20 Uses for Baking Soda

Baking soda is one of my favorite household staples. I keep a good supply on hand for a variety of uses and oddly enough I very rarely bake with it, because I very rarely bake (I don’t do well with measuring). So here’s a great list of other ways baking soda can be useful – feel free to add your own in the comments below!

20 Uses for Baking Soda

1. Teeth Whitener - You can mix with hydrogen peroxide and then brush or if you are lazy you can just sprinkle some baking soda on your toothbrush.
2. Skin Softener – Sprinkle about a 1/2 cup of baking soda into your bath for extra-soft skin.
3. Foot Soak – Use in a foot bath for an at-home pedicure, the baking soda will soften rough areas on your feet.
4. Diaper Rash Remedy – My pediatrician told me years ago that sprinkling a little baking soda in your child’s bath will help relieve diaper rash or other irritations in that area – works very well!
5. Acne Spot Treatment – Mix baking soda and water into a paste and let it try on the blemish. The baking soda acts as a drying agent. But proceed with caution, I have never had an issue using baking soda, but I have had some horrible results trying to make my own face wash. If you have sensitive skin, test a small area first.
6. Homemade Shampoo – A new trend in clean living is ditching store-bought shampoo and cleansing your hair with baking soda. Check out Simple Mom’s post for more info.
7. Bug Bite Relief- Make a paste of baking soda and water and apply to the bite.
8. Canker Sore Remedy – Mix about 1/2 tsp of baking soda with a splash of water and apply the paste to the canker sore.
9. Odor Absorber – Open the container, or they sell special boxes for fridges now.
10. Carpet Deodorizer – Sprinkle on your carpet before vacuuming.
11. Toilet Cleaner – Sprinkle some in your toilet and let it sit a few minutes before scrubbing.
12. Jewelry Cleaner – Mix baking soda with hot water, let the jewelry soak and use a toothbrush (or a nail brush) to clean the jewelry.
13. Orthodontic Retainer Cleaner – Dissolve some baking soda in water and scrub the retainer with a toothbrush.
14. Crayon Removal – To remove crayon from walls, sprinkle some on a damp rag – and then make the kid who colored on your wall scrub it off!
15. Grout Cleaner – Mix lemon juice and baking soda to a paste consistency. Apply to the grout and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then scrub with a toothbrush (that you don’t plan on brushing your teeth with again) or a grout brush.
16. Laundry Booster – Add a 1/2 cup of baking soda to your next load of laundry to boost the effect of your laundry detergent.
17. Kitchen Fire Extinguisher – To extinguish small grease or electrical fire on the stove. (This should not be considered a replacement for an actual fire extinguisher).
18. Linoleum Floor Cleaner – Ask Anna has a recipe using baking soda that brightens linoleum floors.
19. Ceramic Cookware Cleaner – I use a mixture of baking soda, water and a little vinegar to scrub away really stubborn burned on food in my ceramic pots.
20. Surface Scrub – Baking soda mixed with water (and I add in a few drops of tea tree oil) is a great scrub for counters (depending on your the type of counters you have), sinks and bathtubs.

 

And lastly, you can use it to bake… but you already knew that.