It isn't just for baking
Baking Soda or Sodium Bicarbonate is popularly known as a leavening agent in baking, but what most people aren't informed of is its many other uses and not just in cooking. You might be surprised about how you can benefit from this wonderful product health wise. Here's some fantastic uses to name a few of them (these we actually do at home, tried and tested by yours truly folks):
- Homemade Toothpaste
You can get the recipe of our family's DIY toothpaste that I posted before here which has baking soda as one of the major ingredients. - Mouthwash
Just put one teaspoon in half a glass of water, gargle, spit out and rinse thoroughly. Odors will be neutralized, not just covered up with minty scents from chemicals like in usual mouthwashes available in the market. - Flu Prevention
If you feel like you're going to come down if the flu, just fill up your tub/bucket of water with a couple of heaping tablespoons of baking soda for a quick bath. Works every time for us.
- Facial Scrub and Body Exfoliant
Apply a hand full of baking soda to your damp face/body to remove dead skin. - Homemade Deodorant
A mixture of baking soda, coconut oil and mint oil will effectively neutralize body odor without the harmful parabens and aluminum present in usual deodorants in the market. - Antacid
Baking soda is a safe and effective antacid that relieves heartburn, sour stomach and/or hyper acidity and even indigestion. - Insect Bites & Itch Relief
For insect, mosquito bites mostly since we are in the Philippines, make a paste out of baking soda and water, and apply like a salve onto the affected area of your skin. To ease the itchiness, just shake some baking soda into your hand and rub it into your damp skin right after a bath or shower. - Cleaning Floors
To remove dirt and grime (without the scratch marks) for any kind of floor surface may it be wood or tile, just use 1/2 cup baking soda in a small bucket of warm water–mop and rinse clean for a sparkly clean floor. - Cleaning Furniture
You can clean and remove marks (even from crayons) from walls and painted furniture by simply applying baking soda to a damp sponge and rubbing lightly on the surface. Wipe off with a clean, dry cloth afterwards. - Cleaning Fruits and Vegetables
Baking soda is a safe way to clean dirt, wax and pesticide residue off fresh fruits and vegetables. Just sprinkle a little on a clean damp sponge, scrub and rinse. You can also soak the fruits and vegetables in water with baking soda for a couple of minutes first before scrubbing them clean which we often do.
Isn't Baking Soda just amazing? And as I've said, those are just some applications for it, there are tons more. Make it a staple in your household, it's the healthier alternative to most personal hygiene & cleaning products and pharmaceutical medications, which says a lot.
