.
Kitchen
- A bowl of baking soda in your fridge will help remove excess moisture and absorb odors.
- Sprinkle some in your veggies crisper and cover with a cloth or paper towel for crisper veggies that last longer.
- Sprinkle baking soda onto a damp sponge for cleaning out your refrigerator and benchtops without scratching.
- Dissolve a couple of tablespoons of baking soda in water in a microwave safe bowl, then bring to the boil in your microwave. Allow to sit for a minute or two, then you should easily be able to wipe out any baked on stains, plus your oven will microwave will smell fresher too.
- Sprinkling baking soda in the bottom of rubbish bags will help to control odors as you add trash.
- To give your dishwasher a good clean, run it through a cycle and use baking soda instead of detergent.
- Baking soda can be thrown on stove fires to extinguish the flames. The carbon dioxide generated when the powder burns starves the fire of oxygen.
- Wash chemicals and pesticides off fruits and vegetables in a pot filled with water and 3 – 4 tablespoons of baking soda added.
Baking soda is sometimes used when boiling vegetables to preserve their color. That practice is not recommended as it destroys the vitamin C content of vegetables.
General home
- Anywhere that moisture is a problem, such as cupboards under sinks, place a bowl of baking soda to help control humidity. You’ll need to occasionally stir the powder for maximum effective life.
- Crayon marks on walls? Try applying baking soda/water paste on an old toothbrush and lightly brush the affected area.
- Water stains on wooden floors can be removed with a sponge dampened in a solution of baking soda dissolved in water.
- Sprinkle some baking soda into your vacuum bag to help reduce musty/pet smells being spread throughout your house when vacuuming.
- Sprinkle baking soda on rugs and carpets before vacuuming as a deodorising treatment. Most carpet powders you buy are baking soda based! Just a brief note on this – not recommended for areas that are very humid as the baking soda may stay in the carpet.
- Mops can really stink out areas where they are stored. If your mop is getting on the nose, don’t throw it out, try soaking it in a mixture of 4 tablespoons baking soda and a gallon of water for a while.
- Stains on porcelain sinks, toilets and plastics can be removed by applying a layer of baking soda and then using a damp sponge . I found this to work particularly well on a water stain in a sink that couldn’t be shifted otherwise without the use of heavy duty chemicals and scratching the surface.
Plumbing
- As an alternative to caustic soda for clearing blocked drains, throw a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by a couple of jugs of boiling water. You can also follow up with some white vinegar, or use it instead of the boiling water. It will foam like crazy, so be careful!
Garden
- Baking soda can deter ants – pour a solid line in areas of activity and they won’t cross it.
- Mix a tablespoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of (earth friendly) dish detergent and a gallon of water to make a spray for treating roses against black spot fungus.
Laundry
- Work a baking soda and water paste onto stains prior to washing to help remove them from the fabric
- Half a cup of baking soda added to a full load of washing will help brighten your wash and remove odors.
Workshop/auto
- Mix a paste of baking soda and vinegar and apply with a pot scourer to remove light rusting
- A baking-soda/water paste applied to chrome surfaces, allowed to dry then buffed off will leave chrome shining!
- Baking soda applied to fresh grease and oil spills on your garage floor will draw away the oil, which can then be scraped off.
Pets
- Baking soda lightly sprinkled and mixed into cat litter will help control odor.
- Eliminate odor after you’ve cleaned up pet accidents by sprinkling over the dampened area with baking soda; allow to dry and then vacuum.
Personal
- Stinky shoes getting you down? Get a couple of old socks, fill up the toe sections with baking soda, place into the offending shoes and leave overnight to help remove odors.
- A thick paste of baking soda and water applied to bug bites can provide relief.
- A half teaspoon of baking soda mixed into a glass of water can act as mouthwash.
- Sprinkle baking soda onto regular toothpaste to create a whitening toothpaste
Miscellaneous
- To clean jewelry, use a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water, apply the mixture the piece, allow to sit for a couple of minutes, rinse off and then polish with a soft cloth.
- Sprinkle your Christmas tree with baking soda to mimick snow – a much more environmentally friendly alternative to some of those chemical snow sprays!
Also check out:
Laundry Detergent Recipe
Glass Cleaner and Household Cleaner Recipe
Dish Soap and Dishwasher Detergent Recipe
Shampoo Recipe
Posted in Green Living, Save Your Money | 40 Comments »
February 17th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
Good heavens! that’s a lot of uses for baking soda. One of my goals for the year is to transition to some more simple and/or natural cleansers at home, I will be referencing this post when I do that!
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February 18th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Great list, I have the big bag from costco too. I’ll have to try some of your suggestions, I’m clearly not getting full use of my baking soda. I mostly use it for cooking!
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February 19th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
K-money, I love using natural cleaners! If you ever need recipes or have questions, please let me know.
