Over 40 Uses for Baking Soda You May Not Know
Baking soda isn’t just for baking anymore! From beauty to gardening, there are literally hundreds of ways to use it! Check out some of the best (and most unusual) uses for baking soda…
Beauty:
- Exfoliate: Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to one part water. Apply gently with your fingertips in a circular motion, then rinse.
- Brush your teeth, freshen your breath: Toothpaste can be made with baking soda and a 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution. For fresh breath, put a teaspoon in some water, swish it in your mouth and spit it out.
- Hair Cleanser: Add a teaspoon of baking soda to your shampoo and rub it into your hair. This is a great way to remove dirt and oil, or residue that is left over from hair products.
- Brush and onlineb Cleaner: Mix a quarter cup of baking soda in half cup of warm water and soak your onlineb/brush in it for 20-30 minutes.
- Teeth Whitener: To keep your teeth looking pearly white, create your own paste with a teaspoon of baking soda and water. Once a week, rub the paste onto your teeth, let it sit for five minutes, and then rinse your mouth.
- Feet Soother: Create your own foot bath with a tablespoon of baking soda and warm water. The baking soda will remove bacteria and odors, and it will help to prevent toenail fungus.
- Spa Bath: Add ½ cup baking soda to your bath for an at-home spa treatment.
- Deodorize yourself: A little baking soda patted onto your underarms can go a long way toward cutting down on body odor.
- Relieve itchy skin and insect bites: Mix water and baking soda into a paste and apply to the affected area.
- Pets’ teeth: Use baking soda to brush your pets’ teeth.
Cleaning:
- Wash dishes, pots and pans: Adding a couple tablespoons of baking soda to your dishwater can help remove grease and food from your dishes. If the food is cooked on, let it soak first then use some dry baking soda on a cloth to scrub it away.
- Drain Cleaner: Pour in 1 cup baking soda followed by 1 cup hot vinegar to quickly unclog the kitchen drain.
- Toilet Cleaner: To clean a toilet, add ¼ cup baking soda to the bowl, swirl, then scrub.
- Grill Cleaner: Keep your grill clean all summer long by putting some baking soda on a damp brush, scrubbing the grate, then rinsing.
- Rug Cleaner: Freshen rugs by sprinkling baking soda on carpet, wait at least 15 minutes (preferably let sit overnight), then vacuum up.
- Laundry Booster: Add 1 cup of baking soda to your next load of laundry (along with your regular liquid detergent) to get clothes cleaner and brighter.
- Appliance Cleaner: Clean the dishwasher and coffeemaker by running an empty cycle with baking soda.
- Silver Cleaner: To shine tarnished silver, onlinebine three parts baking soda with one part water. Rub onto silver with a clean cloth or sponge. Rinse thoroughly and dry.
- Pots and Pans Cleaner: Baking soda can be used to hand wash pots and pans, and it won’t hurt these valuables either. Just let them soak in baking soda for 15-20 minutes … the grease, grime or food will onlinee right off.
- Microwave Cleaner: Just add a teaspoon of baking soda to a damp rag. This onlinebination will wipe away food and grease easily.
- Clean Toothbrushes: Soak toothbrushes in a mixture of ¼ cup baking soda and ¼ cup water; let brushes stand overnight for a thorough cleaning.
- Shoe Deodorizer: Can’t get that smell out of your shoes? Sprinkle baking soda inside your shoes and the smell will clear up within minutes. (Make sure to shake it out before wearing!)
- Shower-Curtain Cleaner: Get rid of those stains that show up on shower curtains by rubbing baking soda onto them. Add a little water and the grime will be gone shortly.
- Wash Your Car: Ever hear of a baking soda car wash? Because baking soda easily removes grease and dirt, it’s the perfect ingredient for the ultimate car cleaning. Create a paste with one-fourth cup of baking soda with one cup of warm water. With a sponge or rag, rub the paste onto your car (tires, lights, seats, windows) and then rinse. Or dilute in a gallon of water to remove dirt and grime off your paint as well — just make sure to thoroughly dissolve as baking soda is abrasive in its powdered state.
