Baking soda, more formally known as “bicarbonate of soda” is often used in the kitchen for cooking and baking, but did you know that this product is far from limited to uses in the kitchen? Not only is baking soda often used in common household items and personal uses, but it also has some incredible health benefits. Here are some of them.
50 Baking Soda Tricks You Can’t Live Without
Clean Your Produce
Unless you’re growing your fruits and vegetables in your own backyard, chances are that there are pesticides and gross germs all over your produce when you take it home from the grocery store. Sprinkle one teaspoon per every two cups of water in a bowl with all of your produce in it and scrub away until it’s clean.
Clean Your Produce
Clean Rugs And Carpets
If you have stains or smells in your rugs and carpet, easily get rid of them with baking soda. After you sprinkle some onto the carpet, pour hot water on top. Let the baking soda sit overnight and then vacuum over it the next morning. Repeat this routine if you need to for a tricky stain.
Clean Rugs And Carpets
Mouthwash
If you are suffering from bad breath despite all of your best efforts in fixing it, try using a baking soda mouthwash. Mouthwash can reach the small crevices that toothpaste can’t, and baking soda can be a great solution to freshening up your breath. Baking soda has great power in providing antibacterial and antimicrobial benefits. This recipe is simple: baking soda and water!
Mouthwash
Deodorant
Baking soda is a natural ingredient, and it’s a great way to get a reliable deodorant without using all of these heavy chemicals on your body. To make this, just mix baking soda with water to create a paste. If desired, add in a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil.
Deodorant
Air Freshener
Usually, air fresheners you buy from a can in a store simply mask bad smells instead of eliminate them, and on top of the fact that these items contain a ton of harsh chemicals, it’s not worth it. Baking soda and essential oils will work together to eliminate the odors and make the room smell fresh.
Air Freshener
Whiter And Brighter Clothing
Adding one cup of baking soda into your laundry detergent will keep things whiter and brighter than by just using detergent. Baking soda is what’s called an alkali, which means that it breaks up the acid in stains of clothing and helps to make clothes cleaner.
Whiter And Brighter Clothing
Bathroom Cleaner
When you’re scrubbing away at your bathroom and it just isn’t getting clean, it can feel like there’s no solution. There are a lot of checmical-heavy products you can buy to clean your bathroom, but baking soda is the cheapest and safest option. You can use it on your toilet, your tub, and anything else you need to clean in order to get a sparkling clean bathroom. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes before wiping it off.
Bathroom Cleaner
Polishing Silverware
The worst part about silverware is the ware and tear that it experiences after a while. When you take the time to clean these items, you’d be amazed at how much nicer they can look! Baking soda fights off the chemicals on the silverware that are making it look tarnished and leaves everything looking top-notch and spotless. Soak the silverware in a mixture of hot water and baking soda for a short amount of time and rinse it off. You’ll notice a change immediately.
Polishing Silverware
Spa Treatment
Are you longing for a relaxing spa night but you know that your schedule and wallet can’t handle it right now? Combine an ounce of baking soda with your hot bathtub water and soak your feet. You can get a spa-grade pedicure without even taking off your pajamas!
Spa Treatment
Disinfect Toothbrush
With winter upon us, that means cold and flu season is also here; germs are all over the place, which means you need to disinfect your toothbrush. Most people don’t tend to think about disinfecting a toothbrush, but as it’s something that goes into your mouth multiple times each day, you want it to be fresh and clean. Baking soda, water, and vinegar combined together make the perfect solution. Just let it sit for 30 minutes and rinse it off.
Disinfect Toothbrush
Treating Bug Bites
While it’s not safe to apply baking soda or baking soda mixtures directly onto your skin every day, it can come to the rescue when you’re suffering from an itchy bug bite or reaction. You may not realize this, but most of the creams and solutions you’d buy at the pharmacy already contain baking soda!
