Believe it or not, baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is capable of doing much, much more than just helping your baked goods rise. Before I learned of all that baking soda can do, I always wondered how people could ever even go through entire boxes. I mean I know cookies can be addicting, but seriously? Now, I know that being a baking superhero is probably the least impressive job on baking soda’s resume. If you’re someone who seeks enlightenment about how a super cheap household item can be used for numerous varying tasks, this one’s for you!
- Degreasing: Soak your hairbrushes in a mixture of warm water and baking soda to freshen and degrease! This same method works well on greasy pots and pans, too.
- Exfoliation: Make a paste out of baking soda and water to apply to your face like a face wash. It exfoliates your face, which helps to combat acne.
- Firefighting: I’ve started a few small microwave and oven fires in my day. Let’s just say throwing baking soda on top of them has worked out in my favor (no oxygen=no flames).
- Fresh Flowers: Sprinkle some baking soda into the water in your flower vase to keep freshly cut flowers looking beautiful for even longer.
- Odor Absorption: The old-school trick really does work—keep a box of baking soda in your refrigerator to absorb any funky odors. Shoes and litter boxes tend to not smell so great either. So, feel free to apply this logic to those situations, as well.
- Polish: When I was a little girl, my mom’s friend paid me to polish some old silverware for her. To do so, I used a handy-dandy toothbrush and a paste of baking soda and water, which worked like a charm. Cha-Ching!
- Produce Wash: Forget that expensive produce wash; use baking soda, instead! Make a baking soda and water solution, pour it into a spray bottle, and wash away all that dirty, gritty stuff.
- Shampoo: I once took part in the “no shampoo” movement. After a few months of washing my hair with a baking soda and water solution and conditioning it with a vinegar rinse, I resorted back to using conventional shampoo. However, look into it because it does wonders for a lot of people! Baking soda also works well as a freshening dry shampoo. For flat hair, add some baking soda to your shampoo for volume.
- Teeth Whitening: Some toothpastes boast of having baking soda as an ingredient for good reason—it does help to whiten teeth! Sometimes, I make a baking soda and hydrogen peroxide (make sure it’s a percentage that’s okay for your mouth) paste to add to my toothpaste when I feel like having some extraordinarily bright pearly whites. However, don’t use baking soda teeth whitener too often because, over time, it could potentially damage your teeth’s enamel, which oddly enough is responsible for your teeth’s white appearance.
- Tomato Sauce: Canned tomatoes can be rather acidic, which is why I add a tiny bit of organic sugar and/or baking soda to my tomato sauces. Since baking soda is a base, it helps to balances out the acidity of the tomatoes. That was pretty scientific of me, huh?
