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Post by Jennibella on Jun 5, 2007 19:54:36 GMT -5
Page One
1. I got the lowdown on using baking soda as a deodorant! Here's how, from a reader: Mix a cup of baking soda and 2 T. of cornstarch and put it in a plastic container with a short-handled blush brush. Then after your shower you just brush on your deodorant. Since you're still a little moist, it doesn't have a problem sticking. (The reader says, 'My husband says he got better results out of that than the natural herbal deodorants we use now.') Another reader says: I recently discovered using baking soda as a deodorant works better than anything ever has. I just sprinkle a little bit on. I don't mix anything. And then another reader wrote with this recipe:
1/4 cup baking soda (for odor) 1/4 cup baby powder (for pleasant scent) 1/16 cup corn starch ( for dryness)
2. Mix and put in old baby powder container to just sprinkle on (can pop the top of the container off and on easily) Toothpaste - as a mildly abrasive tooth cleaner and mouthwash in one. ('Dentist approved')
3. Pot-scrubber - make it into a paste and scrub stainless steel, iron or copper pots with it.
4. Clean porcelain sinks and tubs.
5. The old one - put an opened box in the refrigerator to absorb odors.
6. Use instead of powder in your shoes to absorb moisture and odors
7. Neutralize battery acid quickly in case of spills.
8. Use gently as an exfoliating facial scrub.
9. Soothe bee stings, and other insect bites by spreading a paste of baking soda and vinegar on it.
10. Use in bath water to relieve irritated skin. (Good for baby, too)
11. Anti-acid, mix 1/2 teasthingy in about 4 ounces of water, and drink all at one time. It will cause you to 'burp', as it neutralizes stomach acid the same way it does other acids.
12. Use in diaper pails to keep them fresh.
13. Also use in garbage cans and wherever odor is a problem.
14. Test garden soil for acidity by mixing one cup soil with two cups water, then stirring in 1/4 cup of baking soda. If you have a volcano erupting in your container, your soil is very acid. If you just have a little fizz around the edges, you have a minimally acidic soil.
15. Carpet deodorizer - sprinkle on carpet, and leave overnight, then vacuum in the morning. Offending odors will be gone.
16. Put a generous amount of baking soda in a dish. After using steel wool, wring out, and store it in the dish of baking soda. Cuts down on rust, and is ready to scour away!
17. If you have allergies to laundry products, try using baking soda to wash your clothing and especially bedding.
18. This reader uses baking soda to scrub crayon off of her white no wax floor. It works wonderfully, and best of all is nontoxic so the 2 year old scribbler can help clean up his artistic endeavors. No other cleaning product gets the crayon off with such ease! Just wet a sponge and sprinkle baking soda on the area or directly to the sponge and rub the crayon right off! Wipe up the excess baking soda and you are done!
19. Dump onto acid spills/stains such as vomit (after you've picked up any solid matter). The baking soda will wick the liquid up out of the carpet as well as neutralize the acid. Pick up the wet clumps before vacuuming, though, or it gets gross in the beater bar of your machine.
20. Put sunburned kids (or yourself) in a cool (not cold) baking soda bath for half an hour. This also works well for chicken pox and mosquito bites.
21. Use it with warm water to wash the inside of the refrigerator.
22. Clean stainless steel sinks - a paste made of dishwashing liquid and a generous amount of baking soda takes brown stains out!
23. Add it to your tooth paste so it won't taste too bad. Put the toothpaste on then simply sprinkle on top.
24. Another reader wrote this: I found that pouring a little baking soda into my cat's litter box keeps the odors out longer. Also my cat had a little accident on the carpet. Getting rid of the urine smell was awful. Nothing worked until I mixed in Lemon Essential Oil with the Baking Soda. Now you can't even tell. Another reader adds: I have an OLD cat who has taken to urinating on the cement floor in my basement, in one spot only. This can get quite annoying and smelly. I had been sprinkling the area with baking soda hoping to abate the smell. To further clean up the area I decided to apply a splash of vinegar. The foaming action and a little scrubbing cleaned it up quite well!
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Post by Jennibella on Jun 5, 2007 19:54:53 GMT -5
Page Two
1. Sprinkle directly on coffee or tea stains in cups and mugs, rub gently with sponge or washcloth and rinse. Stains are gone!
2. Add a small handful to dish water, it softens hands and makes dishes squeaky clean.
3. Put about 1/4 cup in laundry. It helps soften and boosts cleaning power.
4. A reader writes: I use baking soda to clean my stove and tile behind it. It does a great job on grease!!
5. This reader says: I use it to relieve the itch from poison ivy by making a paste with water and spreading it on the affected area and letting it dry. This also promotes healing by drawing out the poison.
