Top 27 Uses for Baking Soda

Baking Soda: from wikipedia Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slight alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda (sodium carbonate). It is a component of the mineral natron and is found dissolved in many mineral springs. The natural mineral form is known as nahcolite. It is also produced artificially.

Since it has long been known and is widely used, the salt has many related names such as baking soda, bread soda,cooking soda, bicarbonate of soda. Colloquially, its name is shortened to sodium bicarb or bicarb soda. The wordsaleratus, from Latin sal æratus meaning “aerated salt“, was widely used in the 19th century for both sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate. The term has now fallen out of common usage.

I Just Gotta Eco  Ya

• Baking soda is most effective at absorbing odors
• It’s non toxic and safe to use everywhere
• Baking soda is the cheapest all-around product you can buy
• RM & HAMMER Baking Soda has been manufactured since 1846
• You can also save money on baking soda by re-using it. For example, once it has served its purpose as a fridge deodoriser you can put it down your sink to help keep your drains clear.

Make Your Own 

• To make your own baking powder, stir and sift together 2 parts of Cream of Tartar to 1 part baking soda and 1 part cornstarch.

1.) Fire Extinquisher:

• Small cooking fires. clothing, fuel, wood, upholstery and rugs
• Control cookout flames. Mix a solution of one teaspoon baking soda and one pint of water in a plastic spray bottle. When fire gets too high, spray at the base of the flames.

2.) Deodorizer:

• Put in recyclables, in gym shoes, in the refridgerator. drains and garbage disposals, lunch boxes, garbage cans. Suck it in with your vacuum cleaner to remove the odor, sprinkle on the carpet.
• Deodorize musty books. Dry thoroughly. Then sprinkle a little baking soda between pages. Brush out after several days.
• Sponges, Dishrags, Freshen the air by mixing baking soda with your favorite perfumed bath salts. Put the mixture in small sachet bags.
• Smelly shoes getting you down? Get a couple of old socks, fill up the toe secitions with baking soda, place into the offending shoes and leave overnight to help remove odors.
• Closets, beds, sheets, carpets
• If your vehicle smells musty or smoky, fill up the ashtrays with bakingsoda. The soda will absorb the odors and effectively freshen the interior.
• 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.
• Remove mothball smell from clothes- If your clothes come out of storage reeking of mothballs, take heed: Adding 1/2 cup baking soda during your washer’s rinse cycle will get rid of the smell.

4.) Cleaning:

• Countertops, plastic containers, cutting boards, ovens, Floors, coffee and teapots, pots and pans, furniture, carpet spills, walls, thermoses,  baby bottles, shower curtains, tiles, bathtubs, sinks , your hands, canvass bags.
• Use to remove melted plastic bread wrapper from toaster. Dampen cloth and make a mild abrasive with baking soda.
• Add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor, mirrors
• 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.
• Clean patio furniture. Wash with solution of 1/2 cup baking soda, one tablespoon dishwashing liquid, and one gallon of hot water. Rinse off
• Slip easily into rubber gloves. Pour baking soda into the fingers.
• Remove crayon marks from walls.Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and rub gently with warm water.
• Polish white baby shoes. Rub with baking soda on a damp sponge. Rinse and buff.

5.) Dishwasher and Washing Dishes

• Sprinkle a handful Baking Soda on the dishes or in the bottom of the dishwasher to absorb food odors just lingering in the dishwasher. Double duty!
• Use Baking Soda to deodorize before you run the dishwasher and then as a gentle cleanser in the wash cycle
• Make Your Own Dishwashing detergent-he dishwasher is fully loaded when you discover that you’re out of your usual powdered dishwashing detergent. What do you do? Make your own: Combine 2 tablespoons baking soda with 2 tablespoons borax. You may be so pleased with the results you’ll switch for good

• Add 2 heaping tablespoons Baking Soda (along with your regular dish detergent) to the dish water to help cut grease and foods left on dishes, pots and pans. For cooked-on foods, let them soak in the ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda/detergent water first, then use dry ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda on a clean damp sponge or cloth as a scratchless scouring powder!

