I’m loving the whole getting back to basics sort of living, so I find myself using baking soda for a lot of things lately. It’s crazy how just a few staple ingredients can do so many things!
Here’s 15 cool uses for baking soda:
- Use as an antacid. Just mix 1/2 tsp. baking soda with 1/2 cup water. {My father-in-law swears by this}
- Soak toothbrushes in a mixture of 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup water overnight to keep clean and fresh. {I like to do this after I a cold}
- To make a fluffier omelet, add 1/2 tsp. baking soda to every 3 eggs.
- Remove scuffs {and even crayon} from furniture by putting a little baking soda and warm water on a cloth and buffing lightly.
- Dab a little baking soda on a bug bite to take the itch out.
- Brush on your windshield to repel rain.
- Sprinkle in the cracks of your drive-way to deter weeds.
- Add a teaspoon of baking soda each time you condition your hair to keep hair soft and fight split-ends. {Some people skip the shampoo and conditioner altogether, and just use the baking soda–do you do this? How does it work?}
- Use instead of soap to wash your car. Dissolve 1/4 cup in 1 quart of warm water.
- Wash your produce with baking soda. {When I’m in a big hurry and don’t want to wash all my produce at once, I just dab some on a wet washcloth, scrub the one item and rinse.}
- Clean and deodorize reusable lunch boxes. Wipe with baking soda and a wet cloth, or sprinkle baking soda inside overnight, and dump it out in the morning.
- Sprinkle in smelly gym shoes to neutralize odor.
- Add a teaspoon to hand soap to keep hands soft.
- Remove grease stains from the garage floor by sprinkling baking soda and scrubbing with a brush.
- Sprinkle a 50/50 mixture of baking soda and flour on cabbages to deter cabbage worms.
How about you, do you use baking soda for anything other than baking and freshening the fridge?
~Mavis
{If you haven’t already, check out some more uses for vinegar and old newspaper.}
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Sherle says
A little over two weeks ago I burned my leg with boiling hot water, thankfully it wasn’t 3rd degree. However the burnt patch hurt so much that I couldn’t sleep so I sat in my chair and kept slathering aloe on it. After posting on FB about it a friend of mine suggested I try a slurry of baking soda and water. Almost instantaneous relief from the burn symptoms. After letting it dry, I was able to coat it again, bandage it and go to bed. Baking soda mixed with water will be forever remembered as a burn reliever in our house.
Lora says
For burns you can also use egg whites on the burns. The egg whites have collagen that helps heals the burns. I have used this many times.
Tessa says
I use it to clean, especially our toilets and tub. I put one cup of baking soda in the toilet with about 3/4 of a cup of white vinegar. It fizzes up like those old volcano science labs and I scrub it out with the toilet brush. You can sprinkle it and the vinegar on the tub and it will clean and get all the soap residue off the tub. I also like scrubbing sinks with it, as well as baked on yuck on my baking pans. It literally gets everything off. A great book for cleaning more naturally is “Green House, Green Planet”. I have it and have gotten soooo many ideas from it. I don’t remember the author, but if you put that title in Amazon I bet it will pop up. It has a blue/green cover (or at least it used to!). Those tips you put up were great! I will add them to my list of strategies!
RaeAnne says
I use baking soda on my carpet. I have found that when I run my shampooer with baking soda mixed in the water, it is sure to freshen the carpet. Also use it to concentrate a stained area before shampooing the carpet. And I also use it as a carpet freshener before vacuuming.
I also use it for lots of other cleaning in the house and my shop! Also, for a high PH for our pool.
Baking Soda Rocks!
Jackie M. says
We had a backed up drain last night. Hubby removed those old plugs that came up and down, snaked it, and I poured baking soda, a few drops of tea tree oil and vinegar and let that work its wonders. I did it twice as there was a bit of a gas smell. Voila, clean and deoderized drain. Also, you can sprinkle it on the “brown stuff” left in the pan after frying meat and then put lemon juice overtop. You can almost dissolve anything burnt this way, even if it takes a few days.
I scrub the sink clean with it. I too clean the toilet with it and anything else I have to clean. Love it!
