Cleaning with the Immaculate Power of Baking Soda

 In my last entry I sang the praises of the almighty vinegar as a cleaning agent. Sticking with our theme of green and natural cleaning products, I thought I’d take this moment to talk a little bit about my other favorite green, natural cleaning product: baking soda.For all you bakers out there who may have some leftover baking powder in your cabinets, you unfortunately cannot make use of it for cleaning. Although baking powder does have baking soda in it, the chemical makeup is different and most advise you to only use it for making delicious treats.

Baking soda usually comes in a rectangular box and is typically found on the baking aisle of a grocery store (usually next to the baking powder, to make it even more confusing.) But when you get this little cleaning gem home, the possibilities can be quite endless.

Here’s a list of how you can use baking soda to clean your home:

•Mix two parts baking soda and one part water to create a paste for scouring
kitchen & bathrom countertops.
•To avoid the icky mess of a clogged drain, pour 1/4 cup of baking soda down all
your drains each week.
•Keep a box of opened baking soda in your closet or your refridgerator to
prevent odors.
•Dust a little bit of baking soda in the bottom of your trash can and the bottom
of your hamper to prevent bad odors.
•Soak your cleaning sponges in one quart of water with four tablespoons of
baking soda to get rid of that awful musty smell.
•Get rid of germs on your kids’ toys by giving them all a bath in the same
mixture of one quart of water plus four tablespoons of baking soda.
Leave the toys in the mixture over night and rinse them in clean water
the next day.
•Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda in your next load of laundry or dishes
to give the detergent a little bit of extra help.
• Dust some baking soda on your furry friend in between baths to keep their
fur smelling fresh and keeping that “wet dog” scent off your furniture.

These are just a few helpful hints to try around at your home. There are hundreds of more ways to use this wonderful little cleaning tool. What are some of your favorites?

Until next time!