19 Unique Uses for Baking Soda

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about unique uses for coconut oil. While writing that post, I learned you can make your own toothpaste by combining coconut oil, baking soda, and peppermint oil.

My curiosity piqued, I decided to see what else I could make at home with natural ingredients. I learned that there are literally thousands of uses for baking soda—it's quite an amazing product. Here's a list of 19 of the more unique uses I found for baking soda.

1. Toothpaste: Combine baking soda, coconut oil, and peppermint extract to make a paste.
2. Deodorant: Sprinkle baking soda onto a damp washcloth.
3. Antacid: Completely dissolve ½ teaspoon baking soda in ¼ cup water.
4. Bath soak: Add ½ cup baking soda to your bath to wash away oils and perspiration. The baking soda water will also soften your skin.
5. Product cleaner: Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge, and scrub product (dishes, stove, and so forth) as usual. Rinse thoroughly and wipe dry.
6. Silver polish: Use 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water. Rub onto silver with a clean cloth. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
7. Detergent booster: Add ½ cup baking soda to a load of laundry to give your normal detergent a boost.
8. Fire extinguisher: Pour baking soda on a small cooking fire to extinguish the flame. (This technique is effective because baking soda releases carbon dioxide when heated.) 
   
   
   
   
9. Fruit and vegetable scrub: Sprinkle fruits and vegetables with baking soda, scrub with a sponge, rinse, and dry.
10. Garbage disposal deodorizer: Turn on the faucet, and then pour baking soda into the disposal.
11. Hand deodorizer: To remove fish, onion, and garlic odors from your hands, mix together 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water; then, rub the mixture on your hands. Rinse with water.
12. Itch relief : Use the formula for baking soda toothpaste, and apply the paste to insect bites and sunburns.
13. Rain repellent: Sprinkle a little baking soda on a damp rag, and then wipe your windshield. Rinse the windshield thoroughly.
14. Rabbit repellent; Sprinkle baking soda on the ground around your garden and flower beds to help repel rabbits.
15. Face scrub: Mix 1 part baking soda with 2 parts ground oatmeal; add water until the desired consistency is reached.
16. Drain cleaner: Pour ½ cup baking soda down a slow drain, and then add 1 cup vinegar.
17. Soil acidity tester: Many plants and flowers grow best in slightly acidic soil. To check the acidity of your soil, mix ¼ cup baking soda with 2 cups water. Then add 1 cup of your soil. If it foams, your soil is acidic.
18. Hair cleanser: Add a pinch or two of baking soda to your shampoo every once in a while to remove hair-product buildup.
19. Bath bombs: Combine baking soda, citric acid, and melted jojoba oil or cocoa butter. Form the mixture into balls, and let them solidify overnight. Add 1 or 2 balls to your next bath for a relaxing experience.

Let me know in the comments which of these baking soda uses you're going to try.