Baking soda is an absolute miracle. I'm in cleaning rehaul of my condo ever since Seattle was snowed in for a week, and then consequently, plumbers and flooding abounded. It's old news the Baking Soda is used as a cure all (I whiten my teeth with it after too much coffee), but after some research, I realized just how many amazing things it can be used for.
There is such a wide range of household baking soda tricks from drain cleaning to paint preparation, but here are a few of my favorites. Feel free to add your own ideas!
Carpet cleaning
• Sprinkle baking soda over smelly/dirty carpets, let sit overnight, then vacuum. Removes smells and freshens!
• Clean up Fido's accident by scrubbing baking soda into the carpet with warm water and a brush. Vacuum after it is dry.
• Add baking soda to the vacuum bag to combat odors.
Glassware & Silver
• For stubborn water stains on wine glasses and crystal, fill your dishwasher's soap container with baking soda and turn on a normal, hot wash. Glass will come out sparkling!
• Using three parts baking soda, and one part water, rub silver pieces thoroughly, rinse and buff with a dry cloth. (This tip is also useful for gold and silver jewelry).
Laundry & Textiles
• Add a fourth of a cup to a warm wash to combat stains and odors. This works best with whites.
• Sprinkle stale, winter blankets with soda, roll and set for several hours. Then fluff in a cool dryer. Store blankets like this throughout the summer as well!
• After a vacation, put an open box of baking soda into your empty suitcase to keep fresh for your next trip.
Image: Arm & Hammer


Sheex Bedding
You didn't mention scrubbing pots and pans with it. Its just abrasive enough to get off cooked on messes without scratching. I use it in a paste to make my enameled Le Creuset pan gleam after cooking and baking with it. I love baking soda!
Don't forget cleaning your face, hair, teeth, toilet, and whatever else you can think of.
I use it with a little dish soap to scrub my stainless steel kitchen sink, and I use it with a little bleach and soap to clean the bathtub--much cheaper than softscrub, and I think more effective.
It's also good as a personal care product.
Make a thick paste with baking soda and water to use as a body exfoliant.
Add a bit to your facial cleanser or make a thin slurry to exfoliate your face.
Mix it in hot water for a foot soak.
Add it to warm water for a clarifying hair rinse.
Brush your teeth with it. Not as a toothpaste replacement but as an occasional added boost of polishing power.
Clogged drain pour some baking soda into sink and add white vinegar bubbles foams and fizzes and cleans out the drain. Great way to entertain teenagers and make them think that Grandma Rocks! Big bonus it isn't toxic.
The article mentions deodorizing carpets and blankets but you can deodorize all kinds of things.
Stinky tupperware and thermoses? Hot water and baking soda soak.
To remove odours from garments fill a bin with tepid water and baking soda and soak any fabric that is water safe for a few hours. Repeat as needed. I've done this with wool coats, suit jackets, silk, all kinds of things. It's great to get lingering BO and/or old smoke smells out of vintage garments.
Absolutely - and how can you beat the price? :)
I'm just happy Costco carries 12 lb bags of it. I go thru several a year & they are great! I keep one in my basement with the laundry stuff & keep one in my kitchen for cooking & cleaning.
How do you clean your teeth with it? Do you just sprinkle some on your toothbrush? Or do you mix it in with your toothpaste?
Just the other day you told us not to scrub carpets because it untwists the pile. And let me tell you, if you rub bicarb and water into a wool carpet, it doesn't just hoover out. Also, sorry to be pedantic but I think we generally call a fourth a *quarter*...
Kiana1002
You can just get your toothbrush wet and then put a bit of bakiing soda on it.
It doesn't taste very good but your teeth feel very, very clean afterwards.
This reminds me that the endodontist who did my root canal last week (it wasn't too bad) recommended swirling around in my mouth for 30 seconds and then spitting out a solution of water and bleach, with a bleach concentration of 10 percent. I haven't tried it yet but he said it kills all bacteria, helps whiten teeth, and is perfectly safe. He said that health agencies are promoting this practice in countries where people don't have ready access to--or can't afford--toothbrushes and toothpaste. For me, he recommended it as a supplement to my regular brushing. He said that he, the others who work in his office, and his family all do the bleach thing. Oddly, it takes about 4 hours after you use the bleach for your mouth to feel cleaner.