6.) Furniture

• Tighten cane chair seats-The bottoms of cane chairs can start to sag with age, but you can tighten them up again easily enough. Just soak two cloths in a solution of 1/2 cup baking soda in 1 quart (1 liter) hot water. Saturate the top surface of the caning with one cloth, while pushing the second up against the bottom of the caning to saturate the underside. Use a clean, dry cloth to soak up the excess moisture, then put the chair in the sun to dry.

•  Baking Soda can shine all your silver in no time at all! Use a Baking Soda paste made with 3 parts ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda to 1 part water. Rub onto the silver with a clean cloth or sponge. Rinse thoroughly and dry for shining sterling and silver-plate serving pieces.
• Combine it with water to make a paste for polishing stainless steel and chrome.
• 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.

8.) Fruit and Vegetable:

• Scrub Baking Soda is the food safe way to clean dirt and residue off fresh fruit and vegetables. Just sprinkle a little on a clean damp sponge, scrub and rinse.

9.) Cooking:

• Dried beans, but not the gas and bloating they cause? Sprinkle a teaspoon of baking soda in the water when you soak beans.  No more digestion problems!
• Meat Tenderizer- baking soda can be used as a meat tenderizer. Rub some baking soda into the meat. I let the meat sit in the refrigerator for about three hours, and then rinse it off.  And, there is no after taste.
• Fish Odors- baking soda can also remove fish odors from fish. The process is the same as tenderizing, let it sit for about an hour. Then I rinse and pat dry.
• Yeast Subsitute- baking soda as a yeast substitute when needed. Combine equal parts of Vitamin C powder and baking soda.
• When scalding a chicken, add 1-teaspoon of baking soda to the boiling water. The feathers will come off easier and flesh will be clean and white.
• Add baking soda to water to remove the “gamey” taste from wild game.
• Make a sports drink by mixing it with boiled water, salt, and Kool-Aid.  Sprinkle some in your veggies crisper and cover with a cloth or paper towel for crisper veggies that last longer.
• A dash of Arm & Hammer baking soda into a tomato-based sauce (or other highly acidic food) will reduce its acidity.
• Fluff up Omelettes- Want to know the secret to making fluffier omelets? For every three eggs used, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
• A pinch of baking soda in a gallon of freshly-brewed iced tea takes out bad-tasting tannins and prevents cloudiness.

10.) Pets-

• Deodorize pet bedding and litter boxes
• Sprinkle baking soda onto fur coat and brush or comb-through for dry (and drama-free!) odor protection between baths.
• Cleans aquariums  Baking soda is a good cleaner for the fish tank removes the dirt, and doesn’t scratch the glass.
• Give plastic and rubber toys a dunkin a solution of 4 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in 1 quart warm water, and sprinkle fabric toys with baking soda, brushed off after 15 minutes. Your pet may not care that they’re chemical free, but you’ll feel purrfectly pleased.
• Remove porcupine quills from pets.Mix two teaspoons baking soda in one cup of vinegar. Apply to quill area and wait 10 minutes. Reapply and wait another 10 minutes. Quills should come out easily.
•  Freshen the dog’s breath. Brush dog’s teeth with a toothbrush dipped in baking soda solution.
• Clean small animal cages. Wipe all surfaces with baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge. Rinse and dry.
• Wash insides of pets’ ears-If your pet is constantly scratching at his ears, it could indicate the presence of an irritation or ear mites. Ease the itch (and wipe out any mites) by using a cotton ball dipped in a solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 cup warm water to gently wash the inside of his ears.
• Keep bugs away from pets’ dishes- Placing a border of baking soda around your pet’s food bowls will keep away six-legged intruders. And it won’t harm your pet if he happens to lap up a little (though most pets aren’t likely to savor soda’s bitter taste).

