Monday, April 6, 2009

Baking Soda, an Essential Cleaning Tool




I happen to notice recently that each box of baking soda, depending on the brand, has a different list of uses. If you look at them all, you realize this is one impressive box of powder! I couldn’t begin to explain to you why this mineral does what it does, but I can give you examples of what it does:

Baking Soda can put out fires. Remember in grade school you made the handy fire safety kits? I had to take a coffee can and fill it with non other than baking soda and was told to keep it by the stove in case something caught on fire. Throwing baking soda on the fire would put it out (apparently). I can’t recommend this as a serious fire extinguisher, but it’s a good thing to know, just in case.

Baking soda can be fun! Baking soda and vinegar, especially when mixed with food coloring, make a great fake lava fall or a witches’ brew for kids who like to make some fun in the kitchen!

Baking soda is a natural way to clean and disinfect many items.

Your mouth. Recently I was visiting my dentist who was telling me about the best way to keep my gums clean. She said to keep a box of good ole’ baking soda handy in the bathroom and mix it with water or hydrogen peroxide to make a paste. Use the paste and brush my teeth and gums with it, swish it around with some water and rinse out for a clean and effective mouthwash.

Your tub or sink. Ever look at the side of a can of sink scrubbing powder? It’s scented baking soda. Take regular baking soda, sprinkle it on your sink or tub and scrub away.

Laundry. If you throw 1/3 cup of baking soda in your wash cycle, it will help your laundry detergent work better, help eliminate odors, and soften fabrics.

The fridge. We all know a box of baking soda in the fridge will help eliminate odors, and it will. So will a sprinkle on your rugs or on your furniture or even in your litter box. Baking soda will help eliminate the odors in the rug and furniture and will also help absorb the spill.

Fruits and Veggies. I like this idea of cleaning veggies without harsh soaps. You just mix a little bit with water and scrub the fruits and veggies and rinse them clean.

Your bod. Sprinkle a little baking soda into your bath tub for a relaxing soak that also lifts off oil and dirt from your body. Ever get one of those fizzy bath balls? Look at the ingredients next time and I bet you’ll see sodium bicarbonate!


Kitchen Sink. Good to pour in your sink drain then pour vinegar over it…it will help smells and help to unclog the drain in kitchen, bathroom or anywhere.

Clean Stove. Make a paste of baking soda and a little water and use this on top of the stove to remove stubborn spots.

Poison Ivy or Poison Oak. If you get Poison Ivy or Oak on your skin, make a paste with baking soda and water or vinegar, apply to affected area and allow to dry. (You’d better sit over a tub or outside because soda will begin to fall off and make a mess on your floor otherwise).
Then take a washcloth, wet with hot water and scrub your skin very hard. The baking soda will cause the poison to rise back to surface of the skin and the scrubbing will help remove it and skip the blister stage. The baking soda also stops the itching. This method needs to be repeated every 12 to 24 hours for 2 to 3 days.

Coffee Pot or Carafe. A paste of baking soda and water takes all the gunky coffee stain off your coffee pot or carafe.

Clean bugs off car. Make a paste using a little water with the baking soda, take a damp cloth, put a little of the baking soda paste on the cloth and scrub the bugs off the front of your car and windshield. Then wash the car as usual. Works like a charm!

Garbage Disposal. Pour some baking soda in your garbage disposal and add a couple handfuls of ice cubes. Run the disposal for a few minutes and it will make it smell much better!!

Bee Stings. If you get stung by a bee or other stinging bug you can make a paste of baking soda and water and apply it to the sting and the paste makes the sting go away!!! (I have actually done this many times!

Car Battery. Baking soda can be mixed with a little water or vinegar and poured on your car’s battery terminals to remove all that gunk.

High chair.
Effective to clean tray of high-chair which can get quite stained (as well as other baby items).

Pots and Pans. Keep a shaker container of baking soda on the sink and use it for getting burnt or food stuck to bottom of pans off. Just add hot water with a little baking soda, soak for 1 or 2 minutes. It is also good to make a paste and rub of old grease spots on baking sheets or bottom of pans. Rub and wham, most of it is gone.

Facial Scrub. I use Cetaphil cleanser and a shake of baking soda to scrub of dry flaky skin. Works great and is so much cheaper than any other scrubs out there!

Remove chlorine from hair after swimming. I use baking soda to remove chlorine from my hair after swimming. I make a paste with baking soda and shampoo and rub it into my hair. If you leave it about 10 minutes, you’ll smell the chlorine leaving. Then, rinse it out and shampoo and condition normally. The hairdresser said she turned a platinum blond’s chlorine-green hair back to platinum with this treatment. It’s way more effective than the chlorine shampoos.

Stuck fabric on hot iron. Make a paste with water and baking soda and clean the iron. It also cleans the steam holes.

Burnt food in pans. When you have burnt something in a pan just put enough water in the pan to cover the burnt area plus a couple tablespoons of baking soda. Place back on the stove and bring to a boil. The burn will lift right off.

Detox Bath Salt. Baking soda and epsom salts makes a great detox bath soak. Use hot water and soak, then wrap yourself in towels and sweat some more.

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~Lisa

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