Baking Soda Does What??
May 23, 2008 by Gabrielle
Filed under Green Living
I admit, I am just beginning to understand the full potential of that little orange box that I keep in the back of my fridge to keep it smelling fresh (or at least, not rank). Of course, it’s always handy for baking, and as a kid, I recall having lots on hand at my parents’ house to toss into the pool whenever the chlorine content got too high.
But the more I explore greener cleaning options for my home and my body, the more baking soda keeps getting mentioned – so much so that I upgraded the little box in the fridge to a much larger orange box that I keep in the laundry room, where my toxic cleaning products used to reside.
I tried a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar to unclog that drain I was complaining about the other week. While that helped a little, I still needed to get my hands dirty and pull out the yuck (ok, fine, it was just my hair) myself. Further reading told me that this mixture is really best for keeping odors at bay, not cutting through the clogging substance itself, which makes sense.
Hubby Michael has a little container of baking soda in his bathroom for when he runs out of toothpaste and forgets to tell me to pick more up. He says it works quite nicely, and he’s pretty particular.
The latest issue of another one of my guilty pleasures is promoting a baking soda paste with a vinegar rinse as a great natural shampoo – have any of you tried this? I’m pretty happy with my Dr. Bronner’s so I’m not sure I’ll be trying this concoction any time soon.
But I will be:
1.) taking baking soda along on our next camping trip to use as a biodegradable dish washer, pot scrubber, hand cleanser, deodorant, toothpaste and fire extinguisher. For you lightweight backcountry fanatics, think of how much weight you’ll be able to shave off your pack using this as all all-in-one;
2.) Scrubbing my fruits and veggies clean with it. Now that we’re getting most of ours straight from the farm, there’s a little more dirt to deal with, especially on root vegetables like carrots and potatoes;
3.) Cleaning all of the silver I acquired when my parents moved with a paste of 3 parts baking soda and one part water;
4.) Deodorizing the carpet with a few sprinkles before I vacuum. Because the non-green commercial carpet deodorizer I bought makes me sneeze;
5.) Getting our apartment ready for visitors this summer. Seems like most of our friends these days have little ones in tow. So I’ll be cleaning up our little cache of borrowed toys and baby equipment with 4 tablespoons od baking soda diluted in a quart of warm water. Easy enough!
6.) Filling a old pair of socks with baking soda and securing the ends to serve as instant sneaker refreshers. I think Michael will be happy to read this one. Believe it or not, my shoes are the smelly culprits.
Oh but wait! There’s more! Visit the Arm & Hammer website for a full list. Why not make a goal to find one less-than-green product in your home that you can replace? For me, the carpet deodorizing was a no-brainer. What about you?
No, no, it’s not “just” your hair! You were right the first time – it’s “yuck.” It’s more than yuck. I can’t stand it. The bathtub in the last apartment I lived in had an old fashion-type drain (i.e. it was deep and wasn’t made for like, a drain/hair trap thingy) and I swear, cleaning the hair out of it could gag a maggot off a gut wagon. I always had to have someone else do it.
Anyway, back on topic. I’ve just recently started using baking soda to clean my bathtub (OK, so I wasn’t that far off topic, ha.) Baking soda, liquid soap, and lavender essential oil. Works fabulously. I’ve also done the “baking soda as toothpaste trick,” too, in times of shortage, and it really leaves the teeth feeling nice.
Ooooo! Baking soda IS so good for cleaning my tub! Thanks for the tip!
I may have to try cleaning with baking soda. It may work better than some of the other products I use, and environmentally friendly, to boot. I do use baking soda on my carpets from time to time. Arm and Hammer makes a carpet deoderizer with baking soda which works great.
Great tips. I’ve used it for toothpaste before and baking but not much more. I think I’ll try it on my bathtub, too.
I know! I just gave mine a scrub post-clogging incident and it shines!
Here’s one more – more like a testimony than a tip. I just emptied out my kitchen composter and mixed the goodness with some soil. The container REEKED. Gave it a thorough washing with baking soda and water and now its good to go for the next round.
Hey Melis, you don’t need any soil, do you?
Actually I could! Not a whole lot, but I need to grow my kitties some grass to munch on and I have some seeds I’ve been meaning to start. I have tomorrow and Thurs nites free this week!
I have used bs for my hair when it gets a bit of build up (hair spray or gel) then it feels amazing. My hubby and I also use it for indigestion (directions are on the box) and it works like a charm. I also have used it for teeth cleaning when I had run out. It is amazing all the things it is good for.
I just looked at my post and realized I probably should not have put bs and instead actually typed out baking soda – it looks like i am advocating putting bull sh** on my hair. No no no – not trying that one!
LOL @ Deb!
I love simple house hold items that can do great things around the house! Vinegar is the same way!!!