6. Kills Fleas! Mix equal parts of table salt and baking soda together and sprinkle over the carpets. Instruct several children (or volunteers) to run all around on the carpets until the soda and salt is no longer visible. Let set overnight. Vacuum carpets carefully, going over it more than once. All adult fleas should be dead or too thirsty to breed. Fleas go through at least one life cycle in which they are impervious to nuclear devices, so you will need to salt and soda your carpets two more times to kill all the fleas and potential fleas. Dusting your dog with baking soda several hours before a bath will kill a lot of fleas and a lot of odor. But be sure to wash or rinse the baking soda off the dog or the dog could be at some risk of skin trouble. Caution! Do not try this on a rainy day! You will wake up to wet carpets as the salt pulls the moisture out of the air. If you live in a damp climate, sprinkle soda and salt in the morning. Vacuum 3 - 5 hours later.
7. It's used widely in B and C rated fire extinguishers and is an excellent grease fire stopper. It will mix with the grease to cause it not to combust further and put the fire out quickly.
8. A reader says: When I worked with model gliders in a Radio Control Model Club I learned that small amounts of baking soda used with SUPER GLUE works as a filler for cracks, and makes for an excellent bond with balsa as well as many porcelain BUT ... glue the pieces together, then apply the dusting of baking soda, and then apply the glue to smooth things out.
9. This reader says: I add a little baking soda to my facial cleanser instead of using facial scrubs. The little grains are round and tiny, so are very gentle. It's wonderful!
10. In your hand, mix hair shampoo with a small amount of baking soda. Shampooing with this mixture easily removes old and heavy hair spray/spritz, etc., residue. From another reader: If you mix baking soda and shampoo in your hand once a week it will not only remove all hair spray, styling gels, and other products;it will remove impurities from the water and actually lighten your hair. i learned this from my hair stylist and it really works!
11. From another reader: I put some in my dishwasher to help eliminate streaks and spots from the extremely hard water.
12. Some on a damp cloth removes dust from the plastic parts of my electronic equipment.
13. Its excellent for cleaning shower curtains - in or out of the washing machine.
14. Sprinkle some on the mattress before making the bed - removes all odors!
15. Sprinkle on the pages of books that have become damp. Will remove mildew if rubbed gently and left in the sun for a while. Brush off or 'fan' the pages of the book in a light breeze.
16. Cleans tea stains from plastic glassware.
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Post by Jennibella on Jun 5, 2007 19:55:16 GMT -5
Page Three
1. Put some in a sachet and put in drawers or closets that tend to get musty.
2. Mix with oatmeal in your blender and it makes a marvelous facial scrub.
3. From another reader: When my son was a baby he got heat rash on his little face - my doctor told me to sprinkle baking soda on his sheets because it would keep him from lying in his drool - worked!!
4. From the same reader: The doctor also told me it was better than baby powder to use on baby's - keeps them drier and cuts out any sour smells from burps.
5. Baking soda mixed with a little water works great for removing bugs from car paint, headlights, and windshields, and does not damage the paint.
6. It's said that if you put a small amount of baking soda in a 8 oz. glass of water and drink it, it will clean out your kidneys. (Note Be aware that if your diet is salt restricted, you Should Not use baking soda for any internal reason, other than normal cooking.) Always Consult a Doctor for Advice on this!!
7. Another reader says: Whenever I see ants in my kitchen, (or any room), after cleaning the floor, I just sprinkle a thin line of baking soda along the ant trail, and along the molding on the floor, very close to the wall, and ants disappear for good.
8. Also works when sprinkled on the front door threshold or saddle, preventing ants entering the house that way.
9. Add 1 T. of baking soda to 1 gal. of homemade organic rose/garden spray. Works as an excellent fungicide. Make a cream deodorant by mixing 2 tablesthingys baking soda, 2 tablesthingys of petroleum jelly and 2 tablesthingys talcum or baby powder. Heat in a double boiler or over very low heat, stirring constantly until it becomes smooth and creamy. Store in a container with tight lid.
10. This reader says: For smooth-top ranges, there's a product for keeping it clean. I know there is, I've been told. Fortunately, I've never found it, but a dampened cloth dipped in baking soda does the job. Be sure to clean up sugary spills faster than anything else, for some reason it will pit the glass surface.
11. Baking soda paste mixed with the same amount of ashes make hard-backed hazey glass fireplace doors clean and brand new looking wipe off with newspaper.
12. Make a box of baking soda do double duty by using it first to deodorize the refrigerator, under sink or wherever you need it, then use it to clean and polish with.
13. This reader has another idea about using it as a deodorant: I mix equal parts baking soda and cornstarch, then add water until it can be poured into a mould. After it dries I have a ball of deodorant that I moisten and apply. Be careful though, because baking soda IS caustic, and if you apply it to raw or tender skin (i.e. after shaving your armpits) it will burn.
