Uses For Baking Soda - Clever Ones Around The House

50 Clever Uses For Baking Soda Around The House — In a nutshell, the uses for baking soda are many: It deodorizes, neutralizes, and cleans all without the toxic mess of most commercial products.

If you’ve ever baked a cake, cupcakes or even muffins, chances are you’ve got a container of sodium bicarbonate, aka baking soda, in your pantry. For the most part it stays hidden in the pantry, waiting for the next time you break out the baking equipment. Learn Clever Uses For Baking Soda At home.

Rather than saving it for special baking occasions, consider some new baking soda uses around your house.

It’s one of those versatile ingredients that can replace numerous other products, so you can save your hard-earned cash for what really matters.

Honestly, after reading this, you will never have too much baking soda at home.

What Is Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)?

Baking Soda is sodium bicarbonate, also called bicarbonate of soda. It is a salt that occurs naturally in a mineral called nahcolite.

Often baking soda and baking powder are thought to be interchangeable in baking, but they are not. Baking powder has cream of tartar in it, so it is more acidic.

You really can’t use baking powder for cleaning or health purposes. The acid in baking powder would throw the formulas off.

Baking soda reacts with an acid (like vinegar) and the chemical reaction produces carbon dioxide. Think of fifth grade volcano experiments.

50 Uses for Baking Soda Beyond Baking At Home

From brushing teeth to treating diaper rash, this miracle product is a workhorse around the house and in the garden.

One of the best-known uses for baking soda around the house is cleaning.

It can boost laundry detergent, deodorize garbage disposals, help dissolve grease stains and remove tough stains, all without using harsh chemicals.

Whether used alone or mixed with other ingredients, baking soda is a cheap alternative to many of the more expensive (and chemical-laden) products on the market.

Uses For Baking Soda In the Kitchen

1. Put Out Small Grease Fires

An important use of baking soda is that it can put out small grease fires. It smothers the fire by producing carbon dioxide.

2. Extend The Life Of Cut Flowers

You can keep cut flowers fresh longer by mixing a teaspoon of baking soda and water together and adding it to the vase, along with a little sugar. It keeps the water neutral and the sugar feeds the flowers.

3. Make Fluffier Omelets

You can make fluffier omelets by adding half a teaspoon of baking soda or baking powder for every three eggs used.

Add it in just after you whisk the eggs. The same quality —carbon dioxide — that makes dough rise will make your omelets fluffier.

4. Tame Spicy Foods

You might love spicy foods, but sometimes you might have added too much hot sauce.

The Pepperscale site suggests that you add a quarter teaspoon of baking soda then taste, and repeat until some of the burn is diminished in the cooking process.

The sodium bicarbonate helps neutralize the vinegar in the hot sauce. Clever Uses For Baking Soda At home

5. Freshening Up Towels

Baking soda’s deodorizing powers can also work well for things that get a little mildew-smelling, like towels.

“If you need to freshen up your towels, you can put half a cup in your washing machine with your normal detergent to get rid of odors,” Rapinchuk noted.

6. Cleaning Jewelry

If you have silver jewelry, you can soak it i n a mixture of baking soda and hot water in an aluminum-foil-lined bowl. Through the process of ion exchange, the tarnish will transfer from the silver to the water.

After removing the jewelry, wipe away excess tarnish with a soft lint-free cloth. This works for other household items and silverware as well.

For hard stones and metals like diamonds and platinum, you can use a mixture of baking soda, water, salt and dish soap.

7. Treating Your Nails

Combine three parts baking soda and one part water to create a mixture that you can use to scrub your nails to smooth the surface. You can also combine equal parts baking soda and water to create a paste that may exfoliate cuticles and remove nail stains.

8. Dry Shampooing Your Hair

Many people like to sprinkle a little baking soda to absorb excess oil in their hair or mix it with other ingredients like cornstarch, oatmeal, cinnamon and/or essential oils for a similar effect.

