Baking soda has many great purposes, but I can think of 3 reasons for the homemaker to love baking soda.
By Tiffany, Contributing Writer
Spring is typically the time when we bring out our cleaning supplies and tackle the nooks and crannies of our home that have been ignored for so long, but when my family obeyed God’s calling to move across the country – from California to Georgia – I threw away the majority of my cleaning supplies.
It was partially an effort to de-clutter and only pack what was necessary, but it was also because there are only a few items I truly need to clean my whole house!
One of those items is baking soda, and it’s earned high praises in my house for coming in and solving the majority of my cleaning woes.
I mean, can you think of anything else with uses as wide-spread as neutralizing stinky carpets and getting the urine smell out of a mattress to scrubbing the bathtub and unclogging drains?
That, of course, is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to the amazing uses of baking soda, but there are three very specific reasons why every homemaker should love baking soda.
3 Reasons for the Homemaker to Love Baking Soda
#1. It’s cheap.
As a natural mama on a tight budget, using quality products that aren’t expensive is important to me, which makes my number one reason for loving baking soda is because it’s cheap!
I prefer to buy it in bulk at Costco, where I can get a large 13.5 pound bag for roughly 50¢ per pound. (For reference, a typical box of baking soda is 1 pound.)
If you don’t shop at bulk warehouse stores, Walmart carries it for a comparable price and some stores have bulk packaging too that might help you save. Another option for saving on baking soda is the tried and true method: sales and coupons!
#2. It’s edible.
I’m a food blogger so I tend to love anything edible, but baking soda earns awards for being the leavening agent used to make my kids’ favorite Zucchini, Apple and Carrot Muffins and making our Overnight Soaked Whole Grain Pancakes incredibly light and fluffy.
Considering the fact that baking soda is edible means not having to worry much about small fingers reaching up to swipe a lick to see what it tastes like. Besides, baking soda comes from the salt family, so the experience isn’t worth repeating in their eyes!
Note: Baking soda is basic (opposite of acidic) and in large doses can lower the blood level pH. A “large dose” depends on the size and weight of the body, so there isn’t a universal guide to offer. While a finger swipe likely isn’t something to be concerned about, it’s best practice to keep the baking soda out of reach of little hands whenever possible.
#3. It’s versatile.
From brushing your teeth to scrubbing the kitchen counters, from keeping your whites white while putting out grease fires on the stove, baking soda is the MacGyver of cleaning tools and that’s why my simple cleaning arsenal consists of baking soda plus a few other key ingredients.
Plus by keeping my cleaning supplies simple, I’m not spending a lot of money on products that can only be used for one purpose. I’m also helping to keep clutter out of my cupboards too!
There are really a lot of reasons to love baking soda, but these are my top 3. Baking soda makes my job of a homemaker so much easier!
Jet
I LOVE baking soda! I scrub all my pots and pans with it, I scrub my tub and sinks with lemon juice and baking soda, I scrub my toilet with white vinegar and baking soda, I use it to clean scuff marks off of tile, I don’t think I could keep a home without it! I keep it in a small parmesan cheese shakers by all my sinks so it’s on hand all the time.
Tiffany at Don't Waste the Crumbs
I love the idea of keeping it parmesan cheese containers Jet!
sarah
I make my own laundry detergent using baking soda, and a few other things. I absolutely love it! Also, I love the tip about buying in bulk at costco, I have never looked at it there, but I will be checking it out next time I am there!
Tiffany at Don't Waste the Crumbs
I make that too! I hope your Costco has it – we save a lot of money buying it that way!
Rose
What other things do you put in your cleaning products with the baking soda, like your laundry detergent?
Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
These are all great reasons to love baking soda, but you forgot how handy it is for science projects…like the classic homemade volcano! (I had to throw that in there as a former elementary teacher turned homeschool mom).
Tiffany at Don't Waste the Crumbs
LOL – I did forget! Thank you Lisa!
Savannah
I can’t believe how long I lived without baking soda, and now I use it every day! And, yes, it’s sooo cheap. I love putting a thick layer on my stove’s drip pans, sprinkling it with vinegar, and scrubbing away. It works wonder no matter how burnt on something is.
Natalia Cristurean
This is so great! I heard baking soda had many purposes but I didn’t realize how great it was! I’m going to start using it more often! Maybe even buy it in bulk. 🙂
Laurie Grief
I use one TBSP in the water when hard boiling eggs. When you hard boil very fresh eggs, they are very difficult to peel. The baking soda in the water helps tremendously!