- Clean your oven: Sprinkle baking soda in your oven and spray with water, then let it sit overnight. The next day, scrub the oven and scoop out the baking soda.
- Kitty-Litter Deodorizer: To keep your cat box smelling as fresh as possible, cover the bottom of the box with baking soda first, and then fill it in with kitty litter as usual. After cleaning out the litter, give the box a quick refresher by sprinkling baking soda on top.
- Clean tubs, tiles, and sinks: Pour some baking soda on a damp cloth or sponge and scrub away. Rinse and dry. You’ll be surprised how well this works.
- Clean grease and oil stains: Pour baking soda on the spot and scrub it with a wet brush.
- Clean walls and furniture: Any painted surface can be cleaned with some baking soda on a damp cloth or sponge. Rub lightly and dry with a clean cloth.
- Clean food smells from your hands: If you hate the odor of garlic and onions on your hands right after you peel them, just sprinkle some baking soda onto your palm, and add just enough water to make a spreadable paste. Rub it between your palms energetically, and then smoothly rinse the white paste off your hands and the smell with it!
- Keep Pool Water Clear: Baking soda will help maintain the pH of the water in your swimming pool and provide necessary alkalinity. Get detailed instructions HERE.
- Clean & Deodorize Lunch Boxes: Keep today’s egg salad from tasting like yesterday’s tuna. Between uses, place a spill-proof box (the kind used in refrigerators) of baking soda in everyone’s lunch box to absorb lingering odors.
- Septic Care: Regular use of baking soda in your drains can help keep your septic system flowing freely. We reonlinemend adding 1 cup of baking soda per week to help maintain a favorable pH in your septic tank.
- Deodorizing Camper Water Tanks: Freshen your RV water tank periodically by flushing with 1 cup baking soda dissolved in 1 gallon warm water. Drain and flush the tank before refilling (do not use baking soda in your drinking water).
Food:
- Produce Wash: Skip produce washes—just put some baking soda on a damp sponge, scrub and rinse.
- Omelette: Make a fluffier omelet by adding ½ teaspoon baking soda for every three eggs.
- Iced Tea: Use a pinch in a gallon of freshly-brewed iced tea, to take out the bitterness and prevent cloudiness.
- Stop Syrup from Crystallizing: When using recipes that call for sugar syrup, you have to be very careful to keep the syrup from crystallizing. However, adding just a pinch of baking soda to the boiled syrup will take care of the problem so do you don’t have to worry about it.
Garden:
- Baking soda ‘sweetens’ tomatoes: Your tomato fruits will have a sweater taste, will lower their acidity, and will easily “shake off” pests if you lightly sprinkle the soil they are planted in with some good quality baking soda powder.
- Baking soda enhances magnificent blossoms in flowers: If you have flowers that thrive in alkaline soil, then with the baking soda you’ll get them to bloom magnificently! Begonias, geraniums and hydrangeas get a great benefit from being watered with a slight amount of baking soda, dissolved in the water.
- Baking soda helps tender roses to battle powdery mildew: To keep roses looking fresh and healthy, and to stave off powdery mildew, spray them with this plant remedy as needed:
- 7 tablespoons of baking soda
- a small dash of insecticidal soap (no pyrethrums)
- 5 gallons of purified water
- Baking soda is a safe organic pesticide: You can make a safe and non-chemical pesticide spray that can kill harmful-to-plants insects, like aphids, while not harming beneficial insects, in this way:
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/3 cup of any cold-pressed cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
Sources: Arm & Hammer, Enjoy Natural Health, Urban Survival Site, Dr. Axe, Diet of Life, and All You.
Written by Danielle for Hip2Save. Danielle is a proud mom to 5 amazing kids in Utah, who lives for coffee and baking. She’s dedicated to balancing her own interests and passions, while encouraging her children to follow their own paths in life.
