6.5 Household Uses for Baking Soda

Many households are looking for natural alternatives for chemical- laden cleansers. While there is no denying the effectiveness of many chemical cleansers.

Sodium Bicarbonate and Vinegar Fun Experimentgraphic

For this experiment all you will need is one box of baking soda and a bottle of vinegar. Mix approximately 6oz. of vinegar into a jar, and then pour baking soda into a latex glove. Fit latex glove over the rim of the jar and allows sodium bicarbonate to mix with the vinegar found in the jar. Immediately you will notice a fizzing reaction within seconds, carbon dioxide gas begins to form causing the latex glove to quickly bloat. This is a direct result of the chemical reaction between vinegar and sodium bicarbonate. It is a fun experiment to conduct with small children to illustrate the effect of vinegar and sodium bicarbonate when mixed together.

Extinguish Fires in the Home
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Baking soda has the ability to extinguish fires. Carefully scatter baking soda powder over the fire and it eliminates the oxygen in the fire as it burns.[22]

How to Restore Old Coins

The first thing to do is place your coins on a heat resistant surface. Now, gently apply heat using a propane torch to the coins you want to restore. The heating process removes any excess water that is currently at here due to the coins. After heeding the coins will turn black. Note: some coins may not appear to weathered or dirty. Those Coins do not require heating. Next, you will need hydrochloric acid. Pour hydrochloric acid into a flask. Using a carrying instrument like tweezers, drop old warn coins into the hydrochloric acid solution. Almost immediately you’ll begin to see yellow clouds and dirt particles form in the hydrochloride acid. Using the tweezers move the coins around in the hydrochloride solution. Now you can remove the coins from the solution and place them into water for a quick rinse. NOTE: when you are cleaning, if you end up with hydrochloric acid exposed to human skin quickly rinse with water. Finally, you can use a metal cleaner or polish to restore the coin into its original state.

Clean Silver, Chrome, Plastic and Jewelery
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It can be used on all sorts of cookware including fancy copper pots (mix it with lemon juice to make a paste), porcelain sinks, toilets and tubs, silver, stainless steel, aluminum, chrome, plastic and jewelry. It can save a burned pot. [2] Rinse and dry the silver, then buff it with a soft cloth. [3] I have used baking soda to clean my sterling silver jewelery for years. It works like a champ! [4]

Supercharged Cleaner By Adding Bleach

Sometimes you have some very stubborn, heavy duty stains that cannot be removed with baking soda alone. For example that seven year old floor that once had beautiful white grout in between the tiles. Simply make a paste of sodium bicarbonate. bleach and apply to grout with a tooth brush.

What about that old copper pot that’s been sitting on top of the fireplace for the last two years? Yes, you can remove those blacken stains. With this all natural solution you’ll use salt, vinegar with a dash of bleach. Moisten the area with a damp cloth that you want to clean. Sprinkle your mix on the dampened the area. Let it sit for a few minutes and scrub the area with a damp cloth.

In many cases vinegar can be used in place of bleach. For heavily soiled laundry add vinegar to your regular washing solution. You will notice your clothes come out much cleaner and stay whiter longer. You’ll have the added benefit of vinegar which will soften your clothes.

Bleach or Vinegar
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It is true that a good disinfectant is a useful tool at home but do not make people paranoid and overuse bleach. There is a balance there. [43] Using the liquid castile soap as a base, combine with washing soda (regular washing), and either baking soda (reduces static and softens fabrics) or white vinegar (reduces static, softens fabrics, and bleaches clothes). This recipe is for one load of wash. [44] The fabric softener or bleach dish? Or neither, and just dump it straight into the tumbler with the towels?[45]

Tough and Stubbon Stains

One of the most amazing tools for removing stains in your carpet is a simple eraser. A pencil eraser can be used to penetrate the most stubborn stains found in the depths of your carpet. Concoct your solution, composed of sodium bicarbonate, vinegar, and salt. Use an eraser made with Melamine foam and gently masage the heavily soiled small area. This method of carpet stain removal is ideal for small high concentrated stains such as permanent markers in light colored carpets. Once you have scrubbed the area with a pencil eraser rub carpet area again with a clean dry cloth. My favorite ingredients to use for this type of stain in the carpet include fingernail polish remover, baking or acetone soda mixed, rubbing alcohol and water.

Bathroom Stains

In most bathrooms you will find scum, dirt, and mildew. On kitchen appliances you find those pesky lime scales. With a quick mixture of sodium of bi-carb, vinegar and borax salt you can remove the most stubborn of undesirable stains. This is a much more cost efficient and environmentally friendly method to clean almost any stained area in the home.

Tough Stain Removal
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I have a porcelain enamel kitchen sink that gets NASTY stains from carrots and coffee (yep! Sprinkle it on the sink, and pour a little apple cider vinegar and voila! [48] He keeps coming home with dry erase marker stain clothing I have found some tips on line but no natural cleaners. [49] Rinse or sponge stains immediately with club soda. To remove ink stains, put creme of tartar on the stain and squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over it.[50]

Destroy Acne Immediately

Facial acne and its associated symptoms are common in your occasions for today’s teenagers. A simple home ingredient that you’ll find in your cupboard is probably the best treatment for pimples and acne. It’s a magical, inexpensive and very effective in greedy and that you can buy for less than $1.00; sodium bicarbonate. Quite often the cause of facial acne is the foods that you eat including McDonald’s, burger King, Harvey’s and other greasy, fast foods. Sodium bicarbonate can be applied to your acne and work to neutralize the acidic environment. The beginning point of a pimple formation is when a hair follicle becomes clogged by infection. To combat this infection place a small amount of sodium bicarbonate in a bowl mixed with water. Similar to facial creams that you apply, put the sodium bicarbonate paste on your face. Allow the paste to sit on skin surface for approximately fifteen minutes. Sodium bicarbonate is water soluble so you can remove the paste by gently robbing with water.

Clean Face
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Again as I mentioned in my other blog, you don't necessarily need to wash your face all the time, what I mean by that is: you don't need to wash it with soaps and other products. Using warm water and gently scrubbing is enough to remove the dirt and dust and other particles.[58] Gentle scrubbing can help the skin shed dead surface cells that can clog pores and lead to acne. [59]
Disinfect Sprinkle Pet Odours Sprinkle baking soda over the bottom before adding fresh kitty litter. [78] Just sprinkle baking soda over the entire toy, rub in and let sit about 15 minutes, then brush off, and the toy should be fresh and clean. Definitely worth a try, don't you think?[80]