Treating Bug Bites
Burnt Pot
When you accidentally burn the bottom of your pot while you’re cooking and you can’t seem to clean it properly, no matter how many times you scrub, bring in some baking soda to save the day. pour boiled water over the baking soda you’ve sprinkled onto the pot and let it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing off.
Burnt Pot
Cleaning Shoes
Smelly gym shoes are nothing to be embarrassed about; everyone sweats, and especially when they are shoes you wear while working out, it happens to nearly everyone. Still, no one wants to smell your shoes, and you likely don’t want to experience the smell in your home. To fix the problem, pour 2 tablespoons of baking soda into a tied up piece of fabric. Leave it in your shoes as long as you need.
Cleaning Shoes
Heartburn
Heartburn, which is commonly known as acid reflux disease, is a burning feeling that travels down to your esophogus. There are a lot of things that can cause heartburn, and it can be an extremely uncomfortable feeling, but that’s where baking soda comes in for help. Baking soda neutralizes the acids in your stomach and eases the pain. If you add a teaspoon of baking soda into a glass of water and drink it, you should feel better soon.
Heartburn
Fluffy Omelet
If you’re someone who loves eggs but wants to spice things up a bit, we have just the trick for you to try tomorrow morning. Adding half a teaspoon of baking soda for every three eggs you’re cooking will help make the omelet lighter and fluffier, as carbon dioxide bubbles will form inside.
Fluffy Omelet
Cleaning Drains
Is there really anything more annoying than having backed up drains around your house? The answer is no, there is nothing more annoying. Luckily, solving this problem is quite simple with baking soda. Combine vinegar, baking soda, and boiling water to create a mixture that you’ll pour down your drain and let sit for up to ten minutes.
Cleaning Drains
Garbage Disposal Odors
Usually, your garbage disposal can be one of the most useful parts of your kitchen. Sometimes, though, you need to call for backup in the form of a baking soda and vinegar mixture. Just pour in a quarter cup of baking soda into the drain and turn the disposal on for only two seconds. Wait ten minutes before adding one cup of vinegar to the disposal, then watch the bubbles start to develop. After you run warm water down the drain, you’ll notice the smell is gone and your disposal is good as new.
Garbage Disposals
Whiten Your Teeth
Unfortunately, most of us love coffee or tea too much to voluntarily give them up, even if they are staining our teeth right before our eyes. Spending money on professional teeth whitening treatments can cost an arm and a leg, and sometimes they are quite time consuming, as well. All you really need to do is combine a quarter teaspoon of baking soda with a bit of water to create a paste and brush your teeth with it.
Whiten Your Teeth
Sore Throat
Are you one of the unlucky ones who can’t go more than a few weeks without getting a sore throat or strep throat? This one is for you, then. Taking too many antibiotics can actually start to cause more harm than good to your body, so we have a better quick-fix solution; gargle a mixture of baking soda and water three times a day. Your throat will instantly feel better.
Sore Throat
Whiten Yellow Nails
It’s easy to lose track of how long you’ve had your nail polish on for, but leaving it on for too long can cause your fingernails to turn yellow! By mixing baking soda with a small bit of peroxide and scrubbing it on your nails, they’ll be back to looking fresh and beautiful in no time.
Yellow White Nails
Lighten Dark Underarms
There’s nothing worse than wanting to wear your favorite tank top but realizing your underarms are looking dark. Getting rid of these marks is actually much easier than you’d expect; all you need is baking soda and warm water! Create the mixture and apply and massage the area for 1 minute. Let the mixture sit for up to 30 minutes and repeat up to three times per week.
Lighten Dark Underarms
Exercise Performace
Baking soda can help athletes improve their performance during high intensity workouts, which can make their workouts much better and more productive. Baking soda works with your body to delay a fatigued feeling and keep you feeling stronger for longer.
Exercise Performance
Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease means that over time, you lose a lot of strength and capability in your kidneys. As kidneys remove excess water from our bodies, having kidneys that work properly is very important. Thanks to baking soda supplements, you can slow the progression of kidney disease.
