Bicarbonate of soda, or in everyday lingo, baking soda. This stuff is really a gift in so many ways. You can clean with it, use it to make natural beauty products, and it’s also really healthy.
Canadians are a pretty pristine lot. We like things clean, shiny and smelling fresh, so if you’d like to know how you can use baking soda—other than for keeping your fridge from smelling bad—read on:
Fruit and Veg Cleaner. When you buy fruit or veggies, chances are they’ll be covered with a waxy film that you don’t want to ingest. Take a damp sponge, add some baking soda and give your apple or cucumber a soft scrub. Rinse and they’re ready to eat.
Rug Freshener. Sprinkling baking soda onto a carpet or an area rug will take out any nasty smells. Wait about 15 minutes after you’ve shaken the bicarb onto the rug and simply vacuum it up.
The Whitest Whites. If you add about a cup of baking soda to a load of whites with your regular laundry detergent, it’ll get them much brighter and cleaner.
The Cleanest Appliances. The coffee maker and dishwasher will look and function like they’re new after you run them on an empty cycle using baking soda.
A Terrific Exfoliant. Take three parts baking soda and one part water and make a paste. Apply it to your face gently in circles, then rinse with warm water. Your skin will be glowing.
Weed Killer. Sprinkle baking soda into cracks and crevices of walkways and your driveway to discourage weeds from growing.
A Gleaming Toothbrush. Mix about two ounces of baking soda with about a quarter pint of water. Add your toothbrush and let it sit overnight. By morning, it’ll be disinfected and ready to use on your pearly whites.
Douse the Heartburn. No antacids on hand for a nasty case of heartburn? You’ll likely have baking soda in the house. Mix about a half teaspoon of the bicarb with about a quarter pint of water and drink up. Your heartburn will be history.
The Best Omelettes. Have people oohing and aahing over your omelettes at your next brunch. Add a half teaspoon of baking soda to every three eggs you use. The soda will give extra dimension to the eggs, making your omelettes into little, fluffy clouds.
Fixed Drains. Blocked drains are a pain, but they’re easily remedied by pouring about four ounces of baking soda into the drain followed by about four ounces of hot, white vinegar. The bubbling action will unclog an unruly drain very quickly.
