I must confess that I’m in love with baking soda. I don’t know about any other product that would cost so little and would help in so many ways, such as washing hair, cleaning dishes, preparing food, washing clothes and treating several illnesses. I managed to save a lot of money by using baking soda, because nowadays I don’t buy any useless cosmetics and chemical products for household purposes.
Here is a list of seventeen chores in which baking soda can be helpful.
1. Making fluffy omelets
To fry fluffy omelets, add one quarter teaspoon of baking soda to three eggs. The most important thing is not to exaggerate with the amount of baking soda, or else your food will have a strange taste.
2. Softening legumes
To make legumes such as beans, peas and lentils softer, add a dash of baking soda to the water you soak them in.
3. Getting rid of unpleasant odors
If you have cleaned fish or chopped garlic, your hands will smell even after you wash them with soap. Take a small amount of baking soda and add a few drops of water to make a paste. Wash your hands with this paste and then rinse with warm water.
4. Making playdough
Mix 2 parts of baking soda, 1 part cornstarch and 1 ¼ part water well to make playdough that is not harmful to your child’s health.
5. Cleaning and deodorizing the dishwasher
Sometimes the dishwasher ends up having an unpleasant smell. It is easy to get rid of the problem, however, if you pour 1 cup of baking soda into the soap dispenser and then run a regular cycle. If the smell doesn’t disappear after the first try, place a teaspoonful of baking soda in the dispenser every time you wash dishes.
6. Removing food burnt on dishes
The removal of burns from the bottom of pots and pans is difficult work. To make it easier, remove as much food residue as you can and then sprinkle in half a cup of baking soda, cover with water and boil. If necessary, repeat the procedure.
7. Growing sweeter tomatoes
If you sprinkle some baking soda on the soil around your tomato stalks, the tomatoes will turn out much sweeter when ripe.
8. Removing mold from books
Books become moldy when they aren’t taken care of properly. Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda among the pages of the book and place the book in a paper bag. Leave it there for several days and then clean off the mold and leave the book in the sun for a while.
9. Treating sunburns
Pour a cup of baking soda into your bathwater with the water at room temperature. Soak in the water to soothe the pain caused by sunburns.
10. Removing the peeling flakes from the skin of newborn babies
Newborn babies’ skin sometimes is scaly and is peeling on the top of their heads. Baking soda will help in this case too. Dilute in your palm several teaspoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of water. Exfoliate the affected area as gently as possible, making sure to prevent the mixture running into the baby’s eyes. Then wipe off the head of the baby with a wet cloth. Repeat the procedure for the next 2–3 days.
11. Treating mouth ulcers
To treat mouth ulcers, rinse your mouth with a solution made from 1 teaspoon baking soda diluted in warm water every two hours.
12. Cleaning the microwave oven
Place into the microwave a glass of water in which you diluted a teaspoon of baking soda and run the oven on the highest power for 3–5 minutes. After that you can remove all impurities from the inside walls of the oven using a wet cloth.
13. Cleaning dirty walls
Wallpaper glue or plaster residue can be removed from the surface of walls with the aid of baking soda. Sprinkle baking soda onto a wet cloth, rub off the spots and then clean the area with water and allow to dry.
14. Soothing stomachaches
Baking soda has a very high alkaline value and as a consequence it neutralizes acids. It is especially helpful in balancing the pH level of acidic foods. Adding baking soda to coffee, orange juice, or tomatoes prevents heartburns.
15. Soothing insect bites
Insect bites create a lot of problems especially during the summer. To sooth the burning sensation and the itching, dilute several teaspoons of baking soda in a few drops of water to obtain a thick paste. Apply this mixture onto the affected area, allow it to dry and then wipe it off. This mixture will also help in reducing swelling caused by bee or wasp stings.
16. Getting rid of weeds growing between pavement stones
If you would like to remove weeds growing in the cracks between pavement stones, sprinkle baking soda into the cracks.
17. Foot odor
The sweating of feet and the odor will disappear if you soak your feet repeatedly in baking soda. Add three tablespoons of baking soda and water in a wash basin at the proportion of 2–3 tablespoons per 5 liters of water. Keep your feet in the bath for 15 to 20 minutes and then dry them well. This practice will not only remove unpleasant food odor but will also treat fungi.