If you are wanting to shift away from buying lots of different chemical based, highly packaged cleaning goods, Bicarbonate of Soda (or Baking Soda as it’s known in the US) is a really good place to start.
Smell Buster
To be honest, if this was the only thing bicarb was good at I’d still love it cos it is SO good at removing nasty smells from pretty much anything. Ever had a kid throw up in a car? Next time it happens, clear up all you can, then completely cover the stain in bicarb. Within a week you’ll never know there had been an incident. If you don’t cover it in bicarb of soda, that smell can linger for years. Truly.
Soften hard or dry skin.
Add a tablespoon of bicarb to a foot spa or tub and soak for at least 15 minutes. Add some essential oil if you fancy extra pamperiness, then just scrub away with a loofah, pumice or rough cloth until your pinkies become beautifully soft and smooth once again. Add a little dash of olive, sunflower or carrier oil to the water to ensure your skin gets deeply moisturised at the same time.
Smelly Fridges
Tuck a small bowl with a tablespoon or two of bicarb into the back corner of a smelly fridge. Within 24 hours it’ll be smelling sweet again.
Stinky Bins
Sprinkle a good handful in the bottom of your dustbin to prevent or cure inevitable smells.
Washing Produce
Remove chemical pesticides off of fruit and veg by adding 3 tablespoons to a bowl of cold water and rinsing them in it for a few seconds.
Damp House?
Musty, damp cupboard? Pop a bowl of bicarb inside and not only will it remove the smell, but it will also absorb excess moisture. You may need to stir or replace the bicarb regularly, depending on how damp the area is.
White Wash
Half a cup of bicarb can be added to a whites or a particularly smelly wash to brighten your washing and remove fusty smells from your machine. We have found this is especially useful when washing our towels.
Shoe Freshener
Sprinkle a generous layer of bicarb into the bottom of smelly shoes & trainers and leave at least overnight. Tip out before wearing again.
Kitchen Cleaner
Sprinkle on a damp cloth to clean kitchens worksurfaces, baths, sinks etc without the risk of scratching and without the need for chemical cleaners.
Cleaning Flasks & Bottles
Bicarb is perfect for cleaning out thermos flasks and drinks bottles. Pop 2 teaspoons of powder in, top up with boiling water from the kettle and leave over night. The next morning tip down the sink (or tip into a bowl and use for cleaning or soaking smelly clothes) rinse the bottles out and reuse. It’ll remove smells, germs and any other debris inside hard to scrub flasks.
Buying those small pots from the supermarket works out expensive when you start using a lot of this stuff. You can source bigger packets or bags online, my last batch came from a soap making company but also try catering suppliers, chemists or wholesalers. Make sure to ask if it’s food grade if you wish to use it in baking too!
Have I missed your favourite use for bicarb? If so, please let me know in the comments below!
Marguerite adds these 2 great tips;
boil baking soda in water in a burnt pan, the burnt part then just lifts off!
And, this tip comes from Rose Levy Beranbaum, Rose’s Christmas cookies, about getting rid of the skins on hazelnuts. ” In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil, Add the hazelnuts and baking soda, and boil for three minutes. ..Test a nut by running under cold water. If the skin is not easy to remove with slight pressure from the fingers, boil the nuts another minute or so more. Drain, rinse and peel them.” then you roast the hazelnuts as usual with nuts. Rose calls for 1 cup1/2 and 1 cup of hazelnuts.
Tammy adds;
“Use Bicarb in a lukewarm bath to help dry up chicken pox spots… when my little girl had (quite severe) chicken pox she wouldn’t let me near her with any lotions, creams etc so she took 3 or 4 tepid bicarb baths a day to ease the itching and the spots scabbed over in a couple of days. Have since used this with my son too! No pain and dries them up really quickly.”
Sally’s tip;
“I have been using the bicarb option in my laundry for years now. Use 1 tablespoon of your usual detergent and 2 tablespoons of bicarb – that’s all you need and your clothes come up just as good as if you have used the large amount that the detergent manufacturers want you to use. Still have to soak really dirty stuff, but would have done that anyway. A 10kg bucket of detergent now lasts me nearly a year – and I leave a tablespoon measure in the laundry, don’t guess it!”
Julia Guthrie says
It gets coffee stains off your teeth! Work a bit in with finger & a toothbrush…give it a bit of a rub with your fingernail & clean your teeth thoroughly. Mine came up lovely! x
HedgeComber says
Ooh, good one Julia! x
Paul says
I use a teaspoon of bicarb with boiling water for indigestion . Also a small amount in tomato sauce makes it less acid
HedgeComber says
Hi Paul and thanks for your comment. I plant to make some tomato sauce soon, I’ll have to bear that trick in mind! Janie x
slywlf says
Baking soda is such a miracle worker I already buy it bulk – it goes in the cat litter pan, it keeps my drains running clear. It has totally replaced shampoo (Google no poo for how to use baking soda and cider vinegar to replace both chemical laden shampoos and conditioners and have great hair!). If I accidentally get a bad scorch mess on the bottom of a pan a damp paste of baking soda lifts it overnight. Can’t live without it ;-)
HedgeComber says
I’m thinking I’m going to have to increase the 10 good reasons to about 150 at this rate Slywlf!
Thanks for stopping by & commenting :)
Janie x
Hilary says
Add a tiny bit to brewing tea when you are making iced tea – it will remove the bitterness.
HedgeComber says
Really?? That is a new one on me! I’ll have to try and remember this for next summer Hilary.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Janie x
Janet says
I use it along with vinegar to wash my hair. shake on BS wet into a paste then spray with vinegar. Scrub well and rinse.