Chronic Kidney Disease
Kill Weeds
Nobody likes going out into their front or backyard to find that a whole family of weeds has started to grow on their property. Weed killers contain harsh chemicals that can harm any animals that tend to be in those areas, like squirrels or even your family dog, and no one wants to put animals at risk. Instead, sprinkle baking soda on the weeds and repeat as needed.
Kill Weeds
Clean The Microwave
Sprinkling baking soda onto an used damp sponge and scrubbing your microwave with it can really help with cleaning and taking care of any leftover smells inside. When you’re done scrubbing, rinse it out with a damp towel of warm water. Your microwave will be left smelling fresh and you won’t even be using any chemicals.
Clean The Microwave
Melt Ice On Driveway
If you live in a geographical area that gets a lot of snow and ice in the winter, you likely know the pain of trying to avoid an icy path at all costs. If your walkway is covered in a sheet of ice and you didn’t have time to go to the store to buy salt, sprinkle baking soda on it.
Melt Ice On Driveway
Cure Dandruff
If you have dandruff and can’t seem to find a good cure for it, we have a new idea for you to test out for yourself. Replace your shampoo with baking soda for a few weeks. Massage the baking soda into your wet scalp and let it do its job. Within a few weeks you’ll see big improvements.
Cure Dandruff
Clean Your Hairbrush
If your hairbrush is starting to look worn and not as clean as it should, try mixing a teaspoon of baking soda in a bowl of warm water and let it soak up for a while. It will soak up all of the extra oil and debris in your hairbrush and leave it cleaner.
Clean Your Hairbrush
Make Your Grill Sparkle
When you think about summer, one of the first things that comes to mind may be finally getting to use your grill again after a long winter of staring at it from inside your house. Since your grill was sitting outside in the harsh cold all winter, it will need a good cleaning to get back into tip-top condition to use for the summer. Sprinkle baking soda onto a damp brush, scrub the grill, then rinse it off.
Make Your Grill Sparkle
Make Your Floors Shine
If you chose to have hardwood or tile flooring in your home, you know how frustrating it can be to try and keep up with keeping them looking fresh and shiny. To keep your floors looking presentable, mix in 3.5 ounces of baking soda into a bucket of warm water, then mop it up and rinse it off.
Make Your Floors Shine
Appliances Like New
After using your dishwasher or coffeemaker for a while, things can get stuck to the sides and these appliances can stop working as they should. To make them fresh and clean again, run an empty cycle with only baking soda sprinkled throughout. You’ll notice a huge difference.
Appliances Like New
Litter Box
If you are a cat owner, you know the struggle of trying to find the perfect solution to get rid of the odors that come with your cat’s litter box. You don’t need to go out and test every different brand of cat litter on the market; all you need to do is sprinkle some baking soda in the litter box, then add more litter on top of it.
Litter Box
Exfoliate
Everyone loves to treat themselves to a spa night, even if it’s an at-home spa night, but sometimes you’re ready to try something new. You can actually exfoliate your skin with baking soda by creating a paste with three parts baking soda and one part water. Gently scrub the mixture throughout your face, then rinse it off with warm water.
Exfoliate
Hair Treatment
Everyone wants to have healthy and strong hair, but this can be more difficult to achieve than some people realize. To keep your hair looking healthy, mix some baking soda into your conditioner and massage into your hair. Doing this a few times a week will keep your hair from splitting at the ends.
Hair Treatment
Trash Bin Miracle
Is there anything more disgusting than opening up your trash can and being suffocated with the smell of rotting foods? I don’t think so. Luckily, you don’t need to throw away your trash can just because it’s a bit smelly. Sprinkle some baking soda on the bottom of the trash bin and into the bottom of the trash bag and you’ll be good to go.
Trash Bin Miracle
Rain Repellent
Driving in the rain isn’t easy nor is it fun, and if you’re not extra safe, it can also be pretty dangerous if it’s raining hard enough. By wiping a damp cloth with baking soda sprinkled into it on your windshield, it will help to repel rain from your window. You’ll notice a huge difference next time it’s raining.
