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We all know baking soda from our science projects when we were kids: the famous baking soda volcano. You’ve probably heard it in a rap song too.

We come across many baking soda brands at our local groceries and convenience stores. We see them on our mom’s cupboard or kitchen cabinet all the time.

Unless you bake, then you most probably barely touch that Arm & Hammer box. But there’s more to baking soda than meets the eye.

Here is a list of its most beneficial purposes, especially for everyday home living.

It’s A Foul Odor Buster!

Baking soda can fight many kinds of funky smells. From your kitchen to your garage, the common foul odors can be lessened or even completely gotten rid of by using baking soda. Just make sure to use it properly for best results.

Refrigerator

When you defrost, you probably don’t notice the blood of meat or fish dripping to the bottom of the refrigerator. You could also have rotten vegetables or overripe fruits that you forgot to take out. These smells can be quite persistent.

In cases like this, you can make use of — you guessed it! — baking soda. Take out all the food or liquids that you suspect are the source of the foul odors. Clean every corner, every edge, and every surface, then sprinkle baking soda evenly on the flat surfaces to get rid of the stench.

Shoes

If you have problems with foot odor, then baking soda can keep your shoes smelling nice. On your end, you can start by completely drying your feet and applying foot powder. As for your sports shoes, you can also treat them with baking soda.

Put baking soda on a piece of thin fabric or on cheesecloth. Make sure they won’t spill inside your shoes, so tie the fabric or cheesecloth securely with a hair tie or a rubber band. Leave this in your sports shoes after wearing them and only take it out when you’ll be wearing them again.

Garbage

Everyone hates the smell of garbage. It makes people gag and even lose their appetite. Baking soda can counter this awful smell. To do this, spread baking soda at the bottom of your trash bin. This is said to reduce the garbage smell by more than half.

To maintain the cleanliness of your garbage bin, have two in rotation. Use them biweekly and thoroughly clean them after two weeks worth of use. You can pressure clean and disinfect them so there are less chances of recurring foul odors.

The Secret

Baking soda fights “funky smells” which are usually acidic. The secret sauce is its neutralizing property! Baking soda balances pH levels: it clings to acidic molecules and fights strong smells.

It’s An Excellent Stain Remover!

Oh yes! Baking soda can also be used in removing stains. Depending on what you mix it with, it can remove fresh stains to old, stubborn ones. Be it stains in the kitchen, in the bathroom, or in the living room, baking soda can get the job done.

Kitchen Stains

It can be annoying to keep seeing kitchen equipment with unwanted spots of dirt or discoloration on them. While it’s tempting to just store them away or purchase a new set of cookware or bakeware, you can use our good friend baking soda!

But how can white dust remove tough stains? The solution is just adding water! Baking soda and H20 form a good team when it comes to removing kitchen stains. It can remove stains on cups, pots, tiles, ovens, and drains, just to name a few.

Bathroom Stains

Tiles, bowls, and sinks that have stains on them can be bothersome. Baking soda can be used on these surfaces depending on how fresh or old the stains are, and what these surfaces are made of. You can mix warm water, vinegar or ammonia with baking soda.

To make your bathroom sparkly and squeaky-clean, remember the 2:1 ratio. One cup of baking soda must be put on the sides of the toilet where the stains are. After this, use two cups of white vinegar to wash it off. Don’t rinse it yet with water and wait for more or less 20 minutes. Scour the bowl and flush.

Living Room Stains

Stains in the living room carpet are common especially if you do recreational activities in the living room. You might not have noticed your spinach artichoke dip fall on your carpet while eating nachos. You might be painting for fun and accidentally put droplets of watercolor paint on the ground.

What you can do is mix baking soda with water. Make sure that your ratio is correct: one part for the former and two to three for the latter. Give it 30 minutes, then scrub it off with an old toothbrush or a rough cloth. This technique can also work on clothes, but make sure the material is not too sensitive.

The Secret

Baking soda is slightly abrasive. Compared to soap, it doesn’t have fat molecules in it that are less tough on stains. Dislodging stain particles, baking soda is useful for keeping many parts of your home clean.

It’s A Laundry Whitener!

This applies especially to white clothes that have a darker film on them. To whiten clothes with baking soda, you’re going to need laundry detergent and baking soda. Add half a cup of baking soda to your laundry detergent.

Baking soda whitens clothes because its components are gritty. It pulls particles away from surfaces like clothes. It doesn’t just whiten laundry: it can even whiten teeth!

It’s A Good Silverware Polisher!

For silverware, you’ll need foil, salt, hot water, a container (glass or plastic), a soft piece of cloth, and of course, baking soda. Press foil onto the surface of the container then sprinkle with equal amounts of salt and baking soda. Put silverware in the container and pour hot water on it.

Wait for it to foam up and get a little darker. After one to two minutes, you can take the silverware out and rinse with warm water, preferably soapy. You can now dry this with a soft piece of cloth and your silverware is as good as new. Impressive!

It’s A Tough Weeds Killer!

Baking soda can also kill stubborn weeds from your home plants! Dampen the weeds with your hose or garden spray. Evenly sprinkle baking soda on the weeds. Make sure that all parts of the weeds are covered. Don’t miss any spots!

How does baking soda kill the weeds? It absorbs moisture and causes the weeds to dry out and die eventually. Weeds steal nutrients from plants, so instead of getting harmful chemicals to prevent them from growing or manually cutting them, use baking soda instead.

It’s A Great Fruit & Veggie Cleaner!

If your fruits and vegetables are fresh from the market or the grocery, then you should consider using baking soda on them to remove the dirt, insects, and even waste materials on them. Baking soda proved to be more effective in the removal of pesticide on fruits than traditional sanitizers.

Is Baking Soda Safe?

After reading about what it can do to certain things, can baking soda be consumed safely? Of course! Baking soda has to be combined with other ingredients to take effect chemically. Even if you do this in baking, it’s still safe for human consumption because its components are non-toxic.

Need More Baking Soda Hacks?

Aside from what was mentioned, there are still so many different uses for baking soda. This includes personal hygiene, health treatments, skincare, and of course, let’s not forget what it’s really for: baking!

There are studies that show the potential of baking soda as an antibacterial agent, and flue gas neutralizer for power plants that are coal-fired. It can also be used for paper conservation. Pretty cool, right?

What are you going to use your baking soda for? It’s exciting to think about what you can do with it! Head on over to your nearest store and buy some baking soda, if you don’t have some already. Get creative and whip up your mixture for your home care tasks. Enjoy taking care of your abode with baking soda!

Sources:

Lewis, M. (2020, November 17). How to Kill Weeds With Baking Soda. Home Guides | SF Gate. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/kill-weeds-baking-soda-30982.html

Meredith, D. (2019, March 20). How to Remove Tarnish from Grandma’s Heirloom Silverware. Taste of Home. https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-polish-silverware-and-remove-tarnish/

Poskin, A. (2019, March 14). How To Whiten Laundry Without Chlorine Bleach. Apartment Therapy. https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-whiten-laundry-without-chlorine-bleach-109590

Tan, D. (2017, February 21). Cleaning tips: Use baking soda to remove odour and stains, and clean fruits and vegetables. Home & Decor Singapore. https://www.homeanddecor.com.sg/design/home-tips/cleaning-tips-use-baking-soda-to-remove-odour-and-stains-and-clean-fruits-and-vegetables/

Wellbank, L. (2020, December 22). Why Does Baking Soda Absorb Odor? Martha Stewart. https://www.marthastewart.com/7841356/baking-soda-absorb-odor-facts