Tuesday, February 19, 2013

20 Uses for Baking Soda


Today I am listing 20 Uses for Baking Soda, or Sodium Bicarbonate, that are super handy for around your house.  I recently did a lot of research and found out that this is a very versatile household item.  It can be used for everything from relieving bug bite itching to zapping zits, and the best part is most of us have it in our kitchens already.

 I read an article by Dr. Mercola called Use This to Remove Splinters and Many Other Health Needs, in which he talks about the history of baking soda, that I found very interesting.  Baking Soda is nahcolite in its natural form and comes from the mineral natron.  The Egyptians used nahcolite to make soap and later civilizations have recorded using it in baking to help food rise.

 Baking Soda was first manufactured as baking soda in 1846, was used for the first time in recipes in a cookbook in the 1860's, it became widely used in baking in the 1930's.  Arm and Hammer Baking Soda has been around for more then 150 years.

 Okay, so enough history and on to 20 Uses for Baking Soda.

 20 uses for Baking Soda

 1. Helping with Colds and Flu
Head over to Dr. Mercola's post.  He say's it will help with colds and the flu.  Click on the link above to get the directions for how to use it.

 2.  Instant Relief from Bug Bites
Mix baking soda and water into a thick paste and spread over bug bites.  It will soothe the itching.  This will also work for poison ivy and poison oak, just spread over the sores.

 3.  Heartburn Relief
Mix 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1 cup water and drink.

 4.  Mouthwash
Mix 1 tsp baking soda with 1/2 cup water for a natural, alcohol free mouth wash.

 5.  Natural Deordorant
I have not tried this yet, but here are two blog links that have great recipes for Homemade Deodorant.  They both include coconut oil and arrowroot powder.  One also includes Tea Tree Oil.  Once I make them, I will post recipes also.  Here are the links.  
Homemade All Natural Deodorant from Passionate Homemaking
Homemade Deordorant from Homestead Revival

 6. Splinter Removal
Mix 1 TB baking soda in a glass of water and soak the area with the splinter several times a day.  The splinter should come out on its own after several days.

 7.  Exfoliator
Mix 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water and rub on knees, elbows, feet, and even gently over face to remove dead skin.

 8.  Spot Acne Treatment
Mix a thick paste of baking soda and water and put on pimple.  Leave overnight and it will help dry out the pimple.

 9.  No Poo Method Shampoo
Emily from A Life Unprocessed had a great No-Poo method.  Follow this link to her post about how her family went shampoo free.  She started with 2 TB baking soda and water several times a week and then worked down to 1/2 tsp baking soda and water.  Her family has great hair.

 10.  Brushing and Whitening Teeth
You can either mix a thin paste of baking soda and water and brush your teeth, or you can just sprinkle baking soda on your toothbrush and brush your teeth.  This will get them nice and clean.  I would add a little bit of mint extract to make it taste a little better.  The other thing you can do to whiten your teeth is add 1 tsp baking soda to 1 crushed strawberry and spread this on your teeth.  Leave on for 15 minutes and then rinse.  This will help whiten your teeth naturally. It is not an instant cure and should be done several times a week over several weeks.

 11.  Bath Soak Detox
Mix 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup natural apple cider vinegar into your hot bath water.  This will help your body detox with the added benefit of helping with aches and pains.

 12.  Cleaning Your Grill Grates
Lightly spray you grill grates with water and sprinkle baking soda on top of the grates.  Let sit overnight.  The next day using a wire brush and warm water scrape the gunk off of your grates.  I don't think this will help with a years worth of build up, but it will keep your grates nice if you do it regularly.  I also spray mine with non stick cooking spray first.

 13.  Removing Odors from Hands
Rub hands with baking soda and warm water to remove strong smells like fish and onions.

 14.  Getting Rid of Roaches
Mix equal amounts of baking soda and sugar in a dish and set out for roaches.  The roaches are attracted to the sugar, but this mixture will kill them without harmful chemicals.

 15.  Putting out Grease Fires
Have a grease fire on your stove? Pour baking soda over it and it will suffocate the fire.

 16.  Cleans Drains
Pour 1 cup baking soda down your drain and then pour 1 cup vinegar down the drain.  This will help keep your drains clean and grease free.

 17.  Washing Produce
You can use baking soda and a damp sponge to clean the skin of your fruit and vegis like apples, oranges, and cucumbers.

 18.  Making your Own Softscrub
You can make your own softscrub with baking soda and a few other ingredients.  It's a simple recipe  I posted it in October.  Here is the link.
Homemade Softscrub from Adorned From Above

 19.  Cleaning Your Dishwasher and Coffee Maker
You can clean your dishwasher and coffee pot by running an empty cycle with baking soda in them.  You would put the baking soda where you put the soap in your dishwasher and run it.  You would put the baking soda in a coffee filter and then run water through your coffee pot.

 20.  Keep Litter Box Smelling Clean
Add baking soda to your kitty litter in the litter box to keep it smelling fresh and keep kitty odors away.

 I hope this gives you lots of new ways for using baking soda.  I sure found a lot of new ways to use it.  I always love hearing from you.

 Have a great day.
Debi
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2 comments:

  1. Karen at Bargain-ista.comSaturday, February 23, 2013 2:04:00 AM

    Love this post! I totally use baking soda to brush my teeth! I use regular toothpaste and dip in baking soda for extra whitening :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Adorned From AboveThursday, February 28, 2013 4:20:00 PM

      Hi Karen,
      Thanks so much. I never thought of adding baking soda to my toothpaste. What a great idea. Thanks so much for stopping by.
      Have a great week.
      Debi

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