“Some people put it in their hair as a dry shampoo, but not everyone does well with it,” Rapinchuk said. Indeed, the method isn’t effective for everyone, and some have even reported hair damage over time.

uses of baking soda to shampoo hair — In general, baking soda is abrasive and can leave your hair and scalp dry. Using the powder as a shampoo is more likely to be effective for people with extra oil

9. Treating Stings: Clever Uses For Baking Soda At home

“If you have a sting of some sort, you can make a poultice,” Rapinchuk explained. “Make a paste with baking soda and water and just dab it onto that area and let it dry.

Historically speaking, it was used to get a stinger out because it was thought to extract the stinger, but can also help with redness or swelling or itch as well.”

Some people recommend this method for Removing Splinters as well. People also use baking soda and water mixtures to relieve mild sunburn and other skin irritations, as many swear it eases the pain and discomfort.

10. Freshening The Air

Baking soda is a popular ingredient in homemade air fresheners.

Rapinchuk advises putting baking soda and lemon essential oil in a small mason jar, replacing the lid with a piece of fabric and using the metal ring to keep it in place.

“You can do that without any scent and place it indiscreetly in a stinky area,” she said.

11. Cleaning Brushes And Combs

After removing the hair from brushes and combs, you can soak them in a mixture of baking soda, shampoo and water. Rinse with hot water after letting them soak for 30-60 minutes.

12. Soaking Your Skin

“Baking soda is great in a bath with Epsom salt,” Rapinchuk said.

Indeed, you can add a couple of cups of baking soda to your bath to relieve pain or tension and exfoliate your skin. You can also use this mixture as a foot soak or create an exfoliating scrub to apply to your skin (though not all experts recommend this).

13. Cleaning Your Oven

Rapinchuk mixes baking soda with soap and water to create a paste for cleaning her oven. She uses this combination for her stove as well.

Others have used a similar baking soda solution to clean microwaves and other kitchen appliances.

14. Deodorizing The Carpet

If you sprinkle baking soda on your carpet and then let it sit for awhile before vacuuming it up, the substance has a deodorizing effect. You can also do this with other soft surfaces like mattresses or pet beds.

Rapinchuk noted that she uses a sieve to sprinkle the baking soda evenly.

15. Washing Your Face: Clever Uses For Baking Soda At home

Many beauty enthusiasts have experimented with baking soda as a face cleanser and even made face masks with it.

Results have been mixed, so it’s best to test it out on an area of your skin before fully diving in.

16. Cleaning Sponges

You can bring a smelly sponge back to life by soaking it in a solution of baking soda and water.

Don’t use this approach for old sponges that need to be disposed of, however. These household items produce a lot of bacteria.

Use a sprinkle of bicarbonate of soda on a sponge to clean any surface you would usually use a cream cleaner on. — Baking soda is great at absorbing odors, so soak any funky-smelling sponges in a bowl full of warm water with 4 tablespoons baking soda added.

17. Making A Natural Deodorant

“You can use a makeup brush, dab baking soda in and brush it under to use as a pseudo-deodorant to absorb odor,” Rapinchuk said.

Indeed, many people use baking soda in natural deodorant, but not everyone reacts well to it. It’s often used in the wrong quantities as well.

18. Creating Washing Soda

“Arm & Hammer has a product called washing soda, which is a laundry booster or cleaning booster of sorts, but you can make it by heating baking soda at 425 degrees for an hour,” Rapinchuk explained.

“It’s a fun hack because you can use washing soda in homemade laundry soap or a soft cleaning paste,” she added.

19. Scrubbing Your Home

Beyond sinks and showers, baking soda’s mild abrasive capabilities make it a useful all-purpose cleaner.

“My favorite use for baking soda is as my nightly scrub,” said Rapinchuk, noting that she combines two cups with 20-30 drops of essential oil. “I mix it with a table knife, store it in a jar, and use that same mixture to scrub in different areas of my house.”

