Baking soda isn't just a cooking ingredient—it's also a powerful ally for natural health. Discover its benefits and how to incorporate it into your daily life.

Other Benefits and Uses of Baking Soda

uses of baking soda

1. soothe canker sores

Mouth ulcers are small, painful sores that can form inside the mouth. Unlike cold sores, canker sores do not form on the lips and are not contagious.

Research has found that a baking soda mouthwash is ideal for relieving the pain caused by canker sores.

Rinse your mouth with a mixture of water and one dessert spoon of baking soda once a day until the canker sore heals.

If you also tend to get canker sores frequently, you can use natural propolis tincture to get rid of these annoying sores. It’s a natural antibiotic that will help resolve many of your problems with colds, sore throats, etc.

2. It can treat calluses

Calluses are hard, thick patches of skin caused by long-term friction or pressure. Activities that commonly cause calluses include frequent walking, gardening, or sports.

Although calluses aren't necessarily serious, they can cause pain and discomfort when pressure is applied.

Interestingly, studies have found that soaking calluses in a baking soda bath can help soften them, remove flaky skin, and reduce discomfort.

3. It may slow the progression of chronic kidney disease

People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) slowly lose kidney function.

The kidneys are incredibly important because they help remove excess waste and water from the blood. At the same time, they help maintain the balance of important minerals such as potassium, sodium, and calcium.

Research shows that baking soda may help slow the progression of CKD.

In a study involving 134 adults with CKD, it was found that those who took sodium bicarbonate supplements were 36% less likely to rapidly develop kidney failure than those who did not take the supplements.

4. It may improve certain cancer treatments

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide.

It is often treated with chemotherapy, which works by slowing down or stopping the growth of cancer cells. Cancer cells typically grow and divide at a rapid rate.

Some research suggests that sodium bicarbonate may help chemotherapy drugs work more effectively. Sodium bicarbonate can make the environment around tumors less acidic, which benefits chemotherapy treatments.

However, the evidence is limited to preliminary findings from animal and cell studies, so more human-based research is needed.

How to Use Baking Soda as a Natural Cleaner in Your Home

If you find it hard to believe that something as simple and inexpensive as baking soda could really clean your home, consider this: baking soda was used to clean and restore the copper on the walls of the Statue of Liberty during its restoration in 1986. It effectively removes dirt without damaging the copper.

5. Eliminate odors from the refrigerator

Have you ever opened your fridge and been hit by a surprisingly unpleasant smell?

It's likely that some food in your refrigerator has been sitting there longer than expected and has started to spoil. This foul odor can linger long after you've emptied the refrigerator and cleaned it thoroughly.

Fortunately, baking soda can help freshen up a smelly refrigerator by neutralizing unpleasant odors. It interacts with odor particles to eliminate them, rather than simply masking their smell.

Fill a cup with baking soda and place it at the back of your refrigerator to neutralize odors.

6. Air Freshener

Not all commercial air fresheners eliminate unpleasant odors. Instead, some simply release fragrance molecules that mask unpleasant odors.

In addition, less than 10% of air fresheners list their ingredients. This can be a problem if you are sensitive to the chemicals found in air fresheners.

Baking soda is an excellent and safe alternative to commercial air fresheners. It interacts with odor particles and neutralizes them, rather than masking them.

To make a baking soda air freshener, you'll need:

• A small bottle
• 1/3 cup of baking soda
• 10–15 drops of your favorite essential oils
• A piece of cloth or paper
• Chain or ribbon

Add the baking soda and essential oils to the jar. Cover it with the cloth or paper, and then secure it with the string. When the scent begins to fade, shake the jar.

7. You can whiten your laundry

Baking soda is an inexpensive way to whiten and clean your clothes.

Baking soda is an alkali, a soluble salt that can help remove dirt and stains. When dissolved in water, an alkali such as baking soda can react with the acids in stains and help remove them.

Add half a cup of baking soda to your usual amount of laundry detergent. It also helps soften the water, which means you may need less detergent than usual.

8. Kitchen Cleaner

The versatility of baking soda makes it a great kitchen cleaner. Not only can it remove tough stains, but it also helps eliminate unpleasant odors.

To use baking soda in your kitchen, make a paste by mixing baking soda with a small amount of water. Apply the paste to the desired surface with a sponge or cloth and scrub thoroughly.

Here are some items you'll find in the kitchen that you can clean with baking soda:

• Oven
• Stained coffee cups
• Stained marble
• Grease stains
• Kitchen Tiles
• Clogged Drains
• Tarnished silver
• Microwave

9. Eliminate the smell of trash

Trash bags often have a foul odor because they contain a variety of decomposing waste products. Unfortunately, this odor can spread to your kitchen and other areas of your home.

Fortunately, baking soda can help eliminate trash odors. These odors are often acidic, so baking soda can interact with the odor molecules and neutralize them.

In fact, scientists found that sprinkling baking soda on the bottom of trash cans can help neutralize trash odors by 70%.

10. Remove stubborn stains from carpets

A mixture of baking soda and vinegar can remove even the toughest stains from your carpet.