Miss M- I love Costco too!
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February 21st, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Wow! Impressive list. I was aware of a few of these but I learned a lot of new ones. Going to bookmark this so I can reference it. Thanks for the list!
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February 22nd, 2009 at 2:29 pm
Hi Rebecca! Thanks for stopping by! I’m hoping I can use some of the resources from your website soon.
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March 1st, 2009 at 10:19 am
[...] Unique Uses for Baking Soda [...]
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:42 pm
It has been proven that baking soda has NO odor control properties whatsoever; baking soda companies came up with that to get you to buy a box for no other reason than to put it in your fridge/freezer.
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March 4th, 2009 at 2:33 am
Mix with salt for nasal flush!
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March 4th, 2009 at 3:14 am
I use it on the carpet for the stupid dog stink for peeing on it.
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March 4th, 2009 at 3:37 am
I discovered that baking soda dissolved in water will take the chlorine out of your hair and bathing suit. It also dissolves hairspray build up!
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March 4th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
I am not sure if I want substitute baking soda for my deodorant, but the rest seems worth a try. So far I only use baking soda for baking or cleaning.
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March 4th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Hey Kaninfisk:
Why is Baking Soda considered an ideal cleaning agent?
ARM & HAMMER Dental Care®, ARM & HAMMER® PeroxiCare® and
ARM & HAMMER® Advance White® toothpastes use baking soda as a primary cleaning agent. In fact, ARM & HAMMER® has more products that use baking soda as the sole cleaning agent than any other brand. Other baking soda dentifrice products use relatively low levels of Baking Soda (5%-25%) and consequently need to employ an abrasive agent, such as silica, to actually clean the teeth.
As a cleaning agent, baking soda is less abrasive than virtually any other cleaning agent used in toothpastes. Less abrasion means less tooth wear, which helps keep your teeth healthier, longer. And when it comes to cleaning, recent studies indicate that baking soda in high concentrations, like those found in most ARM & HAMMER® toothpastes, break down into tiny particles that are able to penetrate enamel crevices and remove food particles and deep stain embedded there. Other cleaning agents, like silica, don’t readily break down into such tiny particles, so they are too big to clean inside the enamel crevices.
http://www.myoralcare.com/questions/
http://snipurl.com/d3rzf
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March 4th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
anon- Thanks for sharing! I think I’ll continue to do it because I think it makes a difference. It’s all about what you believe.
Graham Green- That is a great idea! Thanks for sharing. I’ll have to try that soon!
Honest Internet Businessman- I actually have sprinkled it on my carpets, let it sit, and vacuumed it up. I am allergic to the commercial carpet deodorizers. I’ve also made a water/baking soda mixture to steam clean the carpets!
Small Steps to Health- I don’t do it every single day, but I alternate between that and Trader Joe’s unscented deodorant with cotton. Both are fabulous!
Graham- I deleted his comment. Negativity doesn’t do anyone good.
Sorry you had to see that!
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March 4th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
eve- That is a great tip! I think using it in my hair is one of my favorite uses. Thanks for your comment!
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March 5th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
I can vouch for the use of baking soda as deodorant. I used it all last summer. I actually bought Tom’s of Maine, but after two hours, I would start to smell really bad (yeah, summer). However, when I started adding baking soda, I stayed smell-less all day long. I used them both, so that baking soda had something to stick to, I guess.
And I add baking soda when I brush my teeth.
I guess I’m going to try using it on my hair too. Thanks for the tip.
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March 6th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Another use of Bicarbonate of Soda is in cleaning bathrooms.
After having a shower, sprinkle a thick layer of bicarb on the wet shower floor. Let it sit for a few hours (I often do this before I go to work), and use one of those plastic kitchen scourer pad/sponges to lift the most stubborn mold right off.
For ceiling mold, place a thick layer of bicarb onto a wet scourer pad/sponge and liberally scour/scrub the ceiling. Wash the sponge and wipe down ceiling with the sponge side. Not only does this remove the most ingrained mold and mold stains, but also seems to inhibit it’s regrowth.
Both are lifesavers in hot, humid climates like Cairns.
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March 6th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Be careful with baking soda on your skin and hair. It is too abrasive for general use and it strips away all of the oils. What you really want to do is just go natural and stop using any type of detergent on your skin and hair. Your skin and scalp are currently overproducing oil if you are using shampoo and soap every day. When you stop you will go through a greasy period while your skin adjusts back to a normal state. My girlfriend had stringy hair and a greasy scalp for a few weeks and then that stopped and now she has shiny sexy hair every day.
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March 6th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
You can also put about a 1/2 tablespoon of baking soda in a cup of water and use it clean the corrosion off your car battery terminal. It’s best to use an old tooth brush to scrub it clean.
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March 6th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Note that some of these things have been proven to be myths invented by people who manufacture and sell baking soda.
