When you live frugally you are always looking for cheap products that get the job done! There are so many uses for baking soda and it is one of those items that every frugal home should have. If you want to know what you can do with baking soda, well, you’ve come to the right place.
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Baking soda is one of those items that people have been using in their homes for a very long time because it is so versatile. Not only that, but it is non-toxic so you can feel good about using it around your home. And let’s not forget how cheap it is. I buy a small box for about $1.28. I’d say that is pretty inexpensive. You can find a bigger, 5 lb package on Amazon HERE.
So, let’s talk today about all the ways you can use baking soda, and if you don’t have any in your home (except for baking) it may be time to stock up on some. You won’t run out of ways to use it up, that’s for sure!
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH BAKING SODA?
FOR CLEANING
Get rid of bad smells in your fridge. You can keep an opened box of baking soda in your fridge and it will absorb strong smells.
Sprinkle in the bottom of your garbage can. If you have a plastic garbage can like I do you may have discovered it can absorb bad smells. Sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of the can to help eliminate that issue.
Deodorize carpets and couches. Sprinkle all over your carpets and couches, let it sit for awhile (20 minutes or so), and then vacuum it up.
Clean your sinks. Sprinkle some baking soda in your sink after you do dishes, add a few drops of essential oils, and scrub away to make that sink shine.
Clean your oven. Yep, baking soda will even clean your oven. Make a paste by adding some dish soap , water, and essential oils and rub it all over the inside of your oven. Let it sit for an hour or so and then scrub that dirt out.
Get rid of dishwasher smells. Sprinkle in your dishwasher to help eliminate odors.
Clean your toilet. Pour a cup of baking soda, a cup of vinegar, and 10 drops of tea tree essential oil into your toilet, let it sit for at least 15 minutes and use your toilet brush to scrub that toilet clean.
Reduce odors in your shoes. Sprinkle baking soda in your shoes and let sit overnight.
Reduce pet odors. Sprinkle baking soda on pet beds (and then you can vacuum it up after it sits for awhile) or in litter boxes.
De-clog your drains. Add a cup of baking soda. Next, add a cup of vinegar. After 20 minutes pour hot water down the drain.
Deodorize the inside of your vehicle. Sprinkle baking soda on the seats and carpets of your vehicle, let it sit for 20 or so minutes, and then vacuum it up.
Clean your hair brushes. Mix 2 teaspoons of baking soda with water and soak your hair brushes.
Clean your make-up brushes. In a cup of water add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and soak your makeup brushes for 15 minutes. Rinse well and let them dry.
Clean your coffee maker. Mix 1 cup of baking soda with 1 cup of water. Pour it into your coffee maker and run it like you are making coffee. Once that has finished get rid of the dirty water and run your coffee maker through another cycle with just water.
Remove stains from plastic food containers. Make a paste with baking soda and water and rub all over the stained container. Let it sit for a half hour and then wipe with a clean cloth and rinse.
FOR THE BODY
Reduce bug bite itch. Make a paste out of baking soda and water and rub on your bug bites to decrease itchiness.
Teeth cleaning. Many homemade toothpaste recipes use baking soda in them. You can mix the baking soda with a bit of water or hydrogen peroxide to clean your teeth.
Make homemade deodorant. You can find a recipe for an all-natural deodorant recipe over at Wellness Mama HERE.
Treat cradle cap. Mix equal parts of baking soda and water to form a paste and then rub it in your little one’s head where the cradle cap is and let it sit for a minute and then rinse off.
Balance your PH levels. Mix a half teaspoon of baking soda with a glass of water and drink. Be careful with this one though, you don’t want to consume too much baking soda as it can cause health issues. Less is more in this case. Balanced PH levels help us stay healthy.
Manage poison ivy. If you unfortunately run into some poison ivy while out in the woods, you can make a paste from baking soda and water and rub on the affected area to ease symptoms.
Ease heartburn. Mix a teaspoon of baking soda into a glass of water to reduce heartburn symptoms.
MISCELLANEOUS USES
Make cut flowers last longer. Add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water in the vase.
Reduce insect problems in the garden. Baking soda can help cut down on the amount of insect infestations you have in the garden.
Clean produce. Add a few tablespoons of baking soda to a bowl or sink of water and soak your fruit and vegetables for about 15 minutes to get rid of the pesticides that are on the skins of produce.
Repel Ants. Place baking soda around entry ways of where ants are getting into your home and they won’t come in.
Sweeten tomatoes. Sprinkle just a small amount of baking soda on the soil around each tomato plant, but be sure you don’t sprinkle it on the actual plant.
NEVER ENDING USES FOR BAKING SODA AROUND THE HOME
So, as you can see, baking soda can be used in a variety of ways and is very useful. Frugal living is definitely made easier when you use products like baking soda to help you keep costs down for many things. Vinegar is another thing that can be used for multiple uses around the home. When we find things that can be used in multiple ways it also makes it easier. We don’t have to worry about buying a bunch of different products.
I like to use all-natural products for most of my cleaning around the house so I definitely always have baking soda on hand. I also make other cleaning products that don’t use baking soda but they do use other frugal and natural products. One of the things I love to make is a homemade laundry soap. It’s so much cheaper to make it myself.
Related: All-Purpose, All-Natural Cleaner
A paste of baking soda and water will get sticky residue off glass jars. Over the weekend I bought two huge jars at a thrift store for 50 cents each and I suspect they were donated because the labels had been removed but they were still covered in sticky adhesive. My husband had them clean in no time.
Awesome tip! I will have to try this. Thank you!