Baking Soda Is a Home Owner’s Friend

I was thinking about baking soda today and how often the words, “Just use baking soda on that,” leave my lips when I am talking to someone. Partly it is because I am really allergic to bleach and some of the other strong chemicals in traditional cleaners and partly it is because baking soda just works so well. (If you want to make me look really puffy and red faced, put me into a room with a pool in it. I didn’t even have to get in the gym pool when I was in high school to end up nauseated and covered in red welts. It’s not a great look for a teen!)

Anyway, there are a lot of really good uses for baking soda. Here are just a few of the ways you can use it around your house:

• Freshen your kitty’s litter box. Arm and Hammer baking soda actually makes several kitty litter products now, but if you just use generic cat litter, a bit of baking soda can do wonders for the room the box is in.
• Freshen your kitchen trash disposal. (A piece of lemon also works well for this.)
• Dry up fleas and flea eggs on carpets and upholstered furniture. (Bombs are worthless. If the preventative measures, like Advantage, Promeris, or Frontline on your dogs and cats didn’t keep those pesky varmints out of your home, my vet recommends Ortho spray for the edges of the room and daily vacuuming. People who go all organic recommend baking soda all over, letting it sit awhile and then daily vacuuming.)
• Draw leftover moisture from a spill out of hardwoods. (Mop up all the liquid you can. Shake the baking soda onto the area. Let it sit a few hours. Vacuum it up.)

What is your favorite way to use baking soda around the house?

Photo: SXC