11.) Laundry-

• Add ½ cup of  Baking Soda to your laundry to make liquid detergent work harder for you and your family. or
• Tough stains add 1/2 cup of  Baking Soda with your liquid laundry detergent, or a 1/2 cup in the rinse cycle for deodorization!
• For cloth diapers, dissolve ½ cup of Baking Soda in 2 quarts of water and soak diapers thoroughly. Soak and wash diapers with baking soda
• Bleach Booster whites with less harsh chemicals that tend to damage clothes add ½ cup of  Baking Soda with a ½ cup of bleach (instead of the usual 1 cup of bleach).
•  Adding ½ cup of Baking Soda instead of using a full cup of bleach will reduce smelly chemical odors too!
• Stain Remover- oil and grease washes wout better with baking soda, put on garage floor to soak up oil and grease, BBQ grill, burned on food, (soak for 10 minutes ) Are there light water rings on your finished wood nightstand? Mix together a paste of baking soda and toothpaste. Dip a soft cloth in the paste and rub the water spots away .tains 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. Mix a paste of baking soda and vinegar and apply with a pot scourer to remove light rusting
• Rub out perspiration and other stains- Pretreating clothes with a paste made from 4 tablespoons baking soda and 1/4 cup warm water can help vanquish a variety of stains. For example, rub it into shirts to remove perspiration stains; for really bad stains, let the paste dry for about two hours before washing. Rub out tar stains by applying the paste and washing in plain baking soda. For collar stains, rub in the paste and add a bit of vinegar as you’re putting the shirt in the wash

12.) Clean combs and brushes,

• Soak brushes, combs, curlers, cosmetic sponges, and applicators overnight in a solution of four tablespoons baking soda and a quart of water.

13.) Shower Heads-

• Mix baking soda and vinegar in a plastic sandwich bag and tie it around your shower head and leave on for an hour, then run the shower head for a couple minutes with hot water and all the gunk is gone.

14.) Dental Hygiene

• Baking soda can also be used to safely clean dentures, partials, and other dental apparatus. Gargle with 1/2-teaspoon baking soda in one-half glass of water. Freshens and cleans your mouth.
• Used as a mouthwash, baking soda will also relieve canker sore pain
• Toothpaste Mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part salt. Add 3 teaspoons of glycerin. Add 10 to 20 drops of flavoring (peppermint, wintergreen, anise, or cinnamon) and enough water to make a paste. Spoon into a small, refillable squeeze bottle.
• Use baking soda to soak athletic mouthguards, retainers, or other oral appliances
• Soak toothbrushes in a baking-soda solution overnight.

15.) Shampoo

•  Mix a teaspoon of baking soda in with your shampoo the next time you wash your hair. The soda will remove any build up and leave your hair soft.
• Chlorine remover: Rinse hair with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in 1 pint water to remove the dullness or discoloration caused by chlorinated pools.

16.) Beauty –

• Facial Scrub- One part baking soda mixed with two parts of ground oatmeal makes a great scrub for your face. Just mix together the two ingredients and add enough water to make a paste. Gently rub the paste onto your face, avoiding the eye area. Leave the facial on for a few minutes. Then, gently remove it with plenty of cool water and a wash cloth. Your face will feel noticeably soft and smooth!
• Foot Scrub- Put some nice warm water in your footbath; add some lemon juice, and about a tablespoon of baking soda. Soak for about 20 minutes and your feet will feel fresh and tingling.
• Skin Softener- Add 1/2-cup or more of baking soda to your bath water to soften your skin.
• Deodorant- Use baking soda as an underarm deodorant. Keep a small crock next to my sink. It has a little wooden spoon. About 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon in the palm of my hand, rub into my armpit area.  No plastic deoderant container to throw away!  I use baking soda as deoderant.
• Elbows: Rub a baking-soda paste onto your elbows to smooth away rough skin.
• Clean fingernails and toenails by scrubbing them with a nailbrush dipped in baking soda. This also softens cuticles.
• Shaving: Men with sensitive skin may find that a solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda in 1 cup water makes a great preshave treatment or a soothing aftershave rinse
• Zit Buster! Make a thick paste of baking soda and water and apply to any breakouts. Let it sit overnight and wash off in the morning –

