Baking Soda — Who Knew?

I love baking soda. It is one of the most awesome substances on the planet. As a little girl, I learned to add a teensy bit of water to it to make a mystery goo (who says science in our schools is dead?). As an adult, I have learned that it is an awesome cleaning/deodorizing agent.

There are many obvious uses for baking soda, like placing an open box in your fridge or freezer to help with food odors, or keeping it near the stove in case you have a grease fire. But baking soda has so many other uses—and at $0.99 a box (or thereabouts) at Target, it’s very easy on a Jezebel Reccessionista’s wallet.

Here are two of my favorite uses for baking soda:

1. Sprinkle it on your carpet, wait a few minutes, and then vacuum. There are fancy carpet powders that are way more expensive, but baking soda does the trick. For fun, I like to walk around in (clean) old socks, stamping it in to absorb odors.

2. Put a couple teaspoons of baking soda in a microwave-safe mug, then fill it halfway with water. Zap in the microwave for 45 seconds, wait for it to cool, then remove. Voila! That cooked-in tomato sauce that’s been stuck to the walls of the microwave will wipe right off. Added bonus: your microwave will smell fresh again.

And here are some uses I found courtesy of Google:

1. Wash garbage cans with baking soda.
2. Soak and wash diapers with baking soda. (I’m assuming they mean cloth diapers!)
3. Oil and grease – stained clothing washes out better with soda added to the washing water.
4. Soda absorbs kitty litter odors. Cover the bottom of the kitty box with 1 part soda; then add a layer of 3 parts kitty litter on top

5. Run you coffee maker through its cycle with a soda solution. Rinse.
6. Sprinkle soda on barbecue grills, let soak, then rinse off.
7. Sprinkle soda on greasy garage floor. Let stand, scrub and rinse.
8. Polish silverware with dry soda on a damp cloth. Rub, rinse and dry.
9. Reduce odor build-up in your dishwasher by sprinkling some soda on the bottom.
10. Run your dishwasher through its cycle with soda in it instead of soap to give it a good cleaning.
11. To remove burned-on food from a pan: let the pan soak in soda and water for 10 minutes before washing. Or scrub the pot with dry soda and a moist scouring pad.
12. For a badly-burned pan with a thick layer of burned-on food: pour a thick layer of soda directly onto the bottom of the pan, then sprinkle on just enough water so as to moisten the soda. Leave the pot overnight, then scrub it clean next day.
13. 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.
14. Clean your bathroom with dry soda on a moist sponge – sink, tub, tiles, shower stall, etc.
15. Keep your drains clean and free-flowing by putting 4 tablespoons of soda in them each week. Flush the soda down with hot water.
16. Soak your shower curtains in water and soda to clean them.
17. To remove strong odors from your hands, wet your hands and rub them hard with soda, then rinse.
18. Sprinkle baking soda on your wet toothbrush and brush your teeth and dentures with it.
19. Sprinkle soda in tennis shoes, socks, boots and slippers to eliminate odor.
20. Add 1/2 cups or more of baking soda to your bath water to soften your skin.
21. Putting 2 tbsp. of baking soda in your baby’s bath water will help relieve diaper rash irritations.
22. Apply soda directly to insect bites, rashes and poison ivy to relieve discomfort. Make a paste with water.
23. Take a soda bath to relieve general skin irritations such as measles and chicken pox.
24. Take 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in 1/2 glass of water to relieve acid indigestion or heartburn.
25. Gargle with 1/2 tsp. baking soda in 1/2 glass of water. Freshens and cleans your mouth.
26. Used as a mouthwash, baking soda will also relieve canker sore pain.
27. To relieve sunburn: use a paste of baking soda and water.
28. Bug bites: use a poultice of baking soda and vinegar.
29. Bee sting: use a poultice of baking soda and water.
30. Windburns: moisten some baking soda and apply directly.
31. Making Play Clay with baking soda: combine 1 1/4 cups water, 2 cups soda, 1 cup cornstarch.
32. Use soda as an underarm deodorant.
33. Repel rain from windshield. Put gobs of baking soda on a dampened cloth and wipe windows inside and out.

Aside from being budget-friendly, baking soda is environmentally friendly, too, and much healthier to use for cleaning than bleach. I, for one, can’t wait to try out #33. After a long, rainy winter, my windshield is filthy!