When baking soda and vinegar are mixed together, they create a compound called carbonic acid, which is a common ingredient in cleaning products. This reaction produces a lot of fizz, which can help remove tough stains.

Here's how you can remove stubborn stains from your carpet using just baking soda and vinegar:

1. First, cover the stain on the carpet with a thin layer of baking soda.
2. Next, fill an empty spray bottle with a 1:1 mixture of vinegar and water and spray it on the stained area.
3. Wait up to an hour or until the surface is dry.
4. Scrub the loose baking soda with a brush and vacuum up the residue.
5. The stain should now be completely gone. If there is any baking soda residue left on the carpet, wipe it off with a damp towel.

11. Multi-purpose bathroom cleaner

Just like kitchens, bathrooms can be difficult to clean. They have a variety of surfaces that are used frequently and, therefore, need to be cleaned often.

While there are a variety of commercial bathroom cleaners available, many people prefer a more natural and cost-effective cleaning option. Baking soda is useful because it whitens and disinfects many bathroom surfaces.

Here are some surfaces you can clean with baking soda:

• Bathroom Tiles
• Bathrooms
• Showers
• Bathtubs
• Bathroom sinks

Make a paste with baking soda and a little water. Using a sponge or cloth, rub the mixture onto the surface you want to clean.

Wipe the surface down 15–20 minutes later with a damp cloth.

13. Wash fruits and vegetables

Many people worry about the pesticides in food. Pesticides are used to prevent insects, germs, rodents, and weeds from damaging crops.

Peeling fruit is the best way to remove pesticides. However, it also means you don't get the important nutrients—such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals—found in the skin of many fruits.

Interestingly, recent research has found that soaking fruits and vegetables in water with baking soda is the most effective way to remove pesticides without peeling them.

A study found that soaking fruit in a solution of baking soda and water for 12–15 minutes removed almost all pesticides.

Interestingly, to remove any remaining pesticides from fruits and vegetables, vinegar works wonders if you soak them in a mixture of water and vinegar for 6 hours.

14. Silver cutlery

Baking soda is a useful alternative to commercial silver polishes.

To do this, you'll need:

• An aluminum baking pan or a baking dish lined with aluminum foil
• 1 cup of boiling water
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda
• 1/2 cup white vinegar

Add the baking soda to the aluminum pan and slowly pour in the vinegar. Next, pour in the boiling water, and then place the silver in the baking pan.

Almost immediately, the tarnish should begin to fade, and you can remove most of the silverware from the pan within thirty seconds. However, heavily tarnished silverware may need to sit in the mixture for up to a minute.

In this mixture, the silver reacts chemically with the aluminum tray and the baking soda. It transfers the tarnish from the silverware to the aluminum tray or may leave a pale yellow residue at the bottom of the tray.

15. Repair a burnt pot

Many people have accidentally burned the bottom of a pot while cooking.

These can be a nightmare to clean. Fortunately, you can easily fix a burnt pot with baking soda and water.

Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the bottom of the pan and add enough water to cover the burned areas. Bring the mixture to a boil and empty the pan as usual.

If stubborn stains remain, grab a scouring pad, add a small amount of dish soap, and gently scrub away the remaining burnt-on residue.

16. Extinguish fires caused by oil and grease

Interestingly, some fire extinguishers contain sodium bicarbonate.

They are known as dry chemical fire extinguishers and are used to extinguish fires involving oils, fats, and electrical equipment. The baking soda reacts with heat to produce carbon dioxide, which smothers and extinguishes the fire.

This means that baking soda can be used to extinguish small oil and grease fires.

However, don't expect baking soda to extinguish larger household fires. Larger fires consume more oxygen and can counteract the effects of baking soda.

17. Remove the weeds

Weeds are pesky plants that can grow in the cracks of your walkways and driveways. They often have deep roots, which makes them difficult to kill without using a chemical herbicide.

Fortunately, you can use baking soda as a cheaper and safer alternative. That's because baking soda is high in sodium, which creates a hostile environment for weeds.

Sprinkle a few handfuls of baking soda on the weeds growing in the cracks of your sidewalk, driveways, and other weed-infested areas.

However, avoid using baking soda to kill weeds in your flower beds and gardens, as it can also kill your other plants.

18. Shoe Deodorizer

Having smelly shoes is a common problem that can be quite embarrassing.

Fortunately, baking soda is also a great remedy for deodorizing smelly shoes.

Pour two tablespoons of baking soda into two small, thin cloth bags. Secure the bags with a rubber band or string, and place one in each shoe.

Remove the baking soda packets when you're ready to wear your shoes.

Summary:

Baking soda is a versatile ingredient that has many uses besides acting as a leavening agent.

It really shines when it comes to neutralizing odors and cleaning. This household staple can help remove tough stains, eliminate unpleasant odors, and clean hard-to-reach areas like the oven, microwave, and even tile grout.

In addition, baking soda has a variety of health benefits. For example, it can help treat heartburn, relieve canker sores, and even whiten teeth.

In addition, baking soda is inexpensive and widely available. You can pick up a container of baking soda at your local supermarket.

So, the next time you need to remove a stain or a strong odor, reach for the baking soda.

Instructions and Dosage

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