Baking Soda
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10 Ways to Use Baking Soda
 in and Around the Home

1) Make a Homemade Soft Scrubber
Pour about 1/4 cup of baking soda into a bowl and add enough all purpose liquid soap or detergent (such as Life Tree's Home Soap or Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Castile Soap) to make a texture like cake frosting. Scoop the scrubber onto a sponge, scrub the surface to be cleaned, and rinse.

2) Clean the Oven
Sprinkle baking soda over the bottom of the oven until it is covered, and spray with water until damp. Let set for eight hours, or overnight, keeping the baking soda damp. Sponge off the grime, it will have loosened and can be easily sponged off, and rinse.

3) Remove Odors from Clothes
Fill the washing machine with water, add 1 cup of baking soda and clothes, and agitate. Let set overnight, agitating occasionally. Wash as usual. If there is still an odor, repeat the process. This technique works for most chemical and natural odors.

4) Remove Pet Odors
 Sprinkle baking soda over the area. Let set for a number of hours before vacuuming. Baking soda is an excellent carpet deodorizer. If you need to use a lot of baking soda, sweep most of it up before vacuuming so you don't clog the vacuum.

5) Remove a Clogged Drain
Pour one cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by three cups of boiling water. The boiling water changes the chemical composition of baking soda to make it more caustic.

6) Scour a Fiberglass Tub
 Baking soda will not scratch fiberglass (but avoid washing soda). A convenient way of making your own scouring powder is to pour baking soda into a confectioner sugar shaking can (available in kitchen stores).

7) Remove Caffeine Stains, or Burned-on Food
Soak caffeine stains and burned-on food in water and a teaspoon or two of baking soda.

8) Kill Plant Mildew
Combine 1 tablespoon of baking soda in 1 gallon of hot water. Stir to dissolve and blend the baking soda. Put a few cups in a spray bottle, and spray on the mildew.

9) Bath Salt Soak
Combine 2 cups of baking soda with 1 cup Epsom salts and 1 cup sea salts. Stir to blend. Pour 1/4 cup or so into the bath while the tub is filling. For an emollient both, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of pure vegetable glycerin (available in health food stores) per bath.

10) Simple Baking Soda Deodorant
Sprinkle a light covering of baking soda onto a powder puff or damp washcloth. Pat on the body where needed. Don't rinse. For a more convenient way of applying baking soda, add 3 teaspoons baking soda to 1 cup water in a spray bottle. Use less baking soda if the sprayer gets clogged.