17.) Health-

• Is your skin suffering from a case of Poison Ivy or Sumac? Or, do the kids have Measles or Chicken Pox? Add a half cup of baking soda to a bath tub full of warm water. Soak the entire body. The baking soda will help relieve the itching and irritation. I
• To relieve sunburn: use a paste of baking soda and water.
• Bug bites: use a poultice of baking soda and vinegar. .
• Bee sting: use a poultice of baking soda and water.
• Windburns: moisten some baking soda and apply direct. or
• Acid Reflux, Indigestion, heartburn: Dissolve baking soda in 5oz. of water and drink. Baking soda neutralizes acids.
• Putting 2-tablespoons of baking soda in your baby’s bath water will help relieve diaper rash irritations.
•  Unblock stuffy nose by adding a teaspoon of baking soda to your vaporizer.
• Constipation, mix 1/2 teaspoon to a glass of water and drink it. Oddly enough, this will also help with loose stools as well. (same amount)
• Remove Splinters Make a paste of baking soda and water and apply to the bottom of a bandage, and apply that overnight. In the morning, the splinter should be much easier to remove
• Treats Burns- good for burns- quickly pour some baking soda into a container of ice water, soak a cloth or gauze pad in it, and apply it to the burn. Keep applying the solution until the burn no longer feels hot. This treatment will also prevent many burns from blistering.
• Cradle cap is a commonplace, and typically harmless, condition in many infants. An old but often effective way to treat it is to make a paste of about 3 teaspoons baking soda and 1 teaspoon water. Apply it to your baby’s scalp about an hour before bedtime and rinse it off the following morning. Do not use with shampoo. You may need to apply it several consecutive nights before the cradle cap recedes. (You can also treat cradle cap with baby oil.)
• Got a bit of a “flaky” problem? To get dandruff under control, wet your hair and then rub a handful of baking soda vigorously into your scalp. Rinse thoroughly and dry. Do this every time you normally wash your hair, but only use baking soda, no shampoo. Your hair may get dried out at first. But after a few weeks your scalp will start producing natural oils, leaving your hair softer and free of flakes.
• Wearing a plaster cast on your arm or leg is a misery any time of year, but wearing one in the summertime can be torture. The sweating and itchiness you feel underneath your “shell” can drive you nearly insane. Find temporary relief by using a hair dryer — on the coolest setting — to blow a bit of baking soda down the edges of the cast. Note: Have someone help you, to avoid getting the powder in your eyes.
• Alleviate athlete’s foot
  You can deploy wet or dry baking soda to combat a case of athlete’s foot. First, try dusting your feet (along with your socks and shoes) with dry baking soda to dry out the infection. If that doesn’t work, try making a paste of 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon water and rubbing it between your toes. Let it dry, and wash off after 15 minutes. Dry your feet thoroughly before putting on your shoes.

18.) Batteries-

• Neutralize spilled battery acid in a flash with a handful of baking soda.
• Use a soft brush and a baking soda and water paste to clean efficiency-killing grease and grime from your car’s battery.
• Fix a badbattery connection. Make a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water and brush onto corroded battery posts and cable connectors. Rinse and dry. Coat with petroleum jelly to keep terminals trouble-free.

19.) Pest Control –

• Ants and Cockroaches in your house? Keep them out by mixing up equal parts of baking soda and salt together. Then, sprinkle the mixture wherever you see the intruders coming in at.
• Kill roaches and silverfish. Place a mixture of equal parts baking soda and sugar in infested area. Bugs are attracted to the sugar and will consequently eat too much baking soda.

20.) Home Improvement

• Do you need to fill in some nail holes in a plastered wall? If you don’t have any spackling handy, you can simply mix together some white toothpaste and baking soda. Fill the holes in completely, then allow the mixture to dry. If you want to match the wall color, add a drop or two of food coloring to the mix before you use.
• Give your deck the weathered look-You can instantly give your wooden deck a weathered look by washing it in a solution of 2 cups baking soda in 1 gallon (3.7 liters) water. Use a stiff straw brush to work the solution into the wood, then rinse with cool water.
• Clean air-conditioner filters-Clean washable air-conditioner filters each month they’re in use. First vacuum off as much dust and dirt as possible, then wash in a solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda in 1 quart (1 liter) water. Let the filters dry thoroughly before replacing.
• Maintain proper pool alkalinity- Add 1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) baking soda for every 10,000 gallons (38,000 liters) of water in your swimming pool to raise the total alkalinity by 10 ppm (parts per million). Most pools require alkalinity in the 80-150 ppm range. Maintaining the proper pool alkalinity level is vital for minimizing changes in pH if acidic or basic pool chemicals or contaminants are introduced to the water.

