Crunchy Tuesday : Healthy Cleaning
Prior to a few weeks ago my only uses for ever needing baking soda were for baking or in junior high when I used it for making those fabulous volcanoes. Now it’s part of my regular cleaning regimen. It has more uses than I ever thought imaginable and it helps me keep those harsh chemicals out of my home. It’s really a super easy way to ‘go green’ and save lots of money in the process!
10 uses for Baking Soda
- Sprinkle in the bottom of greasy or dirty pans, spray on a few squirts of vinegar and apply a little elbow grease. Safe for scrubbing all sorts of pans
- Use to clean your showers and sinks. Sprinkle in and scrub away! Can also use a bit of vinegar for those extra tough spots.
- Deodorizes those diaper pails.
- Also deodorizes cloth diapers when you add 1/2 cup to the rinse cycle.
- Also deodorizes carpets after stinky messes. Let the carpet dry, sprinkle in and let set for a few minutes. Vacuum away.
- You can also use it to clean toys and baby equipment. Just put a bit on a wet sponge and wipe everything down. Rinse it off with another damp towel or put it in the sink and rinse.
- You can give stuffed animals a dry bath by sprinkling with baking soda, let set for 15 minutes and brush off.
- Use it to put out fires on the stove top. (of course use your head – if it’s to bad call 911)
- You can even use it to clean off fruits and veggies. Sprinkle on , wipe, and rinse.
- A half a cup mixed into warm water makes a great floor cleaner.
The only one I haven’t tried is for the cloth diapers since I don’t have any 
But everything else works great. Sometimes it takes just a bit more elbow grease, but is so worth it when you think about all the chemicals you’re keeping out of your home and out of the air you breath. There are a ton more tips on Arm and Hammer’s site if you’re looking for a few more uses. And if you do a lot of sprinkling they do sell shakers for them, or you can always use an empty Parmesan cheese container.
But everything else works great. Sometimes it takes just a bit more elbow grease, but is so worth it when you think about all the chemicals you’re keeping out of your home and out of the air you breath. There are a ton more tips on Arm and Hammer’s site if you’re looking for a few more uses. And if you do a lot of sprinkling they do sell shakers for them, or you can always use an empty Parmesan cheese container.
For the carpet one, which I do every time I vacuum, you can also add some cinnamon to it or a few drops of essential oils (let dry before using!!). I use the cinnamon and so it leaves a nice mild smell and the cinnamon kills some of the germs in your carpet.
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Forgot.. if you use Florida’s Crystals Organic Sugar the container is great for baking soda as well. Thanks for posting these tips.
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I have used BS for cloth diapers and it’s true…works great. I acutally bought the soda wash for $1.99 a box BUT I had to use regular BS in a pinch and it’s the same result (just have to be srue not to dunp it directly on the clothes or it sometimes clumps!)
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I’ll have to try the cinnamon sometime.
And good to know how to use the BS for diapers as someone who has been considering buying them.
Thanks for the extra tips!
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I’ve saved bundles of money since I started using baking soda (or Bicarb as we call it here in the UK), vinegar, soap flakes and soda crystals. Just four things and I can clean just about anything at a fraction of the cost of all those cleaning agents I used before. And the cupboard below the sink’s a lot tidier, too
Love the blog – shall definitely be visiting again.
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I’ll sprinkle baking soda on the mattress before putting the sheets on.
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