30+ Brilliant Uses for Baking Soda that Might Surprise You
Baking soda is a common household item. It is by no surprise that people stock it for only one major purpose – baking. But did you know that this cheap, naturally occurring item has dozens of other benefits that might make your life simpler?
For example, you can use baking soda as a natural deodorizer or skin exfoliator. What about the less talked about health benefits you can get from drinking a mixture of water and baking soda? The concoction can help you neutralize stomach acids and detox your body.
1. Keep the Blossom of Your Flowers for an Extra Day
Fresh flowers fascinate our sight, complement our surroundings and give us the feeling of tranquility. Their smell too is abundantly satisfactory. But buying a bunch of blossoming roses every day can be quite expensive. Another challenge lies in keeping them fresh.
This baking soda hack will help maintain the fresh look of your flowers for an extra day or two by balancing the water conditions. Before placing flowers in a vase of water, add one teaspoon of the substance. For better results, ensure you replace the water every day.
2. Compliment your Smile with Brilliantly Polished Teeth
Are you seeking to save money but still keep sparkling white teeth? There are a number of home remedies to apply without using commercial toothpaste. Using baking soda is surely one of them. Well, who lacks this item in their kitchen?
Baking soda is a proven stain remover and whitener. All you need to do is add a tablespoon of the item to a similar amount of water to make a thick paste. Apply the paste on your teeth for about two minutes and rinse your mouth.
3. Treat Your Hair to a Natural but Affordable Dry Shampoo
Dry shampoos are convenient quick fixes for dirty hair anytime you are in a rush. However, they can get too expensive. There are cheaper home remedies that can substitute commercial dry shampoos. I’m not talking about those hard-to-pronounce ingredients in supermarkets.
As strange as it may seem, you can use baking soda to make your dry shampoo at home. All you need to do is mix it with a similar amount of cornstarch and transfer it to a shaker. Apply the mixture to your hair anytime it needs cleaning.
4. Keep your Trash Cans Smelling Fresh All Day
Smelly trash can really mess up the ambiance of your house, especially if you only clean it once in a while. However, baking soda works wonders to save you from the embarrassment that comes with a trash can odor.
Wondering how this is possible? Try sprinkling some amount of baking soda at the bottom of a smelly trash can every morning and watch out for the results. Additionally, you can use the soda to clean your can after emptying it.
5. Make your Fruits and Vegetables Safe to Eat
Fruits and vegetables play an essential role in keeping everyone healthy. However, you might end up getting exactly the opposite if you eat them when they are stained with chemicals or dirt from the farm. Therefore, how do you ensure that these products are safe for consumption? Of course, using soap to clean them can affect their taste.
Soaking your produce in a mixture of cold water and baking soda for about 15 minutes before using them is the proven workable solution. Amazing! Right? No more stomach upsets!
6. Tired of Heartburn? Try Baking Soda
Are you worried about taking some foods because they might trigger heartburn? Or maybe, what worries you more is that you haven’t found an appropriate remedy to your heartburn. You are not alone. No one likes the burning sensation brought by heartburns in the throat. However, it is time to remove your worries using an easy-to-find solution, courtesy of baking soda.
Anytime you feel a burning sensation in your throat, add a teaspoon of baking soda to 200ml of water and drink the solution. The feeling will disappear gradually.
7. Save Yourself from Stinky Feet
Stinky feet make everyone uncomfortable. They can turn us into a center of negative attraction in meetings or parties. Commercial solutions for this problem might be way too expensive. However, baking soda is a cheap and easily available home remedy for stinky feet.
Also known as sodium bicarbonate, baking soda is an antibacterial. You only need to add a moderate amount of it to a bucket of water, and soak your feet in the solution for 20 minutes. You can repeat this for a week until your feet are okay.
8. Don’t have a Bug Spray? No Problem
Bug bites are itchy and sometimes, may cause skin rashes. It doesn’t feel comfortable walking with itchy skin in public. At some point, commercial bug sprays may be too expensive to ease your situation. If you find yourself experiencing such, try using baking soda.
Baking soda delivers an anti-acid effect on chemicals from bug bites. It reduces the swelling and itching of the bites. All you have to do is make a paste from the soda and water and apply it to the affected part.
9. Let Your Furniture Maintain their Shiny Appearance
With continuous use by visitors, pets, and other family members, furniture accumulates dirt and dust. Cleaning dirty furniture is a skill. Some pieces are made of materials that require extra care during the cleaning. Using soap may affect the surfaces of some furniture.
