Things You Can Do With Bi-Carb Soda
Make a paste of lemon juice and baking soda. Brush paste on grout lines with a toothbrush. Let sit several minutes and wipe off. Alternatively, you can mix cup bleach with cup baking soda and apply in same manner.
Things you can do with Bi-Carb Soda
Because of its alkaline properties, baking soda acts as a neutralizer for battery acid corrosion on cars, lawn mowers and outdoor equipment. To clean, first disconnect the battery terminals. Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Apply with a damp cloth and scrub to remove corrosion.
Once she had fully fizzed all of the Arm & Hammer baking soda on the plate, we moved on to the volcanos. (Note, I cut plastic cups in half for this experiment because I wanted to make sure they overflowed with fun.) Filling the cups about half way with vinegar, I let K get a heaping spoon full of Arm & Hammer baking soda. Then we dipped a couple of drops onto the baking soda.
Bitten by a mosquito? Brushed up against poison ivy? Baking soda to the rescue. It can relieve minor irritation, pain, itching, and redness. Mix up a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Smear it on your skin and leave for 20 minutes before you wash it off. Or soak in a bath with a half-cup of baking soda added to the water.
Sodium bicarbonate helps fight the extra acid that might rise from your stomach up to your throat and even your mouth after you eat. You can buy it over-the-counter as a chewable tablet. Or drink your own homemade antacid by mixing a half-teaspoon of baking soda in 1/2 cup of water. Talk to a doctor before you give it to kids under 6, or if you start to use it regularly along with other medication.
Baking soda is mildly abrasive. Use it as a gentle face cleanser. First, wash your face with a mild, non-abrasive cleanser and rinse with water. Then, make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub it in carefully in circles for a deep clean. Rinse with water.
Dissolve 2 teaspoons of baking soda into a cup of warm water. Then just soak your dentures to loosen food, get rid of odors, and freshen any lingering bad taste. It also works for retainers and mouth guards. For a more thorough job, clean them with some bicarbonate and a toothbrush.
Baking soda experiments or activities are a great, safe and easy way to introduce the concept of a chemical reaction to children. Baking soda is alkaline and reacts with acids such as vinegar, releasing carbon dioxide ( a gas ) and water. The fizz produced is brilliant fun for children to watch, especially if you combine it with washing up liquid ( dish soap ) to make even more bubbles or add a bit of food colouring, ice or a theme.
Baking soda leaves behind a white, dusty residue after it dries. Therefore, you should never use it to clean surfaces with deep grooves or cracks because the residue will get left behind and can build up.
Never clean your gold-lined dishes or gold utensils with baking soda. Gold is an extremely soft metal and baking soda is an abrasive cleaner, says Franco. It will scratch ruin the finish and cause the plating to wear off.
The other thing to be careful of with baking soda is combining it with something acidic, like vinegar or lemon juice. As the chemicals combine with that satisfying fizz, they form a gas. If you combine them in a sealed container, like a soda bottle, it could potentially explode and harm you. So if you want to use them in combination, do it right before you clean instead of trying to store up a solution.
Baking soda is the common name for sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). Most people probably associate it with cooking, because it makes your cakes and breads big and puffy. Vinegar is a dilute solution of acetic acid (HC2H3O2), produced by bacteria during fermentation.
Both kitchen ingredients are effective cleaning agents because they are found on opposite sides of the pH scale. pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a substance is, on a scale from 1 (very acidic) to 14 (very basic), with a neutral value at 7. Pure water has a pH of 7. Baking soda has a pH of 9, while vinegar has a pH of 2, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
As a base, baking soda dissolves organic compounds like dirt, grease and other sticky ickies. In addition, the mineral structure of each baking soda particle provides a gentle abrasive to clean without leaving scratches behind. As an acid, vinegar breaks down minerals that form from hard tap water, forming unsightly stains on sinks, tubs and counters.
Combining these two common household substances can produce incredible results in the kitchen, but it's important to not combine them in equal amounts because you need to keep the mixture in either the acidic or basic side of the neutral value. When baking soda is mixed with vinegar, the acid breaks down baking soda, releasing carbon dioxide gas that can help lift dirt from the surfaces being cleaned.
