20 Impressive Baking Soda Hacks That Have Nothing to Do With Baking
1 Save Burned Pots
If you haven’t burnt a pot here and there, then you obviously haven’t spent enough time in the kitchen. Even expert chefs make a few mistakes that result in burned kitchenware. While it’s disheartening to ruin your food, burning mishaps are doubly as frustrating because it often seems like there’s no salvaging the pot.
But instead of growing frustrated at the blackened mess on the bottom of your kitchenware, turn to one of our baking soda hacks. First, scrape out as much of the food left in the pot as you can and discard it. Then fill the pot a quarter of the way to the top with water. Place it back on the stove, add half a cup of baking soda, and bring the water to a boil. When the water starts bubbling, turn off the stove and allow the pot to soak overnight. The combination of boiling water and baking soda will help to soften the blackened bits, allowing you to easily wash it all off the next morning.
2 Deodorize Your Fridge
Over time, refrigerators have a tendency to build up somewhat of a smell. Perhaps you didn’t catch a cluster of rotting veggies in time, and now your fridge smells like wet leaves. Maybe you stored some salmon in the back corner and now you can’t escape from that fishy aroma. Whatever the case may be, you can solve the problem of the stinky smell with our baking soda hacks.
Simply put an open box of baking soda in the back corner of your fridge. If the box is too large, pour the baking soda into a small bowl and find a home for it. The baking soda will absorb all those nasty odors, leaving your fridge smelling fresh and clean. While you should still be on the lookout for rotting veggies, at least you don’t have to smell them with a little baking soda.
3 Clean Your Dishwasher
While your dishwasher supposedly cleans itself every time you run it, it sometimes needs an extra cycle to focus on clearing out any lingering grime. In order to get your dishwasher sparkly and clean, use a little baking soda.
Every few weeks, put one cup of baking soda into the bottom of the dishwasher and run it on a rinse cycle. The baking soda will help to clean your appliance, leaving it ready for the next load of dirty dishes. Plus, the baking soda will also eliminate any lingering odors, ensuring there aren’t any funky aromas exuding from your dishwasher.
4 Get Rid Of Water Rings
Using a coaster isn’t that hard, but people always forget to do it. It’s a harmless mistake, but it does result in water rings staining your furniture, ruining the aesthetic of your home. But with our baking soda hacks, you don’t have to settle for water-stained furniture.
Next time you see a water ring pop up on your table, combine one part baking soda with one part non-gel toothpaste. Grab a damp cloth and use it to rub the mixture into your table, going against the grain. Once the ring is entirely buffed out, wipe off the mixture with a dry cloth. You can then shine and polish your table as you normally would, restoring your furniture to its pre-water ring glory.
5 Brighten Clothes While Washing
Washing your clothes is a necessity, but it can also be disastrous for some of your more colorful pieces. After a few rounds through the washing machine, bright colors will start to dim. But if you use a little baking soda, you can ensure your clothes are always as vibrant as the day you first bought them.
Next time you put your colors through the wash, add a cup of baking soda to the load. When combined with your normal wash detergent, the baking soda will help to balance the pH levels in your washer, leading to cleaner, brighter clothes.
6 Whiten Your Teeth
Baking soda is a well-known remedy for discolored teeth. In fact, baking soda’s whitening effects are so familiar that many toothpaste tubes incorporate it into their mixture. But if you’re still looking to add a little extra shine to your smile, you can use baking soda alone to brush your teeth.
Simply put baking soda onto your toothbrush and rub it gently against your teeth. Don’t scrub too vigorously, as baking soda is quite abrasive. The baking soda will help to polish and whiten your teeth, leaving sparkly, pearly whites in its wake. However, you should only use baking soda once a week at most. Because of its abrasive nature, it can damage your teeth when used too often.
7 Rid Bathrooms of Mildew
By the time mildew forms in your shower, it won’t come off with a simple once-over with a sponge. In order to truly clean your shower, you need something a little stronger. Thankfully, one of our baking soda hacks will do the trick.
Next time you clean your shower, scrub the floors and walls with a sponge covered in baking soda. The powder will help to dissolve all that stubborn mildew, cleaning your shower easily and effectively without the need for strong chemicals.
8 Treat Mosquito Bites
Mosquito bites are awful. But with our baking soda hacks, you can stop these nasty bug bites in their tracks. You just have to grab your baking soda as soon as you see the bite starting to form.
As quickly as you can after spotting a mosquito bite, mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a couple of drops of water. Smear the resulting paste onto the bite, allowing it to dry and flake off. If you catch the bite early enough, the baking soda will minimize the red welt and stop that annoying itch, allowing your bite to heal much more quickly.
9 Clear Clogged Drains
Built-up muck is an unpleasant and unfortunate reality when it comes to drains. While you might make every effort to keep your drain clean, bits of food or other materials might find their way down your kitchen sink, leading to a yucky clog no one wants to deal with. But with our baking soda hacks, getting rid of that clog is as easy as running your water.
Next time you’re dealing with a clogged drain, pour a cup of baking soda down the pipes, followed by a cup of hot vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then pour boiling water down the pipes. The mixture should clear your pipes immediately and get things flowing as normal. Best of all, this method allows you to use natural products, rather than filling your sink with chemicals to rid yourself of an unpleasant clog.
10 Clean Your Microwave
Cleaning your microwave is such a hassle. If you don’t wipe it down after every use, bits of food will start to accumulate on the inside. The longer they stay there, the harder they are to get off. But who really wants to clean their microwave every time they need to heat something up? Not us—that’s why we use baking soda.
