The Wonders of Baking Soda
Ode by a Mother to Baking Soda
How do I use thee?
I can’t count the ways …
You scrub my tub, presoak my clothes
Freshen my fridge, won’t scratch stoves
Eat odors in sneakers and diaper pails
Soothe bites and burns to stop kid’s wails.
All of this without harming our earth,
You give far more than my money’s worth.
Jane Foster, Picton, Ontario, Canada
Most everyone is familiar
with keeping a box of baking soda in the fridge to keep it fresh or as a
leavening agent when cooking. But there is a multitude of other uses that you
may not be familiar with that we thought we’d share with you. As you’ll quickly
see, baking soda is kind of the Swiss army of knife of household products.
Just a few of many uses of Baking Soda:
1. Keep
a container of baking soda near your stove in case of a grease or electrical
fire. Also keep it in your garage as well as in your car to put out a fire. It
won't damage anything it touches.
2. Baking
soda will also put out fires in clothing, fuel, wood, upholstery and rugs.
3. Clean
vegetables and fruit with baking soda. Sprinkle in water, soak and rinse the
produce.
4. Wash
garbage cans with baking soda.
5. Soak
and wash diapers with baking soda.
6. Oil
and grease -- stained clothing washes out better with baking soda added to the washing
water.
7. Clean
your fridge and freezer with dry baking soda sprinkled on a damp cloth. Rinse
with clear water.
8. Deodorize
your fridge and freezer by putting in an open container of baking soda to
absorb odors. Stir and turn over the baking soda from time to time. Replace
every 2 months.
9. Always
add 1/2-cup baking soda to your washing machine load.
10. Clean combs and brushes in a baking soda
solution.
11. Wash food and drink containers with baking
soda and water.
12. Wash marble-topped furniture with a solution
of 3-tablespoons of baking soda in 1 quart of warm water. Let stand awhile,
then rinse.
13. Clean Formica counter tops with baking soda
on a damp sponge.
14. Wash out thermos bottles and cooling
containers with baking soda and water to get rid of stale smells.
15. To remove stubborn stains from marble, Formica
or plastic surfaces, scour with a paste of baking soda and water.
16. Wash glass or stainless steel coffee pots
(but not aluminum) in a baking soda solution (3-tablespoons soda to 1 quart
water).
17. Run your coffee maker through its cycle
with a baking soda solution. Rinse.
18. Sprinkle baking soda on barbecue grills,
let soak, then rinse off.
19. Sprinkle baking soda on greasy garage
floor. Let stand, scrub and rinse.
20. Polish silverware with dry baking soda on a
damp cloth. Rub, rinse and dry.
21. For silver pieces without raised patterns
or cemented-on handles: place the silver on aluminum foil in an enamel pot. Add
boiling water and 4 tablespoons baking soda. Let stand, rinse and dry.
22. Reduce odor build-up in your dishwasher by
sprinkling some baking soda on the bottom.
23. To remove burned-on food from a pan: let
the pan soak in baking soda and water for 10 minutes before washing. Or scrub
the pot with dry soda and a moist scouring pad.
24. Rub stainless steel and chrome with a moist
cloth and dry baking soda to shine it up. Rinse and dry. On stainless steel,
scrub in the direction of the grain.
25. Clean plastic, porcelain and glass with dry
soda on a damp cloth. Rinse and dry.
26. Clean your bathroom with dry baking soda on
a moist sponge -- sink, tub, tiles, shower
stall, etc.
27. Keep your drains clean and free-flowing by
putting 4 tablespoons of soda in them each week. Flush the soda down with hot
water.
28. Soak your shower curtains in water and
baking soda to clean them.
29. To remove strong odors from your hands, wet
your hands and rub them hard with baking soda, then rinse.
30. Sprinkle baking soda on your wet toothbrush
and brush your teeth and dentures with it.
31. Sprinkle baking soda in tennis shoes,
socks, boots and slippers to eliminate odor.
32. Apply baking soda directly to insect bites,
rashes and poison ivy to relieve discomfort. Make a paste with water.
33. Take a baking soda bath to relieve general
skin irritations such as measles and chicken pox.
34. Take 1/2-teaspoon of baking soda in
one-half glass of water to relieve acid indigestion or heartburn.
35. To
relieve sunburn: use a paste of baking soda and water.
36. Bug bites: use a poultice of baking soda
and vinegar.
37. Bee sting: use a poultice of baking soda
and water.
38. Windburns: moisten some baking soda and
apply directly.
39. Making Play Clay with baking soda: combine
1 1/4 cups water, 2 cups soda, 1 cup cornstarch.
40. Repel rain from windshield. Put gobs of
baking soda on a dampened cloth and wipe windows inside and out.
41. Add baking soda to water to soak dried
beans to make them more digestible.
42. Add baking soda to water to remove the
"gamey" taste from wild game.
43. Use baking soda to sweeten sour dishcloths.
44. Use baking soda dry with a small brush to
rub canvas handbags clean.
45. To eliminate dog odors or just freshen up
the air, sprinkle baking soda on your carpet where your dog lies and vacuum up.
Leave the soda on the carpet for half an hour. It also eliminates odor in your vacuum
after it has been vacuumed up. A great way to freshen up your home air during
the winter when everything is closed up.
46. Baking soda rubbed onto a dampened blood
stain can help lift the stain from the fabric.
47. Fruit and wine stains need to be treated
immediately with baking soda, but if you're in a hurry, pour a little baking
soda on the stain, and then later run hot water through the back of the stain.
Works great on table linens.
48. Baking soda works great on removing ring
around the collar. Rub a paste of 6 Tablespoons of baking soda and 1/2 cup of
warm water onto stained clothing before laundering. Be sure to check for
colorfastness first.