Thursdays Thoughts

Best Baking Soda Uses

   Everyone knows that baking soda is great for brushing teeth, deodorizing and even cleaning, but did you know it has many other uses as well?  It is the perfect alternative to many commercial health, beauty and cleaning products, not only because it is ‘green’, but also because it is inexpensive!  So while you are helping protect the environment, you will be protecting your wallet as well!

 

*While I have tried many of these uses, I have not tried them all.  Use at your own risk!

Beauty and Personal Care Uses

1.  Use as a natural alternative to deodorant, apply with a powder puff.

2.  Use as a face and body scrub by making a paste from three parts baking soda combined with 1 part water.  This is gentle enough to use daily.

3. Use it to relieve bee stings by making a poultice out of baking soda and water and applying it to the site.  Also use to relieve other bug bites and poison ivy.

4.  Add a teaspoon to a vaporizer to unclog a stuffy nose

5.  Use it to relieve sunburns by adding ½ cup of baking soda to lukewarm bathwater, then soaking in the tub. When you finish, don’t use a towel to dry, instead let your skin air dry for even more relief.

6.  To safely remove a splinter, add a tablespoon of baking soda to a small glass of water, then soak the affected area twice a day.  Most splinters will come out on their own after using this treatment.

7.  For dull and dingy hair from product build-up mix a teaspoon of baking soda in with your shampoo the next time you wash your hair. It will remove any build up.  Also can add it to your conditioner and lather it on hair to keep it healthy and resistant to split ends.

Uses Around the Home

1.  Restore stiff brushes by boiling them in a solution of 1/2 gallon of water, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and a cup of baking soda.  Also clean combs and brushes once a month by soaking them in a small amount of warm water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda. If needed, scrub them with a soft brush, then rinse with clean water and let air dry.  This will remove oils.

2.  Sprinkle it in your boots, slippers, sandals to repel bad odors, or you can fill a pair of old socks with baking soda, tie a knot in the top of each sock and place it in the shoes overnight.

3.  Soak your dishrags in baking soda and water to remove that dank and sour smell.

4.  Mix with your favorite perfumed bath salts in a pretty sachet and use it to freshen the air

5.  Put it under sinks and along basement windows to repel cockroaches and ants.

Gardening and Flowers

1.  Sweeten your tomatoes by sprinkling baking soda on the soil around your tomato plants.

2.  Scatter baking soda around flowerbeds to prevent rabbits from eating your veggies.

3.  Keep cut flowers fresh in the vase longer.

4.  Test the acidity of soil by mixing 1/4 cup of baking soda with 2 cups of water.  Stir in a cup of the soil you want to test, if the mixture foams up it is acidic.  Many pants, flowers an vegetables love acidic soil.

Pets

1.  Sprinkle it onto your cat’s litter box to absorb the bad odor by covering the bottom of an empty, clean litter box with a couple of inches of baking soda; then add the litter on top as usual. 

2.  Sprinkle it on your pet’s comb or brush to deodorize their fur and skin.

3.  Use a small amount to brush your pets teeth.

4.  Sprinkle a small amount around your pet’s bowls to keep pests away.

Cooking

1.  Make fluffier omelets by adding half a teaspoon of baking soda for every three eggs used.

2.  Reduce the acid content of your tomato-based recipes by sprinkling them with a pinch of baking soda.

3.  Soak dried beans to a baking soda solution to make them more digestible.

4.  Wash fruits and vegetables with it by mixing 1/4 cup of baking soda in a sink full of water.  Soak and wash the produce in it, then rinse with clean water.

5.  Make your own baking powder by stirring and sifting together 2 parts of Cream of Tartar to 1 part baking soda and 1 part cornstarch.

Cleaning

1.  Add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.

2.  Dry clean carpets and upholstered furniture by sprinkling baking soda over the fabric and gently brushing it. Leave it for an hour or overnight, then vacuum.

3.  Put three tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of warm water, then use the mixture to wash marble-topped furniture. Let stand awhile, then rinse.

4.  To remove stubborn stains from marble, Formica or plastic surfaces, scour with a paste of baking soda and water.

5.  Sprinkle it on barbeque grills, let it sit for awhile then rinse it off.

6.  Clean your shower curtains by soaking them in baking soda and water.

7.  Put it on a small brush to rub canvas handbags clean.

8.  Soak pots and pans in hot water and baking soda for 15 minutes to easily wipe away baked-on food.  If you have a real tough pan, you can pour a thick layer of baking soda directly onto the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle on just enough water so as to moisten the baking soda. Leave the pot overnight, then scrub it clean next day.

Miscellaneous

1.  You can make play clay with baking soda by mixing 1 1/4 cups water,  1 cup cornstarch and 2 cups of baking soda.

2.  To repel rain from windshields put a glob on a damp washcloth and wipe windows inside and out.

3.  Use it to put out grease or electrical fires.

4.  Remove corrosion from auto battery terminals by periodically cleaning them with a paste made of baking soda and water. Wipe the paste and grunge off with a clean rag.

5.  Fill holes in your walls from nails, screws, etc. by mixing together some white toothpaste and baking soda and filling the holes in completely.  Allow it to dry completely.

6.  Scatter baking soda on icy sidewalks-it is much less corrosive than salt!