Baking soda removes stains with much ease and efficiency and keeps your upholstery smelling fresh throughout by absorbing odor. Add it to a moderate amount of water and spray on the dirty pieces. Finally, Wipe the furniture after 30 minutes with a clean piece of cloth.
10. Protect your Coffee Cups from Stains
Coffee is a favorite drink for almost everyone. Some people even keep aside special mugs for taking it. However, when used continuously, these mugs get stained. Efforts to wash them with whatever amount of soap may prove futile. Therefore, should you dump your favorite coffee mug?
If loving coffee drives you to this point, try washing your stained cups with baking soda. Simply sprinkle a fair amount of the substance into the cup, add warm water and scrub the mixture before rinsing. Your mug will retain its brand-new look.
11. Serves as a Cheap Fridge Deodorizer
When many people smell a dreaded odor from their refrigerator, they rush to find the source of the smell. What they may not know is that some foodstuff may leave an odor in the fridge even after they are gone. A smelly fridge can mess up the flavor of other foodstuffs. Nevertheless, there is a simple deodorization solution.
Pour some amount of baking soda at one corner of your fridge to neutralize the order. For better results, replace the soda as soon as it has absorbed enough smell.
12. Get Rid of Canker Sores and Mouth Ulcers
Canker sores and mouth ulcers can make your life uncomfortable. Despite healing on their own, they can get painful and stop you from taking your favorite meals. But do you know that there is a readily available home remedy that works miracles to speed up the healing of these sores and ulcers?
Baking soda is a natural remedy that helps neutralize the acidity of the body and reduce inflammation. By swirling a solution of the item and water in your mouth, you will be helping your mouth to recover.
13. Baking Soda and the Effects of Razor Burns
Shaving is a good remedy to take care of unwanted hair. But what happens when it leaves behind patches on your skin and bumps which are commonly called razor burns? The situation may make you uncomfortable especially when accompanied by itchiness. However, it has its home remedy.
Baking soda is known for its cooling sensation on the skin and as an anti-inflammatory. Apply a small amount of its paste on the shaved part and rinse after some time. You might be surprised by the effectiveness of this remedy.
14. Clean your Stuffed Toys without Damaging Them
Soft toys like teddy bears can’t withstand all the force and agitation that exist inside home washers. Does that mean they should be dumped for new ones any time they accumulate dust? Of course, that will be expensive.
One suggested safe way of cleaning stuffed toys is by using baking soda. Simply pour enough amount of baking soda into a polythene bag and squeeze out excess air. Shake the bag carefully to remove every dust particle. Thereafter, dry clean your toy and enjoy its restored look.
15. Eliminate Notorious Weeds in Your Garden
Weeds don’t have boundaries. They appear everywhere even when not needed, including in between the decorations of your sidewalks. Sometimes they do this with the deepest roots that prove hard to uproot.
Baking soda is a cheap home ingredient that you may be missing to get rid of these unwanted plants. Spray it on their leaves and they will shrink and die in few days.
16. Keep your Shower Curtains as Clean as they Came
Are you thinking of replacing your old shower curtains because they are stained? Pause and take a second to read this amazing baking soda life hack. It is not your problem that the curtains got stained but there is a simple remedy to clean them.
Sprinkle baking soda on a piece of cloth and use it to scrub your dirty curtains lightly. Thereafter, dip another clean piece of cloth in warm water and use it to remove the baking soda residue. Vola! Your curtains are fascinating again.
17. Clean your Carpet in the Most Affordable Way
Carpet stains and odor are annoying to everyone because we all love our carpets in their original colors. Cleaning stained carpets can be hard and may require the services of an expert. However, depending on the hardness of the stains, you can try using simple solutions such as baking soda as cleaning agents.
Sprinkle enough baking soda on the stained part and let it stay there for around 8 hours. Thereafter, vacuum-clean your carpet. Finally, blot-dry the cleaned area, and your carpet will be sparkling again.
18. Strip Unwanted Paint in the Easiest Way
Do you feel irritated by the splattered paint on your metal items? Some of these items are used in the kitchen and using chemicals to remove the paint might come with harsh side effects.
With baking soda in your house, you don’t have to worry. It is very simple. Start by boiling a solution of water and baking soda. Thereafter, dip the painted items in the water and let them stay there for around 15 minutes. Finally, remove the items from the solution and scrap the paint away.
19. Keep the Colors of Your Laundry Bright
This may sound like a fairy tale, but a little amount of baking soda might brighten the colors of your laundry and make the white ones whiter than before. Baking soda has natural deodorizing and cleaning properties.
