Baking soda is one of those pantry staples that everyone always has in their home. While it’s common knowledge that it’s used in baking, as is suggested in its very name, baking soda has many other uses that can make your life a whole lot easier. These are the best uses for baking soda that you never knew and wish you’d known sooner!
Cleaning Fresh Produce
Keep you fruits and veggies clean as can be by mixing one teaspoon of baking soda to every 2 cups of water and letting the produce soak in the mixture. This will ensure that any dirt, pesticides, and general unwanted gunk gets cleaned right off. Rinse thoroughly and enjoy!
Instantly Clean And Fresh Carpets
Carpets are a wonderful feature of any home, but it’s no secret that they can become quite a hassle to maintain. If you find yourself vacuuming non-stop and still feeling dissatisfied with how your carpet looks, try sprinkling baking soda onto the carpet and scrub with warm water. You can also leave it to soak overnight and then vacuum away any excess in the morning. Your carpet will look good as new.
Naturally Fresh Breath
One of the most uncomfortable things you can experience is speaking to someone with smelly breath. If you want to avoid being that person, baking soda will help you out. Mix some baking soda into warm water and swish it around your mouth as you would with any commercial mouth wash. It’s a natural and effective alternative.
No More Body Odor
If you feel like you’ve tried every single deodorant in the pharmacy, perhaps it’s time to introduce some baking soda into your routine. While there are now deodorants that have baking soda in them, you can make your very own at home. Simply mix baking soda with warm water and gently massage it into your armpits.
Air Freshener
Tired of spray air fresheners that are full of mysterious ingredients and only mask bad odors? Baking soda is a fantastic alternative, as it actually eliminates the odors completely rather than just covering them. You can also add in some drops of essential oils to add a fresh scent.
Spotlessly Clean Bathroom
Cleaning the bathroom is never a fun or enjoyable task. When dirt and grime is caked into the bathtub, it’s even worse. Baking soda is here to the rescue once again. Mix baking soda and water to form a paste and rub onto stubborn stains. Let sit for 20 minutes and then watch as it easily comes right off with one wipe.
Shiny Silverware
As time progresses, silverware accumulates dirt that eventually tints its color. You might think that it’s time to toss your set out and buy a new one, but that is not the case. You can clean affected silverware with baking powder and hot water and watch how your silverware transforms back to brand new.
Sparkling Smile
Brushing your teeth twice a day is quite important, as any dentist will let you know. However, how often do you actually clean your toothbrush? Most people neglect doing this, but it’s really quite simple to do. Soak your toothbrush in a solution of baking soda, vinegar, and hot water for half an hour and kill any unwanted germs that may be lingering.
Bug Bite Treatment
You might not know this, but most bug bite creams that are sold at pharmacies actually contain sodium bicarbonate, which happens to be baking soda. Why not mix your own instead of spending extra money on creams? Apply a paste of baking soda and water on affected areas. It’s not recommended to do this every day, but it is fine to spot treat bug bites every once in a while.
Pot And Pan Cleaner
Good quality pots and pans can last your for many years, but it is important to maintain them well. We’ve all had a moment when we’ve accidentally scorched a pan, leaving black marks that seem impossible to get rid of. Once again, using baking soda will help. Boil some with water and use that formula to clean the stains away.
Shoe Cleaner
There is nothing worse than removing your shoes only to get a huge whiff of unpleasant odor wafting around. The solution is quite simple: place a tablespoon of baking soda in a cloth, twist the cloth around the baking soda in order to avoid it spilling everywhere, and place it in your shoe. Let it sit for a few days and absorb all the smells, leaving your shoes smell-free.
Heartburn Issues Solved
Do you struggle with heartburn often? We understand how frustrating this can be. A simple home remedy for heartburn involves mixing one teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water. Drinking this will help neutralize the issues caused by heartburn and provide almost instant relief, as baking soda is a natural antacid.
Potentially Combat Cancer
While in no way is baking soda a cure or treatment for cancer, mounting research has shown that ingesting baking soda could help fight cancer alongside other medical treatments (not instead of!). Since sodium bicarbonate is an antacid and cancer thrives off acidity, some studied suggest that it may help. Consult with your doctor before trying this out.
The Perfect Omelet
Making the perfect omelet may seem like a simple task, but every chef knows that the perfect omelet takes good technique and some trade secrets. One of these secrets is adding half a teaspoon of baking soda to help create the fluffy texture that we all love. Wow your guests next time you have them over for brunch with this little trick.
No More Blocked Drains
Blocked drains are the absolute worst. If you recall earlier days of science projects at school, mixing together baking soda and vinegar caused our homemade volcanoes to erupt. We can use this same chemical reaction to unblock stubborn drain blockages in no time.
No More Smelly Garbage Disposal
The garbage disposal is one of mankind’a greatest inventions. It’s made kitchen cleanup so much easier. However, the unfortunate downside to it is that accumulated food waste often begins to create an unpleasant odor. This can easily be remedied by first washing out the garbage disposal with water, then adding in baking soda with a tiny bit of water. After 10 minutes, pour about a cup of vinegar and then rinse is all out.
DIY Teeth Whitening
Want to whiten your teeth but are weary of using those whitening strips? You can try out a simple at home DIY solution instead. Mix a quarter of a teaspoon of baking powder with water, creating a paste. Brush your teeth with this paste as you normally would. Do this for a few days straight and you’ll notice dramatic results.
Sore Throat
A sore throat will put a damper on your day every single time. For an easy at home remedy, you can mix baking soda into water and gargle the solution. This should help ease the pain, and you can repeat this process until the sore throat has gone away completely.