14. My optometrist asked me to gently rub my soft contact lenses with a cream made with baking soda and water. I do this every other month. It "sweetens" them removing all the impurities.
15. Cover you sterling silver jewelry with baking soda. Rub the jewelry with your bare fingers or a soft cotton cloth. I saw this done in an open silver market in Mexico.
16. Pouring about 1 cup of it down any drain or toilet will help maintain a healthy septic tank. It keeps the PH from going out of wack and helps maintain a good environment for the bacteria. It is also good for freshening a drain and toilet.
17. It gets scuff marks off of the kitchen floor as well as off of shoes!
18. A reader writes this: When my children were young (40 years ago!) a crayon got all over the clothes from being left in a pocket and then dried in the dryer and I remember the hint to dump a box of baking soda in the washing machine and wash the clothes over. I don't remember if it took more than one washing, but I know it finally got the crayon out of the clothes. Of course, don't put them in the dryer again until you are sure they are crayon-free.
19. For daily wear contacts that have protein buildup that enzyme cleaners don't take care of, make a wet paste of baking soda and saline solution. Clean lenses in your hand with this paste, then follow your regular lens care routine. The mild abrasive will remove the deposits without harming the lenses, and they will feel like new.
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Post by Jennibella on Jun 5, 2007 19:55:32 GMT -5
Page Four
1. We have an artificial grass carpet in our garden, which we put on the play area for our young son. This artificial lawn dries quickly after rain, so the kids can play even when the rest of the garden is too wet. After some years, moss started to grow on this carpet, and guess what: I sprinkled baking soda on the entire area. The moss turned brown and decayed - the carpet was nice again.
2. We use it, flushed down with white vinegar to clean and deodorize the drains in our travel trailer... this method works well, and eliminates the opt-need for harsh, possibly damaging chemicals.
3. A two year old ran through a huge Fire Ant nest, ants covered her feet. Both feet turned bright red, I grabbed a bowl of water and box of soda, we soaked her feet in it for a while, you couldn't tell she had ever been stung.
4. While at an antique fair I came across someone selling a product that cleans silver. It was a sheet of white perforated metal that one put in a glass bowl, added some baking soda and boiling water. Well,I looked at that metal and a little voice inside my head said that's aluminum. Went home, put some aluminum foil in a glass bowl, (heat resistant) added about 1/2 cup baking soda, the hot water and a piece of tarnished sterling. It fizzed up and in a few minutes the aluminum turned darker and the silver turned shinny. I then rinsed the piece, buffed it dry and never spent a cent on silver cleaner again.
5. If you mix it and hair conditioner in your hand and only condition the ends of your hair it will give your hair more volume, body, and health.
6. This reader says: My son wanted a ferret so bad, but he had a hard time keeping the cage clean. The smell alone from the ferret is bad enough. I suggested to him that he put a layer of baking soda under the bedding after every cleaning. He tried it and it worked great!
7. My toddling twins got a hold of Vaseline and decided to use it as hair gel. My husband mixed equal parts of baking soda and Dawn dish soap (to the consistency of a creamy soup), and scrubbed the twins heads with it being very careful not to get it in their eyes It took two shampoo sessions but it did the trick !!!!
8. Apply that and water paste to jellyfish or sea nettle stings to remove the burn.
9. I inherited an antique ivory carving which hadn't been cleaned in decades. My aunt told me to use it on an old toothbrush dipped in warm water. Worked like a charm!
10. Great in laundry to remove cigar/cigarette smells and stains.
11. Put a half cup of water with two tablesthingys of baking soda in the microwave on high for one minute. Then wipe with a damp paper towel. Cleans and eliminates old odors.
12. For those who live in the northwest or other damp areas where moss builds up on your shingles, just take baking soda and sprinkle it all over your roof. It's not necessary to put it on thick and you don't need to brush it in. You should see results the following day. Give it a try; it sure saves your roof and your neighbors don't comment on how nice and green your roof is.
13. Use it on your hair if it's oily and you don't have time to wash it. Sprinkle a little on your hair, comb it through and do a quick blow-dry and it works perfectly! It is great if you are in a hurry.
14. Somebody hit my wife's car and left a big scuff mark on the bumper. A damp cloth with a little baking soda on it took it right off!
15. I have an old, stained porcelain sink and the only way to clean it is with Soft Scrub, but I have found I can get the same effect of Soft Scrub using baking soda and bleach. I simply sprinkle the baking soda all over the bottom of the sink (or anywhere I want to concentrate the bleach), squirt some bleach all over the baking soda, let sit and then wipe clean. The baking soda soaks up the bleach, keeping it from dripping away. Use an old bottle of Soft Scrub to hold the bleach, instead of trying to pour it straight from the gallon jug (the bleach will splash and move too much of the baking soda around), or find a bleach spray bottle from a science surplus store (do NOT put bleach in a container that isn't designed for it).