We're forever promoting cleaning with baking soda. After all, most of us have a box or tub of baking soda in the back of a kitchen cabinet or in the pantry. If you've only ever used baking soda in home baking as a leavening agent in cookies, cakes and muffins, you might be surprised to know that it's really effective when used around the house to keep everything from mugs and ovens to carpets and curtains fresh and clean.
Rub the cloth to make a soapy lather and scrub the shower screen. For the shower tray, sprinkle some baking soda straight onto the floor, adding a squirt of dishwashing liquid then rubbing with a wet brush. Rinse everything with hot water and dry with a dry cloth. Shower curtains can also be cleaned with the same cloth.
Our cookware can also benefit from baking soda. Marisa Kerkvliet of @lemon.thyme.kitchen (opens in new tab) uses it for her best Le Creuset buys, 'After a few years of use, my beloved Le Creuset was starting to show some wear with staining and discoloration both on the inside and out. This morning I discovered that simply boiling water and baking soda in the pan for 15 minutes did the trick and left the pan sparkling clean.'
Tiles can look dirty and grubby if the grout has those horrible black spots caused by mould and mildew. So to clean grout, mix together two parts baking soda and one part hydrogen peroxide (available at drug stores and health shops). Use an old toothbrush to apply it to the grout. Leave for 20 minutes then rinse with clean water.
Tupperware is so handy for storing leftovers but when you are organizing Tupperware, have a look to find those items that are starting to look a bit stained. Simply soak overnight in washing-up bowl filled with hot water and a dash of baking soda.
Cleaning with baking soda is a really good way to deodorize smelly items, too. Think: the trash can that has a lingering aroma that you just can't get rid of. The best way to tackle it is to wash out the trash can with hot water and dish soap, empty it of the dirty water then, while it is still wet, sprinkle baking soda into it. Leave for 15 minutes then rinse and allow to dry. If the smell persists, spray the trash can with vinegar then sprinkle on the baking soda. Allow to sit for a few minutes, rinse and dry.
Yes, baking soda does kill ants, when mixed with vinegar. Sprinkled liberally over an ants' nest, this will help you get rid of an infestation. However, we would never advocate killing ants if you can get rid of them in more humane ways, or simply by removing what tempts them into your home or yard.
However, there are natural alternatives can be when used for the same purpose that is just as effective! A combination of baking soda and vinegar, for example, can work wonders for many things in your house. Use this excellent mixture of vinegar and baking soda.
If you mix enough water with baking soda to make a paste, it works well as a toothpaste, a facial scrub, and as a sunburn reliever. I actually have some baking soda paste applied right now to my left shoulder to alleviate sunburn. It will work on pretty much any minor skin irritation, too.
In general, it is best to use OTC indigestion remedies, as there is a lower risk of overdose. When this is not possible, however, a person can mix half a tsp of baking soda into at least half a cup of water. That said, they should be sure to discuss this with a doctor first.
It would blow your mind just how many things you can clean using simple baking soda.Yup, that little box of white powder that sits in your fridge can do a lot more than sit, in the fridge. So, what the heck is this baking soda stuff anyways?
Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slightly salty, alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda (sodium carbonate). The natural mineral form is nahcolite. It is a component of the mineral natron and is found dissolved in many mineral springs.
Just take some baking soda, sprinkle it on a grout line, spray with water and leave the baking soda to sit for 10 or so minutes. Then, scrub the grout clean using a cleaning toothbrush, or even using a regular toothbrush. Wipe away the remaining powder and voila, the cleanest grout on the block.
I watched the video on how to clean the kettle, I tried and it really works. However, I have a clear (glass) kettle and i try to clean the outside body part of the kettle. I used a baking soda paste, which is baking soda and water, and rub it with a teeth brush. All the dirty little spots (oil or water build up) and fingerprints come right off, the kettle looks very shinny and perfect!
When it comes to cleaning, whith making soda you could really make miracles. Combined with lemon juice, It works better, when you try to clean some stubborn stains. Much better than any expensive cleaning detergents.
9. Make DIY play dough. Cook 2 cups of baking soda, 1 cup of cornstarch, and a 1/4 cup of water in a small pot set over medium heat. Once the mixture starts to look like mashed potatoes, remove the pot from the heat and cover with a damp cloth until cool. Once you can comfortably touch the mixture, knead it on surface that has been generously sprinkled with cornstarch. Add some food coloring, if you like, and viola, a DIY, kid-safe play dough will take form.