Today is the final installment in the Adventures in Bulk Foods series, and it’s a rather simple one.
Baking soda.
Baking soda is one of those essential household items and you can buy it for just $0.50/lb at WinCo. I spent $0.70 to fill this canning jar! (Which by the way, might be a great option for storing some of your bulk food finds, don’t you think?)
I checked the shelf price, and WinCo was selling packaged baking soda for $0.62/lb, and I found it at $0.76/lb recently at another area grocery store.
Baking soda has many uses beyond baking! Here are a few ways I’ve personally used baking soda, as well as ideas I found on the web.
1. If you have baby bottles or plastic cups that smell, add some baking soda and hot water and let sit. I swear it gets the stink out!
2. Clean your wooden cutting boards with baking soda and lemon juice. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to deodorize and kill the bacteria.
3. Leave an open box in your fridge to keep it smelling sweet. (Even between fridge cleans.)
4. Use it in place of shampoo! Yup, some swear by cleaning their hair with baking soda and water – that’s it!
5. Make a volcano with your kids.
6. Use it to freshen up your carpets. Sprinkle some on your carpets and vacuum up! (You might try a small section first.)
7. Keep the kitty litter box staying fresh. Add a thin layer to the bottom of the cat box and then add the litter.
8. Stay fresh as a daisy. One site I visited suggested you can use it as deodorant! Additionally, mix a little with warm water and use in the place of mouthwash.
It seems to me that buying baking soda in bulk is an eco-friendly way to purchase such a frugal, eco-friendly item! You might also be interested to see some uses I shared recently for vinegar.
What other uses can you think of for baking soda?
PS Thank you so much for joining me on this series! I have a follow-up post coming that will answer some of the questions you’ve asked since I launched it. Your kind comments and recipe helps have been very appreciated! And, in case you’re really sad to see this series end, I’ll have you know I have another series already in the works.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
I also use it to clean my kitchen sink. A lot of baking soda and a little bit of water and the grime comes right off. Same for those nasty tea stains in your favorite mug. Takes the stains right out.
Thanks.
And of course, like you said, shampoo.
I grew up in poverty. We used a combination of baking soda and salt for our toothpaste. It works very well!
Several years ago, my hubby was complaining that the laundry smelled old and that his clothes weren’t getting clean. I use all unscented and gentle products. After much research, I tried adding washing soda to our laundry. Bingo! The clothes were noticeably cleaner and they didn’t smell like a washing machine!
Arm and Hammer Washing Soda is about $1.00 a pound. However, you can convert baking soda into washing soda in one hour in a 400 degree oven. You can also use it as an ingredient in homemade laundry soap.
This site, among others, has the process:
http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/tipstricks/ht/How-To-Convert-Baking-Soda-To-Washing-Soda.htm
WOW – thanks for the awesome tips!!
I’ve used it along with some dish soap for an emergency dishwasher detergent.
Drain cleaner & clog remover!
Pour some vinegar and baking soda down the drain (with or without a clog). Let it sit for a few minutes (longer if you have a clog). Follow up with hot water.
Presto…clog removed without harmful chemicals, leaving nothing behind but a fresh drain.
The washing machine for clothes is the best! If I forget to put clothes in dryer (oops!) .. I will then turn the machine to the rinse cycle and pour in about 1/2 cup baking soda – no need to waste water running thru a full cycle. Just rinse w/ baking soda and I swear, no more smelly clothes!
So sad this is your final installment in this series. This was an awesome series! Loved it!
Thank you so much! I appreciate that kind of feedback – it lets me know whether or not I should do one like this in the future.
You can use Baking soda to scrub pots and pans. Just mix with a bit of salt and water to form a paste. Also sprinkle a bit in your car before you vacuum your car too. Oxiclean is a mix of baking soda and powdered peroxide.
recently my hair started thinning really bad. I started to do some research and found that shampoo can actually cause your hair to fall out at a faster rate so I decided to go the no-poo method…..I “wash” my hair about once a week with a mixture of 1 part baking soda 3 parts water….then I rinse with 1 part apple cider vinegar 3 parts water….my hair has never look as good as it does now. My hair has grown back in fuller and thicker and shiner. We also make our own tooth paste out of baking powder, peroxide, glycerin, and a couple drops of peppermint/cinnamon oil. and of course there are multiple uses in cleaning for baking soda and vinegar.