The many, many uses of baking soda...

Before you buy all those expensive cleaners and beauty creams, look in your kitchen cupboard!  Baking soda seems like an innocent little box of stuff sitting in your cupboard for no specific purpose other than baking.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  It has wondrous powers in almost all aspects of life itself!

CLEANING:

**  Ceramic stove top:  sprinkle baking soda on your stove top.  Soak a dish cloth in hot water and dish soap (I use Dawn).  Wring out excess water and place the cloth over the baking soda.  Let sit for 15 minutes.  Now scrub the stove top with the cloth.  VOILA!  Clean.  Rinse with clean water.

**  Floor cleaning (except waxed floors):  1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 tablespoon dish soap, 2 gallons water as warm as you can stand.  Mix them all together and mop floor.  I did this recently and was appalled at how disgusting the water was.  I thought I cleaned my floor routinely!

**  Bathroom cleaning:  Sprinkle baking soda on bathtub and use a warm wet rag to scrub.  Rinse with clean water.  No more toxic fumes!  Check manufacturer's recommendations before using abrasives of any kind.

HEALTH AND BEAUTY:

**  Canker sores:  1 tsp baking soda in 1 glass of water.  Swish through mouth and spit.

**  Exfoliant:  Rub baking soda on wet skin.  Rinse with warm, wet cloth.  

**  Dental care:  Sprinkle baking soda on regular toothpaste OR make a paste with water and baking soda. This will remove stains and whiten your teeth naturally.

**  Heartburn:  1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 glass of water.  Drink the glass of water.  Warning:  Be prepared to burp.

**  Hair:  Add baking soda to shampoo and work through hair.  This will reduce the product buildup.

**  Dust mites:  sprinkle baking soda into 1 tablespoon of fabric softener of your choice (I use Snuggle) and sprinkle over your mattress.  Let sit 1 hour and vacuum.  Mattress smells fresh and good bye dust mites!

ODOR ELIMINATION:

**  Litter box:  Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of your litter box and then add the litter.  Baking soda will mix with litter when kitty scratches and will get rid of the odor.

**  Trash can:  Intermittently sprinkle baking soda on top of the trash.  This will help eliminate the odor of the trash and keep your house smelling fresh.

**  Clothes hamper:  Make a sachet (any kind of cotton fabric or a clean sock) and fill with baking soda.  Hang in your clothes hamper to get rid of smells.

**  Refrigerator:  Place an open box of baking soda in your fridge to eliminate strong food smells.  Replace about once a month.

MISCELLANEOUS:

**  Kitchen fire:  Throw baking soda on the fire to smother it.  

**  Clogged drain:  Pour baking soda down the drain.  Pour white vinegar down the drain.  This will bubble and fizz.  Let sit for several minutes.  Repeat a few times for bad clogs.

**  Laundry:  Place 1/2 cup baking soda in with your laundry.  It will make your whites whiter, make them smell fresh and remove grease stains.  Make sure to test dark clothes before you add.

**  Carpet spills:  Blot stain to remove as much as possible...don't rub.  Spray water on stain to dilute.  Shake baking soda on stain.  When dry, vacuum.  Stain gone!

**  Stuck-on food:  Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of the dish/pot.  Add hot water and let soak.  

These are just a few of the hundreds of uses for baking soda.  Use this instead of commercial cleaners...less expensive, no harsh chemicals, environmentally friendly, etc., etc.