Rain Repellent
Chicken Pox Cure
If you never had to experience the horrible chicken pox, you didn’t really miss out on anything fun. If you know what the pain of chicken pox is like, you’ll understand why someone is lucky to not know. You can calm the itchy sensations of chicken pox by combining a tablespoon of baking soda into a glass of water and soaking a towel in it. Place the soaked towel on top of the itchy areas until it is dried up.
Chicken Pox Cure
Clean Food Containers
If you use reusable containers for leftover food or as a lunchbox for work, you likely know how annoying it is to take your box out of the dishwasher and notice that it’s still covered in stains from your pasta sauce, soup, or oily foods. Sprinkle some baking soda onto your dish sponge and scrub away; the stains will lift and your containers will look sparkly clean.
Clean Food Containers
Clean Your Sponges
You likely never thought about it, but your sponges are actually totally covered in germs; after all, you clean your dirty dishes with them! It’s very important to take care of your sponges and keep them clean. When you notice that your sponge has looked better than it does now, let it soak in a warm water and baking soda mixture overnight, then rinse it out in the morning.
Clean Your Sponges
Pet Bed Odors
More likely than not, you consider your pet to be a real part of your family. Everyone loves their pets, but the weird smells that fill your house because of them is not one of the fun parts of having a furry friend at home. To eliminate odors coming from your pet’s bed, sprinkle a good amount of baking soda then let it sit for 15 minutes and vacuum it up.
Pet Bed Odors
Canker Sores
If you have a canker sore, don’t worry, it’s nothing too major to be stressing over. They’re super common, and with this trick it will go away quickly. Rinse your mouth twice a day with a baking soda mouthwash and watch as your pain eases up and your canker sore goes away.
Canker Sores
Calluses
Calluses are not something that you should be so concerned about; they do not pose any real or major health risks, they are just annoying and painful when you’re walking or applying pressure to them. Studies have been able to prove that soaking your feet in a baking soda bath can help to ease the pain and discomfort that calluses create.
Calluses
Oil Or Grease Fire
This may be a little known fact, but at-home fire extinguishers contain baking soda as one of the main ingredients! Baking soda works against the carbon dioxide in the fire, which extinguishes it quickly. Pouring baking soda on a very small fire should still be used at your own risk; if you’re not sure, stay on the safe side and call for help.
Oil Or Grease Fire
Diaper Rash
Unfortunately, diaper rash in babies is super common and is sometimes unavoidable, no matter how careful you try to be. Cream and other pharmacy items can rack up a big bill, and babies are expensive enough! If your baby is experiencing a diaper rash, sprinkle baking soda in their bath water and let them sit in it for a while. They’ll immediately feel better.
Diaper Rash
Clean Walls
For some reason, kids think that the entire house is their canvas to express their artistic skills on. As an adult, you may not appreciate it so much, even if they’re happy about it. To get rid of your baby artist’s artwork, Put baking soda on a slightly damp cloth and scrub away at the art, then wipe it off with a dry cloth.
Clean Walls
Cloth Diapers
For those of you who choose to use cloth diapers as opposed to disposable ones, you know how difficult it can be to keep them clean. Dissolve half a cup of baking soda into two quarts of warm water and let your diapers soak in them until you’re ready to put them in the washing machine.
Cloth Diapers
Coat Closet Cleanliness
If you have a closet of coats that you keep closed during the summertime, you’ve probably noticed that they have a weird smell to them when you open the closet once the weather starts to get chilly again. To keep this from happening, stick a box of baking soda in the closet; the odors will all be absorbed and your closet will smell fresh.
Coat Closet Cleanliness
Keep Flowers Fresh
It’s heartwarming to receive your favorite flowers from your significant other, but when they die after just a few days it can be very upsetting. If you want to keep your flowers fresh for longer in a vase, sprinkle some baking soda into the water. This will keep your flowers nourished for longer.
Keep Flowers Fresh