No More Yellow Stained Nails
Constantly painting your nails and getting manicures does a number on your fingernails, which can cause them to turn yellow. You can easily get your nails back to normal by mixing baking soda with peroxide and scrubbing your nails with this mixture. You’ll notice that your nails will be back to normal in no time at all.
Dark Underarm Issues
Dark underarms can be quite embarrassing, especially in the hot summer months when you’re wearing less fabric. You can help reduce the look of dark underarms by mixing baking soda and water and massaging the mixture into your armpits gently for about a minute, then leaving it on for about 30 minutes before rinsing it off. Repeat two to three times a week for best results.
Performance Enhancer
We all know that using performance enhancing drugs is both unhealthy and unethical. So what if we told you that baking soda is a safe, natural, and effective performance enhancer? Baking soda can help boost your energy levels, which in turn can help you have more intense workouts. Try it out for yourself!
Healthy Kidneys
Baking soda is truly an incredible product. Not only is it a fantastic cleaning ingredient, an integral part of baking, but it is also helpful for your overall health. Some studies have suggested that sodium bicarbonate can help slow down the rate at which kidney disease spreads.
Demolish Weeds
Anyone who keeps a garden knows just how annoying weeds are to deal with. They spread like crazy and create a huge eyesore in our yards. An easy way to kill these unwanted weeds is by sprinkling a bit of baking soda on the areas affected by weeds and watch them disappear.
Microwave Cleaner
Cleaning the microwave is yet another commonly neglected chore. The microwave accumulate unpleasant smells and crusts of food debris that is hard to clean. You can easily scrub away the mess using a paste made with baking soda and water and a sponge.
No More Icy Driveway
Harsh winters mean snow on your car and icy driveways. Not only is this annoying to deal with, it can be quite dangerous. If you don’t have any salt on hand to sprinkle onto icy driveways, another solution is to sprinkle baking soda on the ice in order to help dissolve it quickly.
Clean Hairbrush
Many times, common hygiene items that we use on a daily basis do not get cleaned. Perhaps it’s because we use them so regularly that we don’t even think about them, but it’s important to clean them nonetheless! This includes hairbrushes. You can easily clean them by soaking them in a solution of hot water and a teaspoon of baking soda. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry, and you’re good to go!
Clean Your Grill
Cleaning the grill is one of the most frustrating and tough chores to do. The best way to effectively clean a grill without straining yourself is, you guessed it, by using baking soda. Easily scrub away caked on char with a solution of baking soda and water.
Shiny Floors
We all know there’s a difference between cleaning a floor and really deep cleaning a floor. A great trick to really see a difference is to add about 100 grams of baking soda to your usual bucket of mopping water. You’ll see a huge difference and even feel like you’ve restored your floors to brand new.
Clean Kitchen Secrets
Regular daily use will inevitably mean general wear and tear on your kitchen appliances. This can translate to unsightly stains and even smells. Baking soda can help with this too! For example, you can place your coffee maker in the dishwasher and run an empty cycle with a tablespoon of baking soda. Two birds with one stone!
Litter Box Cleaner
Cat owners know that while litter boxes are a great bathroom solution, sometimes they become quite smelly. A great solution to avoid this unpleasantness is to add baking soda beneath the cat litter to completely soak up any smells you don’t want wafting around your house.
Exfoliate Your Skin
Taking good care of your skin is important in order to maintain its youthful glow. However, regular trips to the spa can really add up. For a nice DIY spa treatment, you can create a paste of baking soda and water and use it as your would any other face cleanser. Wash off and feel how soft and touchable your skin will become.
Soft, Sleek Hair
Do you find that your hair just doesn’t have the same shine and bounce in it like it used to? Try incorporating some baking soda into your conditioner and watch your hair become softer and healthier in no time.
No More Stinky Trash
Absolutely nothing is worse than a trash can that emanates a nasty rotting smell of garbage. Avoid this issue by washing out the bin and then sprinkling baking soda in your trash can under the bag. You’ll notice a huge difference and will avoid those gross smells.
Rainy Day Solutions
If your windshield wipers have seen better days and you find yourself struggling to see during rainy days in your car, you can temporarily remedy this issue until you have a chance to replace the wipers. Rub a baking soda and water paste onto your windshield wipers and notice the difference immediately.
Stubborn Pet Bed Smells
While cleaning our beloved pets may seem like enough, their beds will harbor a lot of odors that can eventually spread to the rest of your home. You can easily remedy this by sprinkling baking soda onto the pet’s bed in order for it to absorb any unwanted smells.
Oral Discomfort
We all know how horribly painful and uncomfortable canker sores can be. While there are some over the counter solutions, you can also use baking soda in order to help relieve the pain. Simply swish a solution of baking soda and water several times a day until the sores heal.
The Perfect Wall Cleaner
While we adore our children’s artwork, perhaps the wall is not the best canvas for their creativity. You can easily clean away any scribbles left behind by your tot by using a mixture of baking soda and water to it wipe away.
Goodbye Chicken Pox Discomfort
Chicken pox are extremely uncomfortable to deal with, and baking soda can help provide some relief. Mix half a tablespoon with water and apply the paste to affected areas. This will help provide relief from the dreaded itchiness and redness caused by the infection.
Stained Containers
We’ve all been there: you’ve washed out a plastic container but the food stains won’t seem to budge. A great way to melt away these unsightly discolorations is with the help of our handy baking soda. Scrub it out with baking soda and water and watch as they become clean as new.
Bacteria Infested Sponges
According to some studies, the dirtiest part of a kitchen is actually the kitchen sponge. A great way to clean it out is by soaking it in a bowl of hot water and sodium bicarbonate overnight. The items that we use to clean things need to be cleaned themselves!