Uses For Baking Soda to Combat Odors

20. Making Shoes Less Smelly

Rapinchuk said she likes to use baking soda to freshen up smelly shoes. There are different ways to do this.

You can sprinkle baking soda directly into the shoes, let them sit for a day and then shake it out.

You can make little baking soda-filled sachets with socks, small pouches or pieces of cloth tied with ribbon or string and put them in your shoes when you aren’t wearing them.

21. Freshen Pets Beds: Clever Uses For Baking Soda At home

Use it around the house to remove dog stink from pet beds, blankets and carpet.

Sprinkling baking soda on the offending surface and vacuuming after waiting about 10 minutes works wonderfully.

22. Neutralize Fridge Smells

Baking soda is a great way to neutralize odors.

One of the best known uses for baking soda is putting an open box of it in your fridge to keep it smelling fresh. But its use as an odor-killer extends way beyond that.

23. Yoga Mat Renewal

If you are doing downward dog on your yoga mat and it smells worse than your actual dog, don’t worry.

Yoga mats can be cleaned with a damp sponge and a spray bottle with your baking soda solution.

Mix together two tablespoons baking soda and a cup of water, then thin with lemon juice. Spray the mat lightly and wipe it down.

24. Make Shoes Smell Better

Sprinkle baking soda on your slippers, boots, shoes, and socks to remove odors.

If the shoes are extra stinky, make a little baking soda paste (baking soda and water) and rub it on the inside, and let them sit overnight. Wipe it out and the smell should be gone.

25. Remove Garbage Can Stink

Sprinkle a little baking soda on the bottom of your garbage cans to absorb smells.

26. Deodorize Litter Boxes: Clever Uses For Baking Soda At home

Litter box deodorizers already have baking soda in them, so skip buying something more expensive.

Sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the litter box before putting fresh litter in.

27. Fresh-smelling Hands

Ever been cooking or working on something and get a whiff of your hands smelling WAY too strong?

Mix baking soda with a little water and rub on your hands, then rinse clean.

28. Deodorizing Your Refrigerator

In addition to being a great mild abrasive, baking soda is a very common deodorizer.

“You can put an open box of baking soda in your refrigerator or anywhere that’s a little musty or stinky,” said Rapinchuk. “It will absorb odors.”

29. De-stink Kitchen Sponges

For foul-smelling kitchen sponges that aren’t quite trash-worthy yet, Best Home Scents advises soaking them in a mixture of baking soda and water to freshen them up.

If they smell really bad you can pour a little white vinegar in the mix too.

30. Cleaning Your Sink

Baking soda works well as a mild abrasive, so it’s a useful sink cleaner. You can sprinkle baking soda all over your sink and then scrub it with a sponge.

Rapinchuk said she likes to mix the baking soda with 20-30 drops of essential oil for scent and adds dish soap before she scrubs.

“It’s a great way to freshen up and give you aromatherapy while you’re doing something that’s not really that fun,” she noted.

Uses For Baking Soda For The Laundry Room

31. Brighten Fabrics in The Wash.

Keep a big box of baking soda by your washing machine.

There are so many uses for baking soda: remove stains, neutralize odors, and boost your laundry detergent’s strength.

Putting it in the rinse cycle helps soften clothes. Generally a few tablespoons of baking soda at the beginning of the wash and then again in the rinse cycle will brighten your laundry.

32. Remove Tough Stains

To get rid of wine, coffee, blood, and other stains, make a solution of one or two tablespoons of baking soda and just enough warm water to have a thick paste.

Rub it into the stain (both sides of the fabric if possible), let dry, then wash.

33. Cleaning Your Shower

Rapinchuk likes to use baking soda to clean her shower as well.

“You can mix it with a little lemon juice or vinegar, and it helps get in the crevices of a drain,” she said. “But be careful that it’s not too much.

You can also use it for soap scum. Mix up a tablespoon of baking soda with a teaspoon of salt and a little vinegar and make that into a paste to remove soap scum.”

