Baking soda is a very versatile and inexpensive product that we should always keep handy around the house. So let's discover all the properties and uses of bicarbonate.
We often fill our homes with chemicals that are useful for cleaning, disinfecting, washing clothes, etc. But, in many cases, these products could be replaced with simple sodium bicarbonate. Baking Soda is one of the most widely used natural products in household cleaning as it lends itself very well to many uses, from deodorant to stain remover.
But what is Sodium Bicarbonate? Also called sodium hydrogen carbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium bicarbonate is a sodium salt derived from carbonic acid. Its chemical formula is NaHCO3, and it has a very fine consistency and a white colour.
This substance is classified as an additive with the initials E500. It can be found in various products, not only food but also for personal hygiene or drugs. What interests us most, however, are the daily uses that can be made of it. Do you know, for example, that sodium bicarbonate can be used to disinfect fruit and vegetables, for cleaning and laundry, but it is also a natural remedy suitable for combating stomach acid?
Here are 15 uses of baking soda that will change your life: from hygiene to cleanliness to beauty, the miracles this magical powder can do!
1. Remove odours
The fabric of the sofa or rugs sometimes collects all the smells that roam the house. And, alas, sometimes it stinks a bit. Do not worry: sprinkle it for about ten minutes with bicarbonate and proceed by vacuuming with the electric broom. Tip for the shoes: sprinkle the inside to get rid of that awful smell.
2. Natural deodorant also for the skin
Just mix a tablespoon of baking soda with water to form a milky cream and spread it like a cream deodorant. Natural and effective, this recipe is also an excellent remedy for itching and a delicious scrub for the skin of the face.
3. For cleaning drains
Pour four tablespoons of salt into the sink pipe, four tablespoons of baking soda and boiling water. This should already solve the situation, but for more stubborn discharges, increase the doses: a glass of salt, then one of bicarbonate, then one of white vinegar and finally, after letting it act for a few minutes, boiling water.
4. Modeling paste for celiacs!
For gluten-intolerant children, you can try this recipe, taken from frugalfarmwife.com, for a flour-free modelling paste: 2 cups of baking soda, 1 cup of cornstarch, 1 and a half cups of water and 1 tablespoon of oil. Then by adding some coloured dyes, you will get a perfect paste for all children, even those with allergies!
5. Natural whitener
For a white smile, once a week, brush your teeth with a solution of bicarbonate (one teaspoon) and water (perhaps adding a few drops of lemon). Leave it on for a couple of minutes and rinse. Tip for nail polish stained nails: dip them in a solution of water and baking soda, and you will remove all residue.
6. For the laundry
Baking soda is perfect for sanitizing and at the same time making fabrics softer, especially those of children: add a cup of it in the washing machine!
7. For cleaning the oven
No oven and microwave chemicals - add a teaspoon of baking soda to a damp rag and wipe the oven and microwave walls.
8. Fire fighting
If there is a little disaster in the kitchen, and perhaps a saucepan or wooden spoon is catching fire, sprinkle it with baking soda (which you will certainly have on hand after this article!) And the flames will be smothered immediately.
9. Home deodorant
They're super easy to make and super cute, so we're already assuming you'll want to make one per room - they're the home fragrance jars. Once you are done, you will never buy those crap chemical perfumers from the supermarket! Small jars are enough to fill 1/4 of baking soda, to which you will add about eight drops of the essential oil of your choice. You can then close them with a pierced cap or with foil (also pierced) or with jute scraps fixed with ribbons.
10. Against oily hair, but not only
Just sprinkle the roots and skin with bicarbonate before normal washing (rinse carefully!) To make them not only cleaner (the baking soda absorbs the fat) but also softer, healthier and without dandruff.
11. For balloons instead of helium!
At the next party, get yourself a bottle to fill 1/3 full with vinegar. Then fill the balloon halfway with baking soda (with a dry funnel) and attach the opening to the bottle. When well fixed, raise the balloon letting the powder fall into the bottle: a reaction will be triggered that will produce a gas capable of inflating the balloon!
12. Effective masks
With a few more ingredients, baking soda lends itself to becoming natural and effective face masks. By mixing a teaspoon of orange juice with a tablespoon of baking soda, you will get an excellent mask for exfoliating, fighting pimples and closing pores.
13. Solution against dark circles and bags under the eyes
Add a teaspoon of baking soda to a glass of hot water and mix well. Dip two cotton pads and place them under your eyes for about 10/15 minutes, then rinse your face and apply moisturizer. Do it every day, and after some time, the results will be amazing!
14. A chemical-free toy cleaner!
Better not to use chemicals to clean our children's toys: better something more natural like a homemade detergent with few ingredients. In a spray, mix water, vinegar, baking soda and flavour by adding lemon and rosemary. It will be perfect for cleaning children's toys without risking them ingesting dangerous chemicals!
15. A dry shampoo
For those who do not want to wash their hair every day but cannot because it is too greasy, and for those who wish to avoid the use of too aggressive products, with baking soda, it is possible to create a simple dry shampoo: just mix 1/4 of a cup of cornstarch, 1/4 cup of baking soda and add 5/10 drops of essential oil. Put in a jar and sprinkle on the hair with a brush if necessary, removing the excess with a towel.