21.) Plants and Garden:

• Many flowers, fruits, and vegetables need to be planted in acidic soil in order for them to grow to their fullest. If you’re not sure whether the soil in an area is acidic or not, then perform this test: mix up a quarter of a cup ofbaking soda with two cups of water. Then, stir in a cup of the soil. If the mixture foams up, then the soil is acidic.
• Scatter baking soda around flowerbeds to prevent rabbits from eating your veggies.
• Sweeten your tomatoes by sprinkling baking soda on the soil around your tomato plants.
• Get rid of crab-grass patches in your lawn by sprinkling it with baking soda. It dies overnight.
• Keep fungus, black spot and powdery mildew off your precious plants by mixing baking soda, horticultural oil and soap and applying it to affected leaves. It’s also effective on rose leaves. Just add 1 tsp of soda and a few drops of dishwashing soap to a gallon of water, and spray once a week, and after it rains.
• Rejuvenate the greenery. Mix together one teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon clear ammonia and one teaspoon Epsom salt in a gallon of water. Use about a quart of the solution on each rosebush-size shrub that’s lost its luster.
• Keep weeds out of cement cracks-Looking for a safe way to keep weeds and grasses from growing in the cracks of your paved patios, driveways, and walkways? Sprinkle handfuls of baking soda onto the concrete and simply sweep it into the cracks. The added sodium will make it much less hospitable to dandelions and their friends.
• Use as plant food-Give your flowering, alkaline-loving plants, such as clematis, delphiniums, and dianthus, an occasional shower in a mild solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda in 2 quarts (2 liters) water. They’ll show their appreciation with fuller, healthier blooms.

22.) Entertainment

• Something fun for you to make for children with baking soda is clay. You will need a bowl to mix this in and a plastic zip bag to store it in. Mix together, 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup cornstarch and 1 ½ cups water. This clay is completely non toxic and children love to play with it. They can mold it, let it dry and paint their creations.
• Fill a clear, glass container with 3 parts water and one part vinegar. Sprinkle in one tsp of baking soda veeerrrry slowly, and wait for the bubbles to settle, after they have, add a second teaspoon. Once those have settled, add a few drops of food coloring, and watch how they move. Then, drop in small kitchen items like raisins, grains of rice, halved grapes, pieces of veggies and spaghetti to demonstrate how different kinds of matter have different levels of buoyancy. Science CAN be fun!
• Spruce up the fishing gear. Use baking soda solution to clean rods, lines, hooks, and buckets. Won’t pollute rivers and lakes.
• Clean the golf irons. With a brush, apply a baking soda solution over the club.

• Repel rain from windshield. Put gobs of baking soda on a dampened cloth and wipe windows inside and out.
• Sweeten the RV’s water tank. Protect against rancid taste by filling reservoir with a solution of one cup baking soda per gallon of warm water. Drain and fill with plain water. Drain again. Fill with water for trip.
• Clean tree sap off a car. Rub with baking soda on a damp sponge.
• Brighten the headlights. Scour dirt, salt, and bugs off with baking soda on a damp sponge.
• Remove bugs and road splatters from windshields. Sponge off with baking soda. Won’t scratch.
• Freshen the floor mats. Clean with a baking soda solution. Sprinkle on dry for tough spots and scrub with brush. Rinse well.

24.) Sprinkle your Christmas tree with baking soda to mimick snow – a much more environmentally friendly alternative to some of those chemical snow sprays!

25.) Septic Tank:

• Instead of using chemicals, a cup in baking soda down the drain once a month is a much better way to maintain the right pH balance for the septic tank to work at it’s best level. The tank can turn over the contents faster and in the long run reduce back ups and the need for pumping the tank

26.) UnClog Drains

• Mix ½ cup with vinegar and cover your drain for 1 hour. Flush down with hot water.

27.) Safety

• Skid-proof the front steps. Sprinkle baking soda generously on icy steps and walkways. Won’t damage floors if tracked inside.

Resources-

Arm and Hammer 

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