Uses For Baking Soda in the Garden

34. Cleaning Produce

According to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, baking soda is an effective solution for removing pesticide residue from fruits and vegetables.

All you have to do is fill your clean sink with water, add four teaspoons of baking soda, soak your produce for about five minutes, rinse it with cold water and pat it dry.

Bicarbonate of soda—commonly known as “baking soda”—is a wonderful household product for much more than baking! From removing stains to cleaning teeth — Baking soda can be used as both an effective insect repellant and as a natural insect killer

35. Natural Weed Killer

Weeds sprout up through cracks in patios, driveways and sidewalks.

Rather than bruise your knuckles trying to pull them out, sprinkle a handful of baking soda on them.

The sodium will kill the weeds and you can easily pick them out. Be careful using baking soda in your flower beds because it will kill the good with the bad.

Uses For Baking Soda for Tough Jobs

36. Restore a Scorched Pot

Have you ever thought a favorite pot or pan was ruined? You can restore a scorched pot with a baking soda solution made with vinegar and sodium bicarbonate.

In general, you shouldn’t use baking soda on stainless steel. But according to Arm & Hammer, there are a few ways to do this that won’t cause harm.

Loosen as much burnt food from the pan as possible. Then put a thin layer of vinegar or lemon juice to cover the bottom.

Heat it up a little and sprinkle a cup of baking soda over it. You can let the mixture sit overnight, and then gently scrub the bottom.

If it is super scorched you might have to repeat a few times. But it is better than buying a whole new pot.

37. Unclog a Drain

A clogged drain can also benefit from baking soda. The Family Handyman site tells us how to unclog the drain correctly.

First, pour a pot of boiling water down the drain to loosen the clog.

Next, throw a cup of baking soda and pour 1 cup of vinegar mixed with 1 cup of very warm water down the drain and cover with a cloth or drain plug.

You’ll notice a lot of satisfying fizzing when the vinegar meets the baking soda. Let this mixture do its job for five to 10 minutes before flushing one final time with boiling water.

Your drain will run clear in no time!

Uses For Baking Soda As a Beauty and Health Aid

38. Make Natural Deodorant

There’s a reason baking soda is an ingredient in deodorants. Make natural deodorant with baking soda and get rid of body odor.

This recipe at the Mommypotamus site has easy to find ingredients.

It has:

Baking soda,
Arrowroot or cornstarch,
Shea butter, and
Essential Oil.

clever use of baking soda for beauty — Baking soda is great for skin and hair. It’s a natural exfoliant, teeth whitener, skin soother, complexion improver, scalp clarifier, and odor

39. Mix Up a Face Scrub

Baking soda can also replace your store-bought face scrub. Make a paste from baking soda and a few drops of lemon juice.

Gently massage it into your face for 10-20 seconds, then rinse off with a moist cloth.

It’s best to use this mixture as an occasional exfoliator rather than a daily one because its alkaline properties can have an adverse affect on your skin if used too frequently.

40. Make Your Own Toothpaste

Making Toothpaste is one of the best baking soda uses. A baking soda solution is very good for your teeth because it neutralizes the acid in your mouth.

Wikihow has a simple baking soda toothpaste recipe: 2/3 cup of baking soda, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, add a few drops of your favorite essential oils or peppermint extract, and a filtered water — enough until it makes a paste. Some sites also recommend using a few drops of coconut oil in your toothpaste too.

Uses For Baking Soda Getting Rid of Stains

41. Getting Stains Out Of Carpets

“If you have a stain on your carpet, you can sprinkle a little baking soda on top of it, and it may help,” Rapinchuk explained. “You can also pour a little vinegar and sprinkle the baking soda on top. The two will react, and it’s thought to extract the strain. Let it sit and dry, and then vacuum it up.”

