Baking Soda – Why?
What is baking soda? Well, its bicarbonate of soda. So what’s that? It’s actually a type of salt. The formula is NaHCO3. It is composed of a sodium (Na+) and a bicarbonate (HCO3-).
It’s has many uses, here are a few.
Odor Control – keep some in the fridge door (also close to the stove) – Also use down sink drains to kill odors. Use in litter boxes, inside dishwashers and front loading washing machines.
Fire Extingusiher – never put water on a grease fire, use baking soda. Keep some close to the stove.
Cleaner – add a few drops of water to make a paste, use on metal to remove rust (don’t use on aluminium ) – this paste works
well on battery corrosion. Watching it bubble up as it cleans is just a bonus!
Tootpaste – when your out this works well, create a paste with a few drops of water. It might not look or be the same but it works.
Stain remover – 1oz (1/8 of cup) of water to 2 tablespoons of baking soda -mix up, rub onto stains. Subborn stain? repeat but leave on an hour before washing. You can make an Oxiclean like stain remover by adding 2 tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide in with the soda and water, which works even better. It does not store long so mix up as needed.
Household cleaner – sprinkle on a sponge and scrub away. Use just like scouring powder but without any scratches.
Silver tarnish remover – boil a quart of water, 1 tablespoon baking soda and a piece of aluminium foil, drop in silverware, use tongs to pull out about 30 seconds later. This works well in my ultrasonic cleaner to clean small parts.
Clean counter tops – sprinkle on, let dry, wipe down, rinse. Does not scratch formica.
Gargling to ease a sore throat, and rid of bad breath. 1 tsp and a cup of water, do not drink.
Deodorant – pat some on your armpits, mix with a drop or two of water if needed.
Acid reflux – sip a mixture of 1/2 teaspoon in a half of a glass of water.
Cooking with baking soda – Soda bread comes to mind first but second is putting a pinch into spaghetti sauce. It neutralizes the acidity. Taste and add a little at a time. It’s used in cookies to make them chewy and give a coarse texture.
Makes baking powder – Mix 1 part baking soda to 2 parts cream of tartar.
Reduce gas in dried beans – makes them tender but use sparingly – put about 1/4 teaspoon per lbs of beans in water while soaking, be sure to rinse thoroughly.
Kansui – Stronger Baking soda? Yep – Bake Baking Soda. Sprend out on a baking sheet, bake for 1 hour at 250 degrees. Store in an air tight container. Once done you have turned sodium bicarbonate into sodium carbonate.
Ramen noodles – boil spaghetti noodles in a pot with baking soda, about a tablespoon. Caution as it will bubble and foam but the soda adds the necessary alkaline needed to make them taste like ramen noodles. Better yet use that Kansui you just made instead of Baking soda – as it is stronger and will work better.
Pretzels / Pizzas – mix baking soda and water together and brush on top of crusts, it will brown up like a pretzel – safer to use than lye.
Fireworks – Make a black snake – lighter fluid and 1 part baking soda to 4 parts sugar. Using a bed of sand soaked with lighter fluid put a mound of the mixture of baking soda and sugar and light. Once lit it will start to form a snake like shape as the mixture is consumed. It can burn for around 15 minutes. There’s also the baking soda vinegar rocket.
Remove splinters – Make a paste with water and apply over splinter. It will aid in it popping out.
Laundry Aid – add 1/4rd of cup to the laundry to leave a fresh clean smell.
These are just a few of the things I have used and know about. What are some of your uses?