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March 10th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Laura- I had the same problem with Tom’s of Maine! I used apricot but it didn’t work that well.
ancienthart- Those are great tips! Thanks for sharing!
Internet Driveby- That’s awesome. If I didn’t have a job, I totally would go shampoo/bs free! I am just worried about the adjustment period. I don’t think my boss would like me coming to work with greasy hair!
Big D- Great tip! I’ve heard Coca Cola will do that too. It’s scared me from drinking it!
some foo- I’m sure that some of them don’t work as wonderfully as we’d like them to, but baking soda is so cheap I’m willing to give it a shot.
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March 11th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
One note of caution: I use baking soda for many of the uses you have listed. However, never pour boiling water into a ceramic toilet bowl that is still full cold water. The toilet bowl atttains the temperature of the water. A rapid addition of boiling water can cause a quick expansion of the ceramic and cause it to crack. I have seen this happen.
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March 12th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
tablogloid- Good to know! I’d hate to break the toilet!
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March 16th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
[...] Extinguisher: <Source Ultimate Money Blog>Baking soda can be thrown on stove fires to extinguish the flames. The carbon dioxide generated [...]
March 16th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Baking soda could solve the worlds problems, haha. But seriously I will have to try quite a few of these ideas, thanks for the post.
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March 18th, 2009 at 10:58 am
This is a wonderful list. Another use from Anne’s Bed and Breakfast blog is for skunk spray on dogs (the #2 item above!): I thought the tomato thing DID work on my dog (after shampooing first and after) but I’m sure this works better because sounds easier:
Skunk Spray Removal: Tomato juice does NOT work. I don’t know who started that false rumour but all it does is make your dog smell like stinky tomatoes. The only thing that removes the greasy and awful spray from pet fur is this concoction: One Cup White Vinegar, 1/2 Cup Baking Soda, 2 Tablespoons Dish Soap or Pet Shampoo, and 1 litre of water. Don’t mix together until you’re ready to use it – it bubbles and expands rapidly once mixed together!
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April 27th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
[...] suggestions use something edible/consummable as a solution. Obviously there are uses for coffee, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice (and no doubt other foods) beyond drinking or [...]
May 19th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
If mixed with super glue it is great for building up cracks in plastic or most materials you are repairing.
Glue as normal and then put the bicarb on top
and into all gaps and ad drops of glue. when it sets it can be sanded or added to.
I have used this method to repair many broken plastic items.
It can also be painted.
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May 26th, 2009 at 7:03 am
[...] $4 on more toothpaste, so I decided to improvise. I’m kind of scared of using straight baking soda as toothpaste, so I decided I’d make a recipe with items I had on [...]
May 26th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Bronson- Awesome tips! Thanks so much for sharing!!
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June 9th, 2009 at 1:53 am
[...] Unique uses for Baking Soda Save Green and Live Green Posted by root 12 minutes ago (http://ultimatemoneyblog.com) Of water to make a spray for treating roses against black spot fungus graham i deleted his comment negativity doesn 39 t do anyone good not only does this remove the most ingrained mold and mold stains but also seems to inhibit it regrowth powered by word Discuss | Bury | News | Unique uses for Baking Soda Save Green and Live Green [...]
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:14 am
[...] hot model! * A Lesson for a Dreary Economy: reacquaint yourself with the many uses and miracles of baking soda. * Has this scholar identified a true portrait of the Bard as he hath appeared? He doesn’t [...]
August 12th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Baking soda! I wouldn’t use it for anything! Natural is the way to health
here are some natural ways to health…
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http://www.alternative-spiritual-healing.com/index.html
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September 16th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Nice site!! Many different things to use baking soda for!
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September 24th, 2009 at 8:09 am
your article was very informative.thank you
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September 25th, 2009 at 12:16 am
for toothpaste, you should dip your toothbrush in all natural sea salt, and then sprinkle a tiny bit of baking soda on top of it. you don’t need it to be that abrasive.
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Mrs Money Reply:
September 28th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
That is awesome. The sea salt I have is pretty big; do you grind yours before you use it?
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January 7th, 2010 at 12:15 am
I swear i’m doing this entire list … very good … thank you
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February 4th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
[...] -4 T. Baking Soda [...]
February 4th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
If you go to your local livestock feed store you should be able to purchase sodium bicarbinate (baking soda) in 25 or 50 lbs bags, can’t remeber which. It is not human food grade, so can’t use for cooking, but it would work every where else, several producers use it where feeding animals as it keeps their stomachs in balance when they get to acidy, free choice bicarb is a wonderful thing for a herd of happy goats! at least mine liked it.:)
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Mrs Money Reply:
February 5th, 2010 at 7:37 am
Christie- Awesome! I’m going to have to look into that. Thanks so much for the tip!
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