Clean, Freshen, and More with Baking Soda

Bicarbonate of soda - commonly known as "baking soda" - is a wonderful household product for much more than baking. It can remove stains, clean your teeth and even get rid of your sweet tooth. The best part it is inexpensive.

Check out some of the best uses for baking soda.

Best Usages for Baking Soda

In the Bathroom:

One rule of thumb: Baking soda is great at removing grease, grime, scum, and stinky smells just about everywhere.

• Clean toilet bowls: Add a quarter cup of baking soda and half a cup of white vinegar to an empty bowl. Bubbles will form! Scrub with a stiff brush and flush. Repeat if necessary. A damp cloth sprinkled with baking soda will also clean the outside surfaces of the toilet, tank and cover.
  
  
• Clean faucets and door handles.: Make a thick paste of baking soda and a bit of water, apply to grimy areas and scrub with a stiff brush. (For the tightest spots, use and old toothbrush.) Rinse off immediately or let it dry and rinse later.
  
  
• Soak toothbrushes in baking soda and warm water overnight to clean bristles. 
  
  
• Keep your rubber gloves dry and smelling good by sprinkling baking soda inside them. They will slip on more easily, too.
  
  
• Pour a cup of baking soda into the opening of your clogged drain and then add a cup of hot vinegar. After a few minutes, flush the drain with a quart of boiling water.
  
  

In the Kitchen:

• Keep an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator to absorb any escaping smells so that other foods won't Exchange for a new box whenever you clean the fridge. Use the contents of the old box for scrubbing jobs or pour down your drains.
  
  
• Scrub coffee mugs, tea cups and carafes: Sprinkle the inside of the mug or container with baking soda and gently scrub with a moist cloth to remove stains. Then give the mug or container a thorough rinse.
  
  
• Remove burned-on foods from stainless steel cookware: Add plenty of baking soda to the pot/pan with enough water to form a think slurry, let sit (minutes, hours or overnight), and go to it with a fresh scrubbing pad. Repeat if necessary. 
  
  
• Clean your refrigerator with a solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda to 1 quart of warm water.
  
  
• Sprinkle a teaspoon of baking soda on the bottom of your toaster oven to eliminate the burned smell from drippings and crumbs.
  
  
• To remove pesticides, dirt and wax from fresh fruit and vegetables, wash them in a large bowl of cool water to which you have added 2 to 3 tablespoons of baking soda.
  
  
• A paste of baking soda removes red sauce stains from plastic.
  
  
• Use baking soda to unclog drains. (See "In the Bathroom:)
  
  

Cooking and Baking:

• Make fluffier omelets: A pinch (1/4 teaspoon or less) in your morning eggs as you whip them up will make your omelets or scrambled eggs fluffier.
  
  
• Make the best cookies: In a In a project intended to find the best leavening agent for chocolate-chip cookies, the folks at BuzzFeed baked 400 cookies using various agents and discovered that baking-soda only cookies won hands down. Check out their story.
  
  
• Add a pinch of baking soda to boiled syrup to prevent it from crystallizing. 
  
  

For Health:

• Clean teeth: The antibacterial properties of baking soda reduce bacterial plaques that cause tooth decay and gum disease, while its mild abrasive quality helps remove light staining. Mix a little baking soda with a few drops of water to make a thick paste, wet tooth brush, coat teeth with paste, brush gently, and rinse well.
  
  
• Add baking soda to your bathwater to relieve sunburned or itchy skin.
  
  
• Make a paste of baking soda and water to apply to a burn or an insect bite for relief.
  
  
• If you crave sweets, rinse your mouth with 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in a glass of warm water. Don't swallow the mixture, spit it out. Your craving should disappear instantly.
  
  
• For freshening breath, add a spoonful of baking soda to a glass of warm water (or peppermint tea) and swoosh the mixture around in your mouth for 30 seconds and then spit it out.
  
  
• Ease occasional heartburn/indigestion: The standard dose for this old fashioned remedy is half a teaspoon of baking soda in half a cup of water. if you have frequent heartburn or other digestive problems, see a doctor.