Although she’s used this method with great success, Rapinchuk noted that it doesn’t work with everyone’s carpet.

uses of sodium bicarbonate cleaning carpet — For the most effective baking soda carpet cleaning solution, try this. Mix together half a cup of Borax, one cup of baking soda and 15 drops of

42. Clean Grout

Baking soda mixed with hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of liquid dish soap will clean those shower or kitchen tiles easily.

43. Make Plastic Food Storage Containers Like New.

The List recommends removing stubborn stains from plastic food storage containers by making a thick paste of 2 tablespoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon water and a squirt of dish detergent.

Wipe it on the stain and let it sit for 15 or 20 minutes, then rinse out.

44. Remove Coffee Cup Stains

You love your coffee and your favorite coffee cup.

But too much java can stain the cup and repeated cycles in the dishwasher doesn’t always do the trick. Sprinkle in some baking soda and scrub with a sponge. It should be as good as new.

45. Get Crayon Marks Off Walls

Technically, we would never call your child’s artwork a stain. But you can also use baking soda to erase your kids’ crayon designs from walls.

Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge or cloth and wipe down the walls to remove the masterpiece without removing the paint.

Wellness Benefits of Sodium Bicarbonate: Clever Uses At home

Like many ingredients you can find around the house, baking soda has numerous health benefits. Healthline has even more.

Internal Sodium Bicarbonate Benefits

46. Freshen Your Breath

Baking soda can also help freshen your breath and improve your dental health thanks to its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.

Raman suggests replacing your usual mouthwash with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda mixed with a glass of warm water. Swish it around your mouth, as you would mouthwash, before spitting it out.

47. Muscle Relief After Exercise

Many sources, such as Very Well Fit, explain that you can use baking soda to absorb the lactic acid in your muscles after exercising.

This allows you to recover more quickly so you can get back to your routine with minimal soreness.

The site recommends drinking a mixture of one teaspoon baking soda in a glass of water to maximize the benefits.

48. Neutralizing Stomach Acid

If you need relief from stomach acid, baking soda could provide you with much-needed relief. Raman recommends drinking 1 teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in a glass of cold water.

While this might not replace medication for extremely bad cases of acid reflux, it’s a good remedy to remember if your ailment unexpectedly strikes.

This is not recommended for frequent use because of the high sodium content, especially if you have high blood pressure.

External Sodium Bicarbonate Benefits

49. Soothe Bug Bites: Clever Uses For Baking Soda At home

Treat insect bites with a paste made from two tablespoons of baking soda and enough water that it makes a paste. Put it on the bug bite and let it dry.

It should take the sting out. Brush it off with a damp cloth once it is dried up. If there are a lot of bug bites you can take the same bath that relieves sunburn.

50. Help With Diaper Rash

When a baby’s bottom is raw from diaper rash, baking soda can ease the pain.

Seattle Children’s Hospital recommends that you relieve diaper rash by putting two tablespoons of baking soda in warm bath water and let the child soak (or splash) in it for 10 minutes.

Then put some anti-yeast ointment on them. Do this three times a day.

51. Sunburn Relief

If you have a sunburn or need to relieve skin irritations, take a baking soda bath.

Run a cool bath, which will feel good anyway, and add in a few tablespoons of baking soda. Stir to dissolve it, then soak in it for 20 or 30 minutes.

Caution When Using Sodium Bicarbonate on Some Things At Home

Yes, baking soda is incredibly versatile, but there are some things that you should avoid using it on. It can be either too abrasive or acidic, especially if it’s not diluted with water. It is thankfully a short list, but be careful using it on:

Glass, Stainless Steel and Hardwood Floors: It will scratch them if used without diluting and dissolving.
Aluminum: Any type of aluminum will get oxidized by it if you leave it on for long. So be careful if you are using it to clean pots and pans.
Vintage or Antique Silver: Baking soda can remove tarnish but in its pure form is too harsh and may scratch.
Marble: You might see baking soda recommended for getting out stains but it will also remove the sealant.

Otherwise, plan to use baking soda on a wide variety of things at home, and for your health. Clever Uses For Baking Soda At home.

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