Versatile Household Uses for Baking Soda

Baking soda isn't just for cooking and deodorizing refrigerators anymore. A box of baking soda can replace many other products you'd pay a lot more for. As a mildly abrasive cleanser, it's safer than other cleansing scrubs. It works especially well on soap scum, or for cleaning stone cookware that would absorb the heavy fragrances of dish soap.

Because baking soda isn't a detergent, a small dusting on a wet sponge is perfect for cleaning appliance surfaces that can't be immersed and are difficult to rinse, like a blender base or hand mixer. It works wonders on coffee makers.

Slow-running drains can often be improved by pouring in a quarter cup of baking soda followed by a cup of white vinegar. This is especially effective for disposals that have been clogged by vegetable peelings.

Arm & Hammer has recognized its use as a carpet deodorizer and created products specifically designed for carpets and fabrics. But anyone sensitive to strong fragrances will still prefer the unscented original. For pet accidents and other spills on carpets, baking soda poured on the spot will absorb the liquid and dry into a cake. It's important to allow the soda to dry and scoop it up before vacuuming to prevent caking inside the vacuum cleaner.

Baking soda is the key element to a trick for cleaning tarnished silver instantly. Place a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of a glass casserole dish and heat a pot of water. Put your silver on top of the foil and sprinkle with baking soda. When the water boils, pour it into the dish, and you'll be amazed by the results. This isn't ideal for keeping silver shining over time, as it will tarnish more quickly than after polishing, but it's perfect for that necklace you haven't cleaned for months when you just have to wear it tonight.

As a health and beauty product, baking soda is just as versatile. People have long used it to clean and whiten their teeth. Mixed with a small amount of water, baking soda makes an excellent foot scrub. It also makes a softening bath soak, either on its own or with bath salts. Simply mix one-quarter cup with a half cup of Epsom salts or sea salt and pour into a bath. If you like scented salts, add ten to fifteen drops of an essential oil like lavender, and these will be far cheaper than retail products. Baking soda even has first-aid applications: Made into a poultice, it can soothe pain and itching if applied immediately after a bee sting or insect bite.

Sometimes you'll want to turn to a more specialized product, but in a pinch, it can fill in for a lot of things you just might not have on hand. With the many jobs that baking soda can do, no house should be without it.