Terri says
Baking soda is excellent for removing scorched, burned on foods from your pots and pans. Just put some water in said pan and bring it to a boil, then add baking soda liberally and continue boiling. You should start seeing bits of the burned on food start coming off in the water/baking soda mix. Continue boiling until no more of the burned on gunk comes up. Use a spatula to scrape off what you can and then dump the icky water down the drain. If there’s still some stuff stuck on the bottom, then repeat the above procedure.
Gail J says
For those of you who can’t stop using shampoo, equal parts of shampoo and baking soda takes out hairspray residue.
Susan Robinson says
For the last year I have made my own deoderant. Equal parts baking soda, cornstarch, and coconut oil. I works wonderfully! No wetness, no odor, and no staining of my clothes. I used to need extra strength in the summer, but this works extremely well and is cheap! The best reason is that none of us should be putting aluminum under our arms and on our lymph nodes! Please try it! What could you lose?
Sarah says
I use baking soda as deoderant. Just dab it on right out of the shower, its the only thing that works for me. I’ve been immune to regular stuff for years. Also you could make a detox bath equal parts epsom salt, sea salt and baking soda add some essential oils if you want. The baking soda makes the water effervesce and you feel like you’ve just had a massage after, great for sore muscles from being in the garden all day. 🙂
Destini says
I use baking soda to scrub my scalp and rinse with cider vinegar.. Then rinse clean with water. It works great I dont have to use product to control the frizz and my scalp does not itch anymore 🙂
LisaB says
I haven’t used traditional shampoo for a year now. I use an empty vinegar jug (1gal) and pour in 16 Tbsp baking soda (Bob’s Red Mill has the finest blend), 16 drops of my favorite organic shampoo for a hint of fragrance and lather, and 16 drops of vegetable glycerine for hydration. I use it to fill a condiment squeeze bottle (one of the clear ones from cash n carry) and squirt that on my scalp to wash my hair. I don’t have to use conditioner and it has helped clear up a great deal of dandruff. I don’t get split ends like I used to so I only get my hair cut once or twice a year. I also sprinkle baking soda on my carpet and let it sit for a few hours before vacuuming to help hide the 3 dogs we share the house with.
LisaB says
Um, I also add 16 C of water to the jug 🙂
Jessie says
I use baking soda (its a base) and water to wash my hair and a white or cider vinegar (its a mild acid) rinse to condition it. The vinegar closes the cuticle of the hair making it shiny and manageable.
Radka K. says
great ideas. I also have one. Leave an open cup of baking soda in your fridge and it will absorb all odors.
Dawn says
I use baking soda to brush my teeth about once a week, in the shower every now and then with my shower gel, and on my face with my face wash. It’s a great exfoliant and gives the softest skin ever!
Lora says
Another tip is to use 1 tsp in the water when making hard boiled eggs. It is supposed to help with the ease of peeling eggs. I haven’t tried it yet. But will do so, the next time I boil some eggs.
Kathy says
I’ve been washing my hair with baking soda for a year now and it’s never felt so great! A tablespoon is all it takes, some make it into a paste, some use it as is. Afterwards, I condition with (you’re gonna think I’m nuts) apple cider vinegar. Mix a cup of water to a tsblespoon of vinegar. Use about a tablespoon as conditioner. Hair is soft, manageable and surprisingly tangle and flyaway free.
MarinaRose says
Hey, so when I run out of regular store-bought dishwasher soap…
I make my own by tossing atleast 1/2 cup of baking soda in the loaded dishwasher, along with a bit of coarse kosher salt and some lemon juice.
No real measurements. Mom always just tosses the ingredients in too:)
But this ALWAYS works to clean the dishes, even better than regular dishwasher soap!
Claudia says
I use baking soda for so many things. Most have already been mentioned in the comments. I especially love it for cleaning the drains. Everything’s always smells so clean afterwards.
I have also used it when it slice meat for stir fry. Sprinkle 1/2 to 1 tsp. with a slurry of water. But only let it sit for 15 mins. before cooking. Chinese cooks do this and call it ‘velveting’.
Thanks for all the other comments I’m going to give some of them a try.