13 Uses For Baking Soda

Baking soda is a wonderfully versatile product and also wonderfully affordable. With coupons I've been able to get boxes of baking soda for pennies. Now that I have all of this baking soda, what am I going to do with it all? Well, for this Thursday Thirteen, I'm listing 13 uses for baking soda.

1. Eliminate Odors - I think we all probably know this one. I have baking soda in my fridge and freezer, in the trash can and in the diaper pail.
2. Boost Laundry Detergent - To help get my laundry sparkly clean I add a cup of baking soda to my wash. This allows me to use less soap and still have clean clothes.
3. Freshen Carpets - Instead of using expensive carpet deodorizers, simply sprinkle baking soda on your carpet, let it sit for a few minutes and vacuum up.
4. Extend the Life of Cut Flowers - Add one teaspoon of baking soda to the water in your vase of cut flowers and your flowers will stay fresh looking longer.
5. Strip Hair Product Buildup - While in the shower, get a handful of baking soda wet in your hands, slather through hair and let sit one minute. Rinse it out and your hair will be fresh and clean.
6. Clean Your Car Battery - Pour a water and baking soda mix over your car battery and all the lovely buildup will rinse right off.
7. Clean Patio Furniture - Mix 1 gallon of hot water, 1/2 cup of baking soda, and 1 tablespoon of dish soap. Use this mixture to clean off your patio furniture.
8. Remove Crayon Marks From Your Walls - Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and scrub the crayon marks gently. The crayon should come right off.
9. Extinguish Stove Fires - Keep some baking soda handy in the kitchen. If you have a stove fire, sprinkle the baking soda on it and it will be extinguished.
10. Clean Your Drains - Dump 1 cup of baking soda down your drain. Follow this with 1 cup of vinegar. Let that sit and bubble for a minute and then rinse.
11. Clean Stoneware - When you buy stoneware they tell you that you can only clean it with a little rubber scraper. Well, sometimes the stoneware gets bit of greasy buildup. Whenever this happens I sprinkle baking soda on the greasy parts of the stoneware and let it sit. When you scrape the baking soda off the grease goes with it and you don't have to worry about leaving a soapy taste behind on your stoneware.
12. Clean Your Microwave - Microwave 1 cup of water with 2 tablespoons of baking soda for a few minutes. Let it sit for a minute and you should be able to just wipe out all the splatters and mess.
13. Use As A Scouring Powder (like Comet) - You can use baking soda as a scouring powder to clean showers, sinks and so forth.

There are plenty more uses for baking soda. If you want to search out more, you can simply do a Google search. The ones I've included here and the ones that I find most useful. I know some people use baking soda to brush their teeth, as an antacid or as a mouthwash. I didn't include these in my thirteen because I personally can't stand the taste of baking soda and don't use it like that. However, other people may not mind it. It's the kind of thing that is very individual. If you're feeling adventurous you may want to try.

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