16. I use a scrub brush with baking soda and table salt and then rinse thoroughly with hot water to clean my wood cutting boards. Baking soda cuts grease but doesn't dry out the wood and salt has been used for centuries as a disinfectant and also brings up the protected oils of the wood. The wooden decks of old ships were scrubbed daily with salt water. And I use baking soda on my plastic cutting boards before washing with dish-washing soap and hot water.
17. If your hair turns green from chlorine in swimming pools, just shampoo as usual but add 1/4 cup baking soda to your shampoo.
18. I put a pinch of it in my spaghetti sauce. It removes the acid taste from the tomatoes.
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Post by Jennibella on Jun 5, 2007 19:55:49 GMT -5
Page Five
1. I soak thermoses with about 3 Tblsp. of baking soda and hot water. It takes out coffee and tea stains.
2. I also sprinkle some into the dry thermos before put the cover back on and store it. It keeps it fresh. JUST make sure to rinse out the baking soda before you fill it next time.
3. My daughter is incontinent.... I found that if I mixed half and half baking soda and talcum powder and put it in the special bin in the bathroom we have for her used incontinence pads it takes all the smell of urine out of my bathroom.
4. I use it to unclog my 1920s kitchen sink. I pour about 1/4 cup on the drain and run boiling water over it. Repeat if needed. It's much more effective and eco-friendly than drano and the like. Another reader adds: I cover my clogged or slow drain with baking soda and pour a pot of boiling water over it and it cleans the drains. I try to do this at least twice a month.
5. I have found that if I put a tablesthingy of baking soda in a large pot of beans while soaking them, the "flatulence" caused by the beans is kept to a minimum.
6. I have used a paste made with it and water to clean the bottom of my iron. Haven't found anything else that works as well.
7. Instead of buying expensive cat litter, I buy the cheapest and add a box of baking soda. The box is easier to clean and there is little smell!!
9. I use baking soda on a damp sponge to wash off water spots from spigots. I spray bleach water in my toilet, sprinkle with baking soda, scrub as usual...sparkling clean. Baking soda paste will have your drip pans shining. If they are really bad, dissolve about a A¼ cup in warm water in a large pot. Place drip pans in solution and boil for about 3 mins. Let cool and then scrub the drip pans. Sparkle!
10. To clean your kitty's pan, soak for 10 mins. half filled with water and about a cup of vinegar. Dump the water and scrub pan with baking soda and a damp paper towel. Dry with a new paper towel and it is fresh and ready to fill.
11. Use it to clean your coffee pot, run dissolved through coffee maker and two more runs with fresh water.
12. For room deodorizer, you might prefer some scent. To do this, put some baking soda in a bowl, add 1-2 drops of fragrance oil, then stir, using the back of the sthingy to distribute well. Now you can use it the same way you would potpourri, and cost much, much less to do it!
13. I pour baking soda on anything that overflows onto the oven floor and leave it be. When I have time, about twice a year, I use a spatula (pancake turner) to lift the gunk off the bottom of the oven and then wipe it out with a damp cloth. Lots less work that "cleaning the oven" and the baking soda makes all the nasty stuff lift out so easily.
14. I mix a teasthingy of it and a teasthingy of Epsom salt in a glass of water to alkaline my entire body and clean my blood stream.
15. To relieve an upset stomach put a pinch of baking soda and a pinch of salt into a cup of mint tea. It's not the best tasting thing in the world but it will ease and relieve an upset stomach.
16. 90% of all Asian restaurants tenderize their inferior grades (less tender cuts) of beef and pork used in Chinese dishes, etc. with baking soda. It can be applied several ways. You can mix some baking soda and water and let the meat soak in it for several hours in the refrigerator. Later, you must rinse the meat thoroughly to get rid of the soda residue and taste. The meat will become very tender, but you must ensure the soda taste or residue is removed. You can also sprinkle baking soda directly on the meat. Let it set for several hours in the refrigerator. Next, rinse the meat thoroughly to get rid of the soda taste and residue.
17. It also takes kool-aid stains out of counter tops.
18. I even clean windows with it. I just take a damp cloth and touch the cloth to baking soda in a bowl. Then scrub the window. Wipe with vinegar.
19. It works great to defeat feminine odor problems. Just sprinkle a bit on a panty liner and wear as usual.
20. Takes permanent marker off of sneaky 2 year olds skin.... and fridge... and washer... and dryer.... and dishwasher.... and floor..... and....
21. When you are washing your car, add some to a wet sponge and apply it to the dead bugs on your windshield and front end. Also do the same to tar spots.
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