If you need to try this hack, add enough amount of soda to your wash together with the liquid detergent. Apart from coming out bright, your clothes will also be odor-free.
20. An Environmental-friendly Pest Control Remedy
From showing up when you are having dinner with your guests to falling in our favorite meals. That is how annoying pests can be. Chasing them up and down won’t help with the case. Commercial pesticides may contain chemicals with numerous side effects. What is the most affordable and friendly method to deal with pests?
No method can get as simple as applying a baking soda near the habitat of the pests. In no time, the pests will scatter for their life.
21. Let your Skin Glow Courtesy of Baking Soda
Finally, a life hack to keep all the ladies smiling! Your skin communicates a lot about you. For example, glowing skin shows that you are healthy. One way of having attractive skin is by using baking soda.
A mixture of fresh orange juice and baking soda applied to your skin keeps away impurities and boosts collagen. Baking soda is an exfoliator while Oranges contain vitamin C that keeps the skin glowing.
22. Need Clean Walls? It is Very Simple
With kids around, you are likely to find drawings and paintings on your house walls. This should not upset you because kids like experimenting. Additionally, it is easier and affordable to clean the drawings in a minute using baking soda.
Baking soda removes stains naturally. All you need to do is mix it with water to come up with a thick paste. Proceed to rub the paste on the painted area until it disappears.
23. Give your Book Shelf a Fresh Smell
The presence of electronic books hasn’t made hard books outdated. Many people still prefer having home libraries. Unfortunately, too many books congested on a shelf may create an unpleasant smell. With baking soda in your kitchen, you should worry less about the odor.
To get rid of this musty smell, pour some amount of baking soda into a small box and place it anywhere on the shelf. The soda neutralizes the odor and keeps your library smelling fresh.
24. Keep your Kitchenware Shiny Throughout
Kitchenware gets stained by the different meals we cook. Some stains can easily be removed using soap and water. However, others may be resistant no matter the effort you use during cleaning. So, what is the secret to removing the hard stains?
Baking soda is a reliable stain remover. All you need to do is sprinkle enough of it on the stained pan or pot and rub using a soft cloth. You can use warm water during the process for better results.
25. Solve Your Stinky Sink Problem
From food remains to oil, so much goes down your kitchen sink. What you may not realize is that not every single of these particles finds their way to the sewer system. Some accumulate in the drainage and start producing a foul smell.
If you are experiencing this problem, it is time to turn to your baking soda. Depending on the odor, pour enough amount of baking soda into the drainage and leave it overnight. Finally, pour hot water into the sink in the morning.
26. Make an Affordable Sunburn Solution
Moderate sunlight is a good source of vitamin D. However, during summer, the sun can be too scorching for our skins to bear. Anyone not wearing sunscreen may risk getting sunburns. If you happen to be a victim of sunburn, do not be filled with worry.
With the cheaply available baking soda, you can minimize the effects of sunburns. Just add a little amount of baking soda to water and mix to form a paste. Later on, apply the paste to the burnt area to relieve the pain.
27. Can’t Get Rid of Water Stains?
As simple as they may look, water stains can be some of the toughest to clean. If left to accumulate further, they may make furniture lose its appeal. So, how do you remove hard water stains?
Make a baking soda paste and apply it to the stained furniture or tiles. Let it stay there for few minutes before scrubbing with a brush. Your furniture should retain its shiny appeal after this procedure.
28. Make a DIY Sponge Disinfectant
How often do you clean your sponges? Many people tend to think that because sponges run the cleaning, they don’t deserve to be cleaned. This is not the case. It is always good to disinfect your sponges regularly.
With baking soda in your kitchen, the process is even easier. Just add a little amount of baking soda to a moderate amount of water and soak your sponge in it. After some time, the sponge will be clean and ready for use.
29. Use it to Clean Leftover Stains
Too many leftovers create an unpleasant surrounding. Some leave stains while others may produce a foul smell. However, baking soda should make the cleaning of such stains easy.
Depending on the size of the stains, add enough amount of baking soda to water and soak your stained dishes in them. The solution should remove the stains after around 30 minutes.
30. Love Your Pet? Deodorize Her Bed
Pets form part of our favorite companions. Therefore, they need the best care in a pleasant environment. One way of showing them care is by deodorizing their beds. A simple home deodorizer is a baking soda.
Simply sprinkle a little amount of baking soda on your pet’s bed. Let the soda stay there for about 15 minutes before you vacuum it.