Baking soda is a versatile ingredient with numerous uses outside of cooking. This common household item excels in cleaning and deodorizing because it can get rid of stubborn stains, bad odors, and clean hard-to-reach places like the oven, microwave, and tile grout.
Baking soda is accessible and reasonably priced, a container is always useful to have on hand.
Here are few household uses for this ingredient which will therefore help you save some money:
Garbage odour eliminator
Due to the decomposing waste they contain, full trash bags frequently have a foul smell. If the odour is very foul, it may seep into your kitchen and other rooms in your house.
READ MORE: How to make your home smell great
Baking soda can assist in getting rid of odours from waste by neutralizing acidic odor molecules. According to a study on PubMed, adding baking soda to the bottom of trash cans can actually cut the smell of garbage by 70%.
Kitchen Cleaner
Baking soda makes an excellent kitchen cleaner because of its adaptability. It may also aid in preventing the development of dangerous microbes like mold or bacteria when combined with an acid like lemon juice or vinegar.
READ MORE: The many uses of vinegar
To use baking soda in your kitchen, combine it with some water and equal parts lemon juice to produce a paste. With a sponge or towel, apply the paste to the chosen surface, and then scrub it well.
You can use baking soda to clean the following surfaces, products, and kitchen appliances:
- countertops
- clogged drains
- stained marble
- microwaves
- oven
- stained coffee cups
- tarnished silver
- grease stains
- kitchen tiles
Removes pesticides from fruits and vegetables
Pesticide residue on food is a topic of great concern. Pesticides are used to safeguard crops against weeds, rodents, insects, and disease, but many of them are also detrimental to human health. Pesticides can best be removed from fruit by peeling it. The key nutrients, such fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which are present in the fruit skins, are nonetheless lost as a result.
READ MORE: HACKED! Managing your food waste
Interestingly, new research from PubMed shows that washing produce with baking soda is the most efficient approach to remove pesticides from fruits and vegetables without peeling.
Whitens whites
You can clean and whiten your laundry on a budget by using baking soda. This is due to the fact that it’s an alkali, or soluble salt, which might assist in removing stains and grime. An alkali like baking soda interacts with stains’ acids when dissolved in water.
Try it out by mixing 1/2 cup of baking soda with your usual amount of detergent for laundry. Additionally, it aids in water softening, so you might need less detergent than usual.
Charred pot cleaner
While cooking, it’s easy to unintentionally burn the bottom of a pot. These can be a pain to clean, but a burnt pot can be quickly revived with baking soda and water.
Add enough water to the saucepan to cover the scorched parts, then liberally sprinkle baking soda on the bottom. As usual, dump the pan after bringing the mixture to a boil. If any stains or burnt food residue is left, use a scouring pad and some washing solutions to gently remove it.
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Written by Ncumisa Lerato Kunana for Bona.
Feature image: Dougal Waters via Getty Images