Yes, @RLLUPONE, that is my number one use for it! I clean my bathtub and bathroom sink drains with it once every few weeks, so I never get any buildup that leads to clogs. I love the volcano science project effect.
Kathryn1123 - maybe his advice is right, but it does not sound like a good idea to me. Just cleaning with bleach makes me feel ill, I can't imagine letting it hang around in my mouth.
I've become a big fan of DIY cleaning supplies. Baking and washing soda, vinegar, salt and Borax are (mostly) all you need and no harsh chemicals and perfumes, which give me a headache. I make my own laundry detergent and I just discovered this morning that vinegar and salt (plus some elbow grease and a wire brush) removes rust from iron if it's something you can soak.
I too buy the giant bags.It is a marvel. I use it with my whites on laundry day, I use it to scour pots, I've used it on my teeth, since I was a small child. And my dentist always notes that my teeth / gums are unusually clean and healthy. I brush with a little baking soda and water first, floss, then do a quick brushing with toothpaste for the mint.
I make a 1:1 water baking soda paste to scrub my gas range with. Not only does it pull up all the grease, you can rub the whole thing down with vinegar when you're done and the film left by the cleaner comes right up.
Brushing your teeth with baking soda is extremely bad for your teeth. Just ask your dentist.
Sprinkle some in the kitchen garbage. I actually just leave a small box open in kitchen all the time.
I put it in the bottom of the kitty litter box (before I pour in the litter) and use it to clean the baked on grease from the stove. Another great cheap household item is vinegar. I use about 1-2 tablespoons of white vinegar instead of fabric softener in the washing machine. It makes clothes super soft and the vinegar smell doesn't linger as long as you use a small amount.
The vinegar smell wouldn't linger even if you used gallons of the stuff.
I concur that brushing with baking soda is bad for your enamel. If you have a gum problem, your hygenist MAY suggest brushing with baking soda and peroxide short term however.
DO NOT use on any kind of wool or persian carpet. Think of the grains as little tiny shards of glass. On an inexpensive acrylic carpet, go for it. But vac it up!
Baking soda is magic on car mats. Sprinkle liberally (out of the car) and grind it in with your foot a bit. Let it sit while you are vacing out the rest of the car and things. Then vac it up and you will be AMAZED at how clean they come up . At least I was.
Get a clean mason jar and poke a few holes in the lid. Fill the mason jar halfway with baking soda. Gently stir in a few drops of your favorite essential oil. You've got a great odor absorber! Tuck the jar into a corner of your powder room... open the lid an leave it in your parked car after a road trip with the dog. When the scent kind of wears out, send the soda down your garbage disposal or use it in the laundry...
capybara - i have to run and get my glass jars out of the recycle bin right now. thanks for a great tip!
I swear by the following deodorant recipe because it's cheap, easy, natural, and my husband says it works better than any of the extra-strength commercial varieties he used before (he sweats a lot and gets stinky): 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup corn starch, 1/4 cup coconut oil. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave, mix together and pour into an old and empty deodorant container or an empty push-pop type of plastic popsicle container. Keep it in the fridge, otherwise it will melt when the temperature gets past 70. It's not a hassle having it in the kitchen instead of the bathroom because everyone I know goes into the kitchen in the morning when they are getting ready so putting on your deodorant becomes part of your coffee and breakfast routine in the kitchen. If you shower at night then you'd have to make a trip to the kitchen, but honestly it's not that big of a deal. I love this recipe because I tried all the natural deodorants on the market (like Crystal) and none of them were strong enough to handle some sweat and stink. This one does, I promise you! Also, thanks TallSarah for the comment that you can find it in big bags at Costco! I will be buying one soon!
Baking soda is the absolutely best way I've found to get my stove top back to white again. I sprinkle some on top, then wet it down and let it dry overnight. The next morning, scrubbing it away with a sponge takes all that black crusty stuff with it. Works wonders! Just be careful not to get it on the lighting mechanism for gas stoves. Mine have been testy since I went full court press with baking soda on the underside of the stovetop.
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