HedgeComber says
Gonna have to try this, thank you!
Janie x
Lauren says
Where can I buy Biocarb of soda for cleaning in the US with UK quality and/or larger sizes than the boxes in the local supermarkets.
Jane Sarchet says
You could try soap making companies (just check it is food grade before ordering) or catering suppliers.
Janie x
Lauren says
Thank u Janie x.
Jane Sarchet says
You’re welcome, do let me know where you source some.
Janie x
blah d blah says
Sprinkle about a cup on the bottom of your kitty litter tray then add kitty litter on top. (I use Safeway’s Homebrand – so cheap) This will get rid of that ammonia urine smell. Won’t do anything for the poo, though, you can scoop that out and make your tray of litter last up to 3 days.
Jane Sarchet says
Brilliant idea, thanks for taking the time to comment!
Janie x
Erin says
oh my goodness, I use baking soda for everything! From homemade cleaners to teeth powder… We even use it to wash our hair! it works!
Jane Sarchet says
It is a miracle powder isn’t it Erin? I’d love to know how you use it for washing your hair
Janie x
freda frampton says
Thanks for the great tips. I’ve seen this lots of places but nobody seems to have been quite in depth! I have been meaning to try it for a while with my cooker but needed to build up my confidence… in the past I have used professional companies, which if you haven’t got the time I don’t mind recommending at all. We used oven cleaner maidstone or oven cleaning sheffield depending on hubby’s work location at the time, but this will give me some fun – I am a sucker for before and after photos – will share them!
Jane Sarchet says
Thanks Freda!
Janie x
Robyn says
I used it when my kids were younger and had an accident at night, sprinkle area with bi-carb, leave for the day, vacuum up and no smell, no wetness, no stain …good for another nights sleep :-) I’m now looking at ways to use it as laundry powder or as an ingredient in laundry liquid
Jane Sarchet says
Oooh, that’s a great idea Robyn. I’ll add it to the end of the list!
Thank you ;)
Janie x
Bliz says
DIY dishwashing detergent:
2 Tbsp Baking soda
2 Tbsp Borax
Boost dishwashing (hand washing) liquid:
Add 2 Tbsp baking soda to your dish load.
Claire says
Some good uses I hadn’t thought of, Janie! Must try using it in the washing machine. I use soap nuts to wash clothes but not too amazing getting whites looking good, particularly on a cool wash so maybe that will help. I use bicarb for cleaning just about everything! Always have a pot handy to clean the cooker top (gets rid of burnt on spills so easily, and I’m a bit of a messy cook!) and regularly use a cup of bicarb down each sink in the house followed by a good glug of white vinegar all rinsed down with boiling water to keep the drains running freely. Trying to eliminate all cleaning products from the house so always on the lookout for new uses for bicarb and there’s a couple here I haven’t tried yet, thanks Janie! X
Jane Sarchet says
Glad I’m not the only messy cook around here Claire! My hob could do with a damn good scrub at teh mo, maybe I’ll put that on the never ending To-Do list! :)
Janie x
Mary says
If Bicarb is used to absorb moisture in room or cupboard can the container of bicarb be dried out in oven?
Jane Sarchet says
That’s is a great point Mary, and I see no reason why not. If you give it a go, please do let us know how you get on!
Janie x
Marguerite Czarnecki says
Strangely, nobody wrote about what is for so many people the first use ie cleaning of a burnt pan. Instead of waiting so much time scrubbing, boil baking soda in water. The burnt part go away by themselves.
Jane Sarchet says
I never knew this Marguerite, thank you so much for commenting. I shall add your tip to the others :)
Janie x
Tammy says
Use Bicarb in a lukewarm bath to help dry up chicken pox spots… when my little girl had (quite severe) chicken pox she wouldn’t let me near her with any lotions, creams etc so she took 3 or 4 tepid bicarb baths a day to ease the itching and the spots scabbed over in a couple of days. Have since used this with my son too! No pain and dries them up really quickly.
Jane Sarchet says
Aw, bless her! Thanks for sharing yet another brilliant use for bicarb Tammy, and thanks for taking the time to comment. I’ll add it to the others :)
Happy New Year!
Janie x
Sally Goode says
I love all your uses for bicarb. I have been using the bicarb option in my laundry for years now. Use 1 tablespoon of your usual detergent and 2 tablespoons of bicarb – that’s all you need and your clothes come up just as good as if you have used the large amount that the detergent manufacturers want you to use. Still have to soak really dirty stuff, but would have done that anyway. A 10kg bucket of detergent now lasts me nearly a year – and I leave a tablespoon measure in the laundry, don’t guess it! And I use it all around the house, and the oven. Miracle stuff!
Jane Sarchet says
Thanks for that sally, another great use for the stuff!
Janie x
Suzl says
Great blog and site, Jane! Thanks for some new ideas. I use it monthly to keep drains and toilets sweet and unclogged. First baking soda, then white vinegar. Let them work a while (very entertaining), follow with a kettle of really hot water to wash everything into the main drain.
Also, to buy in bulk in the U.S.: we have a discount grocery which sells baking supplies, grains, etc. in bulk, so no shipping charge. $0.79/ lb. The only other place I’ve found anywhere close to this price is Walmart, 5 lb bag of A&H for $0.62/ lb.
Jane Sarchet says
Great info and resources for the US readers Suzi, thanks so much for sharing :)
Jane x
Allison says
Where do you buy this in bulk?
Jane Sarchet says
Hi Allison. Bookers or other catering supply stores, some supermarkets have larger packs available as do some Oriental supermarkets.
Janie x