Baking Soda is one of THE most versatile products to keep in the home. Before I even had children (and before being green was cool), I wanted cleaning products that did not contain harsh chemicals. I also wanted products that worked. And a good smell, or even NO smell, would be nice, too.
Baking Soda fills ALL of these requirements, and more.
Here are a few ways we use it at our house:
- Scouring cleanser I keep some in re-purposed Parmesan cheese container labeled "For Cleaning and Scrubbing" in the kitchen. It works great to clean the sink, counter tops, and especially boil-overs on the stove-top. We also use it to scrub the bathtub and bathroom sink.
- Teeth whitener Just sprinkle a little right on the toothbrush and scrub! It's all natural. (This is NOT recommended if you have braces, as it could dissolve the orthodontic glue.)
- Laundry Soap We use it in our homemade laundry soap recipe, but if we run out and have a sudden load of laundry to do, I'll just dump plain Baking Soda in the washer. Works just fine!
- Bath Soak Mix equal parts Baking Soda and Epsom Salts for very nice bath salts. You can also add a few drops of essential oil or ground up dried herbs, such as rosemary or lavender.
- Hair Wash For the no-shampoo crowd, this works great! I just keep a box of baking soda in the shower. When it's time to wash my hair, I put a couple of tablespoons in a cup and mix with water. I finish with regular conditioner.
- Homemade Deodorant Yes, I make my own deodorant! It's just a simple blend of baking soda, cornstarch, coconut oil, and essential oil. I LOVE it because it has no aluminum. I found the recipe here, and I have successfully used an entire container of it.
The most SIMPLE part of Baking Soda? It's SO cheap! I buy it in the biggest box my store carries, and deep it all over the house.
Do you have a handy use for baking soda? Share it with me!
My goal for 2010 is more Simple Living. See my other posts on this topic here.
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