When it comes to cleaning your home and belongings, you can never have too many cleaning products. Baking soda is a safe and natural way to clean your home and is often overlooked as a cleaning product.
While most people think of baking soda as only good for cooking or making homemade toothpaste, there are several other uses for this versatile product that you might not have considered.
Here are some amazing ways you can use baking soda around your house:
What Can You Do with Baking Soda?
Clean your hands with it
Baking soda can be used as a natural hand scrub to clean your hands after washing them in the bathroom. Simply wet your hands with warm water, sprinkle some baking soda on them and scrub them together until you feel like they are clean. Rinse off with cold water and dry your hands with a towel.
Remove stains from clothing
Rubbing baking soda directly onto stains usually works best for fresh stains like coffee or juice on cotton fabrics such as shirts or blouses, which won’t damage them like bleach would if left on too long before washing out completely with detergent and warm water afterward before drying completely out in sunlight if possible to help restore color faster).
Clean a burnt pan
You know how that pan gets after you’ve been cooking something over high heat? Baking soda can help clean it. Just sprinkle some water over the pan, then sprinkle on some baking soda. Let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe it out with a sponge or scrub brush.
Clean your coffee maker
Brewing coffee is great, but cleaning out your coffee pot can be a pain. Baking soda can help you get rid of the stale taste and smell from your machine by putting a teaspoon into the carafe and running hot water through it. Pour another cup of plain water through to rinse away any residue left behind.
Clean cast iron skillets
If your cast iron skillet has gotten rusty or grimy over time, try soaking it in warm water mixed with some baking soda before scrubbing it with soap and water as usual. This will help remove stains and make it look like new again.
Clean your oven
Your oven racks tend to get pretty dirty over time if you don’t clean them regularly, and they can be tough to clean because they’re usually made out of metal and coated with grease from all the food particles that stick to them while they’re in use
Just sprinkle some on a damp sponge and scrub away those stains until they’re gone. If you have a particularly difficult stain, let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes before scrubbing again.
Clean your refrigerator
Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on the bottom of your fridge and scrub with a damp cloth. This will deodorize any lingering smells as well as remove stains from spills that have dried up in the past.
Laundry booster
It’s a myth that you can only use baking soda for baking. You can also use it in your laundry to boost your detergent’s cleaning power.
All you have to do is pour some into the washing machine with your laundry, and you’ll get better results than with just detergent alone.
Cleans carpet stains
If you spill something on your carpet, don’t panic; just grab some baking soda! Baking soda will absorb any oil or grease that may have spilled onto your carpeting and leave it smelling fresh again.
Just sprinkle some baking soda over the stain and wait 30 minutes before vacuuming up the mess.
Clean up pet messes
Pet accidents are inevitable, especially if you live with a cat who insists on scratching up your furniture or a dog who gets into everything he shouldn’t eat.
It’s best not to use chemicals when cleaning up pet messes because they can be harmful if inhaled or ingested by humans or animals.
Baking soda is much safer for everyone involved since it’s nontoxic and nonirritating for pets
Clean your grill
Use baking soda as part of a DIY grill cleaner by mixing one part water with two parts baking soda into a paste-like consistency. Apply this mixture onto the grate, allow it to sit for 15 minutes, then scrub off any remaining grime with a wire brush or grill brush.
Finish by wiping down the grate with a clean towel or cloth dipped in water or vinegar (optional).
Make your house smell good
Baking soda has a neutral odor that makes it great for eliminating unwanted odors from your home. Sprinkle some on carpets or rugs before vacuuming to remove unwanted smells from pets and smoking. You can also put a box of baking soda in the fridge or freezer if food smells are bothering you.
Deodorize your sink drain pipes
If you have an odor coming from your sink drain pipes, pour some baking soda down the drain along with some warm water (enough to cover the bottom of the pipe).
Let it sit for about five minutes before running hot water through it again. This should help get rid of any lingering odors
Deodorize your garbage disposal
After using lemon juice or vinegar at your disposal, pour some baking soda down the drain and run water through it. This will help neutralize odors and prevent clogs caused by citrus acids interacting with metal parts inside the disposal unit itself.
Get rid of odors in the kitchen
Baking soda is an excellent deodorizer and stain remover, so it’s perfect for cleaning up after cooking meat or other stinky foods like garlic or fish.
It also neutralizes odors in garbage cans and diaper pails, so you don’t have to worry about offensive smells lingering in your kitchen after you’ve cleaned up dinner or changed the baby’s diapers.
Eliminate garlic breath after eating spicy foods
Garlic is a popular seasoning in many cuisines around the world. It adds a sharp, pungent taste to food and helps make dishes more flavorful. Most people enjoy the taste of garlic but don’t like how they breathe it afterward.
The best way to get rid of this unpleasant odor is by brushing your teeth immediately after eating or drinking anything with garlic in it.
Clean your teeth with baking soda
Mix equal parts baking soda and water, then brush your teeth with it! You’ll be amazed at how white your teeth become after just one treatment.
Relieve sunburn pain
Mix together equal parts water and baking soda to form a paste, then apply it to the affected area. The baking soda will help relieve the pain and swelling associated with sunburns, while also drying up any blisters that might develop.
Use as an exfoliator
Add some essential oils and honey to your mixture for an even better exfoliating scrub! Just mix everything together until it forms a paste, then rub it on your skin in circular motions for about 30 seconds before rinsing well with warm water.
Antacid bath
Baking soda is great at neutralizing stomach acid and relieving heartburn symptoms. If you’re suffering from heartburn, try adding 1/2 cup of baking soda to your bath water.
This will help relieve the burning sensation and reduce inflammation in the digestive tract.
Relieve Skin Irritations
Mixing baking soda with water creates a paste that can be applied directly on skin irritations such as insect bites or rashes caused by poison ivy or poison oak.
It will help relieve itching and inflammation while also disinfecting the area and reducing redness and swelling with its anti-inflammatory properties.
It’s also an effective treatment for acne since it helps remove excess oil from the skin due to its alkalinity
Soothes insect bites and rashes
If you get bitten by mosquitoes or other bugs, rubbing baking soda on the area will relieve itching and swelling. Baking soda has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce pain associated with insect bites.
As an ant repellent
Baking soda is an effective ant deterrent because ants don’t like the taste or texture of it. Sprinkle baking soda around your home to deter ants from coming inside or keep them from getting into specific areas like the kitchen or bathroom.
Baking soda also works as a flea repellent when sprinkled on carpets and floors (but make sure your cat doesn’t lick it up).
In the garden
Baking soda helps plants absorb nutrients through their leaves better than most fertilizers do. Use about 1 teaspoon of baking soda for every gallon of water when watering your plants or add to the soil when planting new ones if needed.
You can also sprinkle some on top of the soil around plants to help keep them healthy all year long.
Its A Wrap!
So, there you have it. Baking soda is a popular ingredient in many recipes these days, but its uses don’t stop in the kitchen. You can use it for cleaning, beauty care and so much more. Now that you’re aware of these other uses of baking soda, make sure to keep some around the house next time you run out of laundry detergent or shampoo.
