75 Uses for Baking Soda

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Have a large container of baking soda sitting in your pantry not getting used up fast enough? Here are 75 uses for baking soda that should give your brain a bit of inspiration!

Have a large container of baking soda sitting in your pantry not getting used up fast enough? Here are 75 uses for baking soda that should give your brain a bit of inspiration!

75 Uses for Baking Soda

Secret: I have this huge massive bag of baking soda in my pantry. One time I ran out and when I checked prices…the cheapest was a 13 pound bag at Sam’s Club. Luckily for me, there are many uses for baking soda besides baking. Here’s a huge list!

  • 1. Use it as an antacid.
  • 2. Use it as underarm deodorant by applying it with a powder puff.
  • 3. Mix half a teaspoon with peroxide paste and use it as toothpaste.
  • 4. Use it as a face and body scrub.
  • 5. Add a cup to bath water to soften your skin. (Do not use if your skin is very dry)

  • 6. Relieve skin itch from insect bites and pain from sunburn.
  • 7. Remove strong odors from your hands by rubbing them with baking soda and water.
  • 8. Put two tablespoons in your baby’s bathwater to help relieve diaper rash.
  • 9. Apply it on rashes, insect bites, and poison ivy irritations.
  • 10. Take a baking soda bath to relieve skin irritations.
  • 11. Heartburn? Take a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with one-half glass of water.
  • 12. Freshen your mouth by gargling half a teaspoon of baking soda mixed water.
  • 13. Relieve canker sore pain by using it as a mouthwash.
  • 14. Use it to relieve bee stings.
  • 15. Use it to relieve windburns.
  • 16. Apply it on jellyfish sting to draw out the venom.
  • 17. Unblock stuffy nose by adding a teaspoon of baking soda to your vaporizer.

  • 18. Keep cut flowers fresh longer by adding a teaspoon to the water in the vase.
  • 19. Put out small fires on rugs, upholstery, clothing, and wood.
  • 20. Put an open container of baking soda in the fridge to absorb the odors.
  • 21. Sprinkle it on your ashtrays to reduce bad odor and prevent smoldering.
  • 22. Sprinkle it on your slippers, boots, shoes, and socks to eliminate foul odor.
  • 23. Turn baking soda into modeling clay by combining it with one and 1/4 cups of water and one cup of cornstarch.
  • 24. After feeding your baby, wipe his shirt with a moist cloth sprinkled with baking soda to remove the odor.
  • 25. Wipe your windshield with it to repel rain.

Cloth Rags for DIY Dryer Sheets

  • 26. Improve the smell of dishrags by soaking them in baking soda and water.
  • 27. Suck it in with your vacuum cleaner to remove the odor.
  • 28. Freshen the air by mixing baking soda with your favorite perfumed bath salts. Put the mixture in small sachet bags.
  • 29. Restore stiff brushes by boiling them in a solution of 1/2 gallon of water, 1/4 cup of vinegar, and a cup of baking soda.
  • 30. Put it under sinks and along basement windows to repel cockroaches and ants.
  • 31. Scatter baking soda around flowerbeds to prevent rabbits from eating your veggies.
  • 32. Sweeten your tomatoes by sprinkling baking soda on the soil around your tomato plants.

  • 33. Sprinkle it onto your cat’s litter box to absorb the bad odor.
  • 34. Sprinkle it on your pet’s comb or brush to deodorize their fur and skin.
  • 35. Use it as a substitute for baking powder by mixing with it with cream of tartar or vinegar.
  • 36. Wash fruits and vegetables with it.
  • 37. When boiling a chicken, add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water. Feathers will come off easier, and the flesh will be clean and white.
  • 38. Soak dried beans to a baking soda solution to make them more digestible.
  • 39. Remove the distinctive taste of wild game by soaking it in a baking soda solution.
  • 40. Make a sports drink by mixing it with boiled water, salt, and Kool-Aid.
  • 41. Remove the fishy smell from your fillets by soaking the raw fish in a baking soda solution for an hour inside the fridge.
  • 42. Make fluffier omelets by adding half a teaspoon of baking soda for every three eggs used.

Grape Tomatoes

  • 43. Reduce the acid content of your tomato-based recipes by sprinkling them with a pinch of baking soda.
  • 44. Add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.
  • 45. Use it to scrub sinks, showers, plastic and porcelain tubs
  • 46. Spray it on walls, mirrors, and countertops.
  • 47. Add a spoonful to your dishwasher to make scrubbing dishes easier.
  • 48. Remove grease from pots and pans.
  • 49. Dry clean carpets and upholstered furniture by sprinkling baking soda over the fabric and gently brushing it. Leave it for an hour or overnight, then vacuum.
  • 50. Boost your laundry detergent’s cleaning power by sprinkling a handful on dirty clothes.
  • 51. Combine it with water to make a paste for polishing stainless steel and chrome.
  • 52. Remove scratches and crayon marks from vinyl floors and walls.

