Amazing Uses for Baking Soda

You know how it is when a white mug gets stained with coffee and tea? Well, some of my white mugs are starting to look decidedly brown, and no amount of scrubbing can set them right. So, I was surfing online this afternoon looking for a thrifty way to get the stains out.

I happened upon this great post, which suggested that scrubbing the mug with baking soda would do the trick.

Eureka!

And then it hit me: I’ve written about vinegar, honey, hydrogen peroxide and vodka. How did I miss baking soda? It’s akin to a green blogger never writing a single word about recycling. I use the stuff almost daily, especially to clean my white kitchen sink. I’m baffled it hasn’t really been featured here at the Greenest Dollar.

So to remedy the situation here it is: a handy list of household uses for baking soda, better known as “The Wonder Powder”. Many tips I got online, but most came from my book Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things: 2,317 Ways to Save Money and Time. This book is put out by Reader’s Digest, and it’s amazing.

Tip: Ever wonder how long baking soda lasts? Open boxes last 6 months, and a sealed box for 18 months. If you’re not sure your baking soda is still good, then take out a teaspoon and pour a bit of vinegar or lemon juice on it. If it doesn’t fizz, it’s time for a new box.

Thrifty Uses for Baking Soda

• Cleaning white sinks and, as I know now, white mugs. Just sprinkle and scrub.

• Keep cut flowers fresh longer by adding a teaspoon of baking soda to the vase water.

• Mix with a bit of vinegar to freshen up your garbage disposal.

• Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet, let it sit, and then vacuum it up for a fresh clean smell.

• Add a cup of baking soda to your toilet water. Let it sit for an hour and then flush. The baking soda cleans the bowl and absorbs odors.

• Beans give you gas? Add a pinch of baking soda to the pot as you’re boiling them. This will reduce the aftereffects of the beans.

• Freshen your sponges and dish towels by soaking them overnight in 2 tablespoons of baking soda with a couple of drops of dish soap dissolved in 1 pint of water. The next morning rinse them out, and they’ll smell good as new.

• Get rid of grease on your stove top. Wet them first with water, and then cover them with baking soda. Wipe them off with a damp towel.

• Clean your coffee maker without vinegar! Simply brew a pot with 1 quart of water and 1/4 cup of baking soda.

• Get rid of stains in your nonstick cookware. In the pan, boil 1 cup of water with 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1/2 cup vinegar for 10 minutes. Wash in hot soapy water and dry.

• Remove wine stains from your carpeting with baking soda. First blot the stain to get up as much liquid as you can. Then, sprinkle with baking soda and let sit for one hour. Then, vacuum it up!

• Get the smoke stains off your fireplace bricks by washing them with 1/2 cup of baking soda in 1 liter of warm water.

• Remove cigarette smells from your furniture by sprinkling them with baking soda. Let it sit for about an hour, and then vacuum it up.

• If your thermos, baby bottles,  or water bottle smells stale, then mix some baking soda with hot water and use it as a soak. They’ll smell clean and fresh after a few hours.

• Mop your floors with 1/2 cup baking soda with hot water. This works especially well on no-wax floors. You can also easily scrub off scruff marks with a sponge.

• Get gunk off your bathtub by mixing a paste of 2 parts baking soda with 1 part hydrogen peroxide. Let the paste set for half and hour, and then scrub off.

• If you’ve got build-up on your scalp or hair (or just dandruff), add one tablespoon to your hair while you’re washing it. The baking soda will remove chemicals and build up.

• Adding 1/2 cup of baking soda to your laundry will give you whiter whites. And it softens water, which means you can use less detergent.

• If your dishwasher gets stinky before it’s time to wash with a full load, just sprinkle a small handful of baking soda on the dishes in the lower level. It was absorb odors and leave your dishwasher smelling fresh.

• Clean your car’s battery terminals safely with a mixture of 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 tablespoon warm water. Scrub with an old toothbrush, and then dry completely. You can also dab with a bit of petroleum jelly around each terminal (once it’s completely dry!) to deter corrosive buildup.

Last Word…

What about you? What’s your favorite use of baking soda? I always love to learn new tricks and uses for this magic stuff. Now that I have a Costco membership I can start buying it in bulk (if they carry it…does anyone know?)