If your microwave needs a good cleaning, put a cup of water and a few tablespoons of baking soda into a glass container. Then put the container in the microwave and warm on high for three minutes. Once that’s done, you can wipe the inside of your microwave with a damp sponge. Thanks to the baking soda and water, all that grime should come right off.
11 Clean Automatic Coffee Makers
Making your morning coffee at home saves both time and money. However, it’s not the most convenient way to get your morning brew, particularly because you have to keep the coffee maker clean to ensure your cup of joe tastes right. But with a little baking soda, cleaning your coffee maker isn’t an issue.
Every couple of weeks, after you’ve made your coffee for the day, brew a pot with one liter of water and a quarter cup of baking soda. The baking soda will help to clear the coffee maker of any substances that aren’t meant to be there. Once the baking soda mixture is done brewing, brew a pot of clean water to flush out the system. Cleaning your coffee maker is as easy as that!
12 Freshen Up Your Carpets
Sometimes your carpet isn’t dirty or stained, but it’s still just…not that great. There’s a certain musty smell that rises from your floor, and your rug doesn’t look quite as fresh as it once did. But with a little baking soda, you can give your carpets a new life.
Simply sprinkle baking soda on your carpet and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. In that time, the baking soda will soak up any moisture lingering in your rug and get rid of stinky smells. Once the time is up, vacuum up the baking soda. You’ll be left with fresh, clean-smelling carpets any housewife will envy.
13 Clean Oil Stains
Once oil stains your driveway, it’s natural to assume that you’ll never get it off. After all, oil stains don’t just wash away with a little water. They do, however, come out quite easily with a bit of baking soda.
Next time you’re cleaning your driveway, pour baking soda over your oil stains. Then scrub the stain with a wet brush. After you’ve scrubbed away at the stain, rinse your driveway with the hose. The oil stains should come right out.
14 Fertilize Your Plants
Baking soda can have an impressive impact on your garden in more ways than one! In fact, its uses in the garden are numerous. One of its uses is its ability to fertilize your plants.
Baking soda by itself is not a fertilizer, but combined with other ingredients, you will get very successful results. Simply combine 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and half a teaspoon of household ammonia and mix well. Once a month, use 1/8 to 1/4 of your mixture, combined with 4 cups of water, to water your plants!
15 Wash Your Hair
While shampoo should be an effective way to clean your hair, it doesn’t always do the trick. After a while, oil and grime begin to build up in your scalp, especially if you often use hair products like hairspray or gel. If that’s the case for you, then a simple shampoo won’t clean your hair of all the gunk.
If you find that your hair tends to get a bit oily or weighed down, try one of our baking soda hacks! About once a week, wash your hair with your normal shampoo in conjunction with a tablespoon of baking soda. The powder will help to clean your hair of any gunk and impurities, ensuring your locks are always immaculate.
16 Soothe Canker Sores
While canker sores are much preferable to cold sores, mostly because they aren’t contagious, they’re still painful. Canker sores are the small, aching bumps that develop on the inside of your lips. While they eventually heal and disappear, they can be quite uncomfortable to deal with in the interim.
Thankfully, baking soda provides a solution. If you’re cursed with a painful canker sore, dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda into a cup of warm water. Swish the mixture around your mouth for a couple of minutes, then spit it out. Repeat the same process every few hours until the pain of the canker sore starts to disappear.
17 Clean Range Hoods
While most of the cleaning in your kitchen is likely focused on the counters and floors, the range hood must be cleaned every now and then. The hood tends to soak up all kinds of grime and grease as you’re cooking. If it isn’t cleaned every month or so, it could stop working effectively.
But how can you tackle all that built-up grease? Our baking soda hacks have the answer. First, combine a healthy amount of baking soda with warm water. Then dip a sponge into the mixture and scrub away at your hood. The baking soda will cut through all the grime, ensuring your range hood works perfectly for years to come.
18 Get Rid of Stinky Feet
After a long day of wearing shoes, no one’s feet smell that nice. What’s more, your poor paws are usually sore, tired, and achy by the end of the day. If you want to fix all those problems with minimal effort, turn to baking soda.
Fill a basin with cool water and drop in a few tablespoons of baking soda. Allow your feet to soak in the liquid for 15-20 minutes. The baking soda will help to reduce any foul odors while soothing your tired feet. This is especially helpful if you’re looking for a remedy for athlete’s foot.
19 Wash & Brighten Wallpaper
While wallpaper certainly adds style and color to your home, it doesn’t always stand the test of time. After a few years, your wallpaper might start to look faded and dingy. Instead of accepting the new look as something that just happens with age, brighten your wallpaper with a bit of baking soda.
Mix two tablespoons of baking soda with about five liters of water. Dip a sponge into the mixture, squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can, and gently rub the sponge over your wallpapered walls. The baking soda will remove any dust or dirt, brightening and renewing your wallpaper to make your space look fresh and original once again.
20 Remove Stains From Plastic Food Containers
While plastic containers are the easiest way to store leftovers, they get dirty way too easily. Thick sauces tend to stain the plastic, making your Tupperware look permanently dirty, no matter how many times you wash it. But with a little baking soda, you can have your containers looking brand new.
Next time you’re dealing with a stained container, sprinkle some baking soda over a sponge. Then use the sponge to wipe the inside of the container. If that doesn’t work, go even harder on the stains by soaking your container in warm water combined with a few tablespoons of baking soda. Once you wash the container again, the sauce stains should disappear, leaving clean plastic behind.
