If your baking soda has been sitting on your pantry shelf for decades, it’s about time you stop ignoring the massive potential it has. This ingredient surprisingly can be used for a variety of things that you might have never even heard of. Prepare to be blown away by these hacks:

1. Extinguish grease fire break-outs

Let’s be real. If things get a little out of control in the kitchen and a fire ends up breaking out— not all of us have access to a fire blanket or extinguisher. Throwing a bucket of water at a lit-up grease pan won’t help at all either…unless you’re trying to blow up your kitchen. Hurl a handful of baking soda at the base of the flame and it should put an end to the chaos like magic. Tada!

2. Relieve mosquito bites

Summer is right around the corner and so are the insects. And when those pesky little creatures bite, oh they bite hard. If you ever find yourself with an empty tube of itch cream and a leg covered with mosquito bites, you can always turn to making your own baking soda paste to save the day. According to MedicineNet, “Baking soda can soothe the itching, stinging, and redness associated with mosquito bites—an ingredient in most over the counter creams.”

Image Credit: The Kitchn​

3. Get rid of pesticides from produce

As you might know, washing fruits and vegetables solely with water before eating them isn’t enough. Thankfully, using baking soda to clean produce is an effective, natural, and easy way for you to get rid of pesticide residue. A study made in 2017 that’s published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry found that baking soda is more successful in getting rid of pesticide residue on the ‘skin’ of produce. Simply add a tablespoon of baking soda into a large bowl of water and leave the produce to soak in the mixture for 10-15 minutes.

4. Perfectly brown ground meat

Wondering how to achieve nicely brown ground meat without drowning it all in its own ghastly looking juices? Lifehacker’s Senior Food Editor, Claire Lower, advises everyone to start incorporating baking soda to ground meat before browning.

“The baking soda (which is very basic) raises the pH of the meat, preventing the proteins from bonding excessively (and thus squeezing water out); this keeps everything nice and tender, and prevents that pool of liquid from forming.”

Image Credit: The Kitchn​

5. Clean cooking ware, kitchen counters, and the oven

We don’t know about you, but trying to scrub off gunk from pots, counters, and the oven can be a real pain. Don’t order any new cookware just yet!

Baking soda has the best properties for cleaning. It is a mild abrasive, making it a cheap alternative to restoring your kitchen tools and bringing appliances back to life. To add to that, according to Healthline, “When mixed with an acid like lemon juice or vinegar, it may also help control the growth of harmful microorganisms, including mold or bacteria”.

Make your own scrubbing paste by adding the superb ingredient to a bowl of water, along with lemon juice or vinegar. This is completely safe to use for cleaning countertops, stained coffee cups, and dirty oven walls.

6. Freshen up everything at home

Now, you might have tried the popular trick where you leave an opened box of baking soda in the fridge to help eliminate odours. But did you know that you can do the same trick with almost everything else?

Dust the bottom of your garbage cans, the soles of your shoes, and your dirty laundry hamper then thank us later. You can also use this to minimise the stench coming from your furry friends litter box by sprinkling it in layers.

7. Help fix minor oil spills

We’re all bound to commit clumsy mistakes while cooking. It’s what makes us human! If you accidentally splatter your pants or rug with oil, blot it with a damp cloth (make sure it’s not soaking wet!) to absorb the oil stain and immediately cover the area with baking powder. Leave it for a couple hours and wash with a stain-lifting product of your preference.

Image Credit: Home Made Simple​

8. Clear up red wine stains

Baking soda also works like magic for wine stains. Unlike the former hack that deals with oil stains, you need the baking soda wet for this one to effectively lift out the bright colour.

Apply a paste to the affected area made out of one part baking soda to three parts water, and let it dry out before vacuuming. Keep in mind that results may vary depending on the type of carpet you have!

9. Clean the toilet

Toilets are probably the most dreadful things to clean. They stink up quickly and they are just plain gross. If you’re not sure how to get rid of brown ring stains that commonly build up above the water level, baking soda can do you wonders.

Add a cup of baking soda to your toilet every once in a while and let it sit for an hour before spritzing it all off with vinegar and scrubbing the gunk inside away. This should drastically lift the stain and remove unpleasant odour.

10. Alleviate diaper rash

If your little bundle of joy is struggling with an itchy bottom, baking soda also possesses anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties to relieve their discomfort.

You can either make your own paste (2 tablespoons of baking soda and a tablespoon of water) or add up to a half cup of the ingredient to their bathwater.

11. DIY air freshener

As mentioned, baking soda is a great choice if you want to freshen up your home. To make life easier, you can opt to turn it into an air freshener! In a spray bottle, add 2 cups of water, a tablespoon of baking soda, and a few drops of your favourite essential oil if desired. That easy folks! Spritz all the odour away.

12. Break down battery corrosion

Baking soda aids in breaking down battery corrosion thanks to its alkaline nature. Before proceeding, double-check to see if all the batteries are fully removed from devices. Make the paste by mixing 3 parts baking soda with one part water. Generously coat the batteries with the concoction before wiping away with a damp towel and leave the battery to dry before reconnecting it to its device.

13. Manage an oily scalp

If your hair is leaning towards the greasy side, you might want to try out replacing your shampoo with a natural one. This natural substitute for shampoo (You can create one by combining 4 tablespoons of the powder, 3/4 of a cup of water and a few drops of essential oil) will gently exfoliate your scalp and absorb the excess oil. Then, say hello to fresh, clean, and gorgeous locks.

14. DIY natural deodorant

Yes. You read that right, folks. It’s also able to be used as a deodorant! The anti-funk powers of baking soda aren’t limited to just items you use at home. Make your own deodorant starting off with a quick whisking together of 4 tablespoons baking soda with 4 tablespoons of cornstarch (to prevent excessive perspiration). Add in 4-6 tablespoons of coconut oil or shea butter to the formula and essential oils if you’d like an extra good kick of fragrance!

15. Whiten clothes

We’re sure you’ve heard about baking soda and its whitening abilities. Some people shockingly use it to whiten their teeth (we strongly DON’T recommend that). Use their whitening ability to your benefit anyway but for clothes. Just add a cup of the powder inside the machine itself when you do your next laundry load— along with a laundry detergent per usual.

It does two jobs at the same time since its abrasive properties work best at fighting stains all the while its alkaline nature neutralises bad odour.

Who knew baking soda could be this miraculous?

Watch a video on more ways you can use it below!

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Credit: Simply This Life​

 

[cmtowers]

I use bicarb soda to exfoliate my face as I have sensitive skin and it works wonders. I make a paste and gently massage it over my face then splash with water and pat dry.. It is so refreshing.

 

[Julia TH]

Just to clarify, baking soda is the American term for what we, in Australia, call bicarbonate of soda. Don't use baking powder, different product altogether