Baking Soda {How Many Uses?}
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Baking Soda… aka Sodium Bicarbonate (if you wanna sound all science-y)… It’s good for more than just helping your homemade cookie dough rise or deodorizing your fridge. It can replace a whole slew of products from cleaning to personal care items…even deodorant!
The way baking soda works is it helps to regulate or balance a substance’s pH. In essence, it neutralizes it so it’s neither too acidic nor too alkaline.
Ok, enough with the technical talk. Why am I so excited about baking soda? Easy! It’s cheap, free of toxic chemicals, versatile, and it just plain works! Below are some of my favorite ways to use baking soda around our home:
- Toothpaste: Mix a little baking soda with water or 3% peroxide to form a paste. The paste shouldn’t be too runny so it can stay on your brush. You can also a drop of minty essential oil for flavor. Or you can just dip your toothbrush with commercial toothpaste into the baking soda for an extra boost.
- Deodorant: For a quick deodorant, just sprinkle some into your palm and rub it into your underarms to help neutralize odors. Or you can go a step further and make a real deodorant stick!
- Antacid: Dissolve a teaspoon into a glass of warm water and drink! I tried this during my last trimester of pregnancy when it felt like my stomach was in my throat, and I’m telling you, it works!
- Face Scrub/Mask: Mix a tablespoon with just enough water to create a somewhat-runny paste. Apply to your face and gently scrub to exfoliate the skin. Leave on for a few minutes until it hardens, then rinse with warm water. Your skin will thank you! I do this no more than once a week.
- Kitchen/Bathroom Cleaner: The possibilities are endless here… Sprinkle it onto a clean, damp sponge and scrub practically any surface – sinks, tubs, counters, tile – then rinse thoroughly and wipe dry.
- Laundry Detergent Booster: Add 1/2 cup to your wash water to help boost your detergent’s cleaning power. See my entire all-natural laundry freshening routine.
- Carpet Deodorizer: Simply sprinkle some on your carpets and rugs, wait 15 minutes, then vacuum. Note: For easier sprinkling action, use an old spice shaker or parmesan cheese-style shaker.
Seriously, this stuff is like magic. Is there anything it can’t do? There’s a bunch of other wonderful uses for baking soda, but these are my favorites and the ones I use on a regular basis. What other ways do you use baking soda?
Peace,
Sarah
Sarah UmmYousef is a former school teacher turned stay-at-home wife and mama with a passion for all things simple, natural, and homemade. She loves the natural world, and believes the solutions to many of the world’s ailments lie in nature. Her blog, Nature's Nurture, began as a way to document her family’s journey to a greener home, but has since become a thriving community and resource for those wishing to take small steps towards a more eco-friendly, natural and sustainable lifestyle. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.
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Hi! Love your blog! About the toothpaste…I did some research around the web and they said while sodium bicarbonate is good for cleansing teeth, it will also slowly deteriorate the teeth strength as well in a long term use because there are no fluorine. So I was wondering…is there a way anything natural for teeth and gum strengthening that can be added to the baking soda to counteract the deterioration(not that I know if its true or not). They said biting cinnamon stick till its soft and then using it to brush can help the gums and teeth while cleaning but I never try it and I don’t really like the thought of keeping cinnamon sticks in my bathroom for a few reason for it is a) Small so a shower has a large chance to get the sink area b) I don’t have a bathroom cabinet c) I fear the cockroach will find and eat it before I use it.. *shudder* My only other idea is to use cinnamon powder or buy some powdered calcium or powdered fluorine to counteract it(at least in theory it should) But this is the first time I’m doing it so I though its better to ask someone with more experience in using natural ingredients