  • 53. Clean your shoes with it.
  • 54. Clean garbage cans with it.
  • 55. Use it to wash diapers.
  • 56. Clean the fridge with it.
  • 57. Soak brushes and combs in a baking soda solution.
  • 58. Mix it with water to wash food and drink containers.
  • 59. Put three tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of warm water, then use the mixture to wash marble-topped furniture.
  • 60. Absorb it with a damp sponge, then clean Formica countertops with the sponge.
  • 61. Use it to get rid of stale odors from cooling containers and thermos bottles.
  • 62. Run your coffee maker with a baking soda solution, then rinse.
  • 63. Combine with hot water to clean baby bottles.
  • 64. Sprinkle it on barbecue grills, then rinse it off.
  • 65. Scatter it on your greasy garage floor, scrub the floor, and rinse.

breakfast hashbrown casserole

  • 66. Remove burned-on food from a pan by soaking it in a baking soda solution for 10 minutes before washing.
  • 67. Clean your ashtrays with a baking soda solution.
  • 68. Keep your drains clean by putting four tablespoons of baking soda in them each week. Flush it down with hot water.
  • 69. Clean your shower curtains by soaking them in baking soda and water.
  • 70. Put it on a small brush to rub canvas handbags clean.
  • 71. Use it to remove melted plastic bread wrapper from a toaster. Sprinkle baking soda on a damp rug, then use the rug to clean the toaster.
  • 72. Use it to clean your retainers and dentures.
  • 73. Make a thick paste of baking soda and water, and used it to scrub enameled cast iron and stainless steel.
  • 74. Mix four tablespoons of baking soda with a quart of warm water, and use it to clean the inside part of an oven.
  • 75. Use it to unclog gas stoves.

 

Which of these do you do already and which do you want to try?

Merissa Bio

This post with Uses for Baking Soda was originally published on Little House Living in August 2011. It has been updated as of August 2020.

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21 Comments

  1. I have 13lb bags too! When I switched to cleaning with baking soda, I decided it made sense to buy in bulk. I tried #36 and it made my veggies taste like baking soda no matter how much I washed them so hopefully you’ll have better luck than I did with that.

  2. I can’t top you, I only have a ten pound bag in my closet. 🙂 I’ve used it for teeth, the refrigerator, cleaning the oven, baking and freshening carpets. Love the stuff and got some new ideas from this list! Thanks.

  3. How much baking soda do you use for the modeling clay? It says 1 1/4 cup water and 1 cup cornstarch but I didn’t see how much baking soda to use.

  4. Have used it on cloth diapers with no problem!!! My daughter was highly allergic to all disposable diapers and even had severe issues with most clothing materials as well. She could only have cotton for the first couple of years of her life. I used baking soda for washing diapers, bibs, etc and she had no issues 🙂

  5. Wow! Finally I got a web site from where I can really obtain valuable facts regarding my study and
    knowledge.

  6. baking soda is a naturally makes water softer, or it makes water wetter, good for your hair, put a tsp baking soda, in your hand, add shampoo to ,your hand, shampoo your hair removes hair product buildup, from hair, also, in a plastic glass,safe to handle in the tub, add a tablespoon, of vinegar to a teaspoon of soda to it,now it will foam, fill glass rest of the way with hot tap water, wash your hair, rinse hair , pour the soda & vinegar w/ water over the hair, work it through the hair, rinse again, follow w/ conditioner if you wish & you have some really clean hair

  7. Done all of them at some point in life except 16, 31&32. Even (especially diapers). I’m from old school. Its what is used in other places where no soft water can be found(i.e. Italy, Germany) and when I had a tummy ache as a child mom told me to brush my teeth with it. Funny, right now, its on my rug to absorb oil that I spilled! yes it is a wonder that gram’s used and some of us still do.

  8. I use it with a damp paper towel to remove coffee and tea stains from coffee mugs, and to clean the inside of the coffee carafe, too, and counters, sprinkle on carpets (I read that it kills fungus on carpets), litter box. I made a paste of baking soda, salt & hot water to clean silver (make sure you dissolve the salt mostly so it doesn’t scratch), it will really sparkle.

  9. Use it now to take odors out of refrigerator, used it for sunburn on son’s, have used it for insect bites and used it to clean countertops.
    Found many other uses for by reading this list!

  10. I have just bought a mattress topper for my bed & when unwrapped it smells fousty , if I sprinkle over it with baking soda will this eliminate the smell

  11. I love baking soda and buy it in bulk when I can. I’ve used it for quite a few of these tips but had never heard to put in on a car’s windshield to repel rain. I live in Western Oregon, so you can be sure I’ll be giving that one a try!

  12. Thanks for sharing such great tips. I am literally in love with this. However, I am very worried about removing coffee stains. I need to know your opinion about getting coffee out of carpet.