These are items that I think are awesome! Hence the not so clever name. To kick off the series I am going to feature BAKING SODA
I sometimes like to call it the little box that can, because it can do so many things. I always knew that you could use it for a bunch of stuff but didn’t start experimenting until I kept seeing it on Pinterest. (Pinterest is simultaneously amazing and frustrating…..but more on that later)
Some items I only buy when I run out of them, but not baking soda. It is one of the few things that you can never really have enough of.
TIP: Buy it in the biggest package possible, it cheap so no worries.
Below are just a few of the many things that you can use Baking Soda for. Things that I have personally tried are in Italics
* CLEANING – you can just about clean anything with baking soda. Ovens – sprinkle on bottom, spray lighly with water, leave overnight, scrub in the morning. Pots – for stuck on food let a mix of water and baking soda soak for 15 minutes, then scrub. Vinyl shower curtains, tubs and toilets – sprinkle it directly on the wet surface and scrub with a sponge. Coffee pots – wash them in a mixture of 1/4 cup baking soda in 1 quart warm water. You can even wash your car’s lights, chrome, windows and tires with it (..okay this one I have not tried… you are on your own). The mixture is the same as for clean coffee pots.
* LAUNDRY BOOST – This is I am going to try this week. You add 1/2 cup to your liquid detergent. It apparently helps balance the PH level in the water, supposedly making your laundry brighter, and fresher.
* DEODORIZER – my favorite places to use baking soda as a deodorizer are the garbage can and cat litter box. This is a safe space so be honest, sometimes you get lazy and don’t want to take the trash out. It’s okay. At some point in our lives we all will have stinky trash. I find that adding baking soda helps get rid of some of the smells and can even buy you another day before you have to take the trash out. As for the cat litter box, I lightly sprinkle it in the box before I add new litter. It really helps to get rid of that lingering cat box smell. You can also use it on carpets, stuffed animals and in shoes.
* MAKE TOOTHPASTE – I like my toothpaste but if you want to try something that is more “natural” or you want to save a couple bucks then you might want to try making your own. Mix baking soda and 3% hydrogen peroxide to create a paste. Then like any other toothpaste you apply and scrub. Personally this sounds like it would taste terrible, so it might be a good idea to add some peppermint oil to the mix. There are lots of recipes out there like this one at this DIYNaturals
* FRUIT AND VEGETABLE SCRUB – Fruits and veggies need to be cleaned to remove residues and dirt (NO passing it under your faucet does not count). Even if you eat organic it is always good to clean your F&V beforehand. Like most of the suggestions above it just requires a little bit of baking soda, water and your arm to do the scrubbing. Two things to remember: 1) Scrub Gently, especially on peaches and or tomatoes (I use my hand to scrub instead of a sponge…….sponges gross me out and are havens for bacteria if not properly clean ….. more on that later) and 2) be sure to rinse afterwards to make sure all the baking soda if off. If not you are going to have one funky tasting peach pie.
Of course this is just a short list of why I think Baking Soda is awesome. If you would like to find additional uses for Baking Soda then check out the Arm & Hammer website (cause its official like that)
masterfullyme.wordpress.com 