6 Curious Uses Of Sodium Bicarbonate

Baking soda is a product that can be used for many tasks within the home, from polishing surfaces, removing bad odors, removing dirt to unclogging pipes, for example. Your secret? Which is slightly alkaline.

Curious uses of baking soda

Of course, before getting down to work it is essential that you take the appropriate measures to protect yourself, as it could cause negative effects on the body.

Symptoms of exposure to this compound include irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and throat, cough, chest discomfort, and gastrointestinal disorders.

1. To unclog the drains

When the pipes in the sink become clogged, the bad smell and the inconvenience appear. However, this problem can be solved in a short time if you use a little baking soda and hot water.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of baking soda (100 g).
• 3 glasses of hot water (600 ml).

Preparation

• Very easy. All you have to do is pour the baking soda down the pipes first, then the three cups of boiling water. Highly effective!
• After you’ve applied the baking soda and water, allow at least half an hour to pass before using the pipe regularly again.

Keep in mind that when heated to break down this compound, it emits toxic fumes of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and sodium oxides, so use extreme caution while using it.

2. To remove chemical odor from clothing

Many times when you buy a new towel, a bathrobe, or even a T-shirt, you notice that strong, pungent smell of chemicals and paint. What’s more, when you wear them, these pieces of clothing may be very rough. To fix this, you can do the following.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of baking soda (100 g).

Preparation

• Fill a bowl with warm water and add the baking soda.
• Stir with a utensil a couple of times to dissolve the product well.
• Place the items you want in the container.
• Let it sit overnight.
• The next day, drain the water from the clothes and wash them in the washing machine as usual.

3. To clean the smell of cat or dog urine

There is always a corner where your dog likes to go to urinate, or you may need to remove that smell from the box where your cat usually goes to relieve himself. In those cases, you not only want to remove the smell, but also disinfect, for the health of the pet itself.

Ingredients

• 1 glass of white vinegar (250 ml).
• 4 tablespoons of baking soda (40 g).

Preparation

• Too easy. All you have to do is mix baking soda with the white vinegar.
• Afterwards, you will spray this preparation on the areas you want to clean and disinfect.
• Let it act for 2 hours.
• Rinse with water.

4. To clean bathroom tiles

With this simple homemade trick you will make your bathroom shine again. It is so easy that you will do without many of those products that you usually buy in the supermarket to get rid of the dirt. Do you want to know how to prepare this simple trick?

Ingredients

• 1 and a half cups of baking soda (150 g).

• 3 drops of tea tree essential oil.
• 1 cup of white vinegar (100 g).
• 3 liters of warm water.

Preparation

• Mix all these elements in a container, add the 3 liters of water and stir.
• Clean with this mixture.
• You will see how, little by little, they become more shiny and, also, thanks to the tea tree oil, you will be able to disinfect them leaving a pleasant clean smell.

5. To remove the bad smell from the refrigerator

Many times when we open the refrigerator that unpleasant smell of dampness or even stale food comes in. There is nothing bad inside, but  still a stench permeates the fridge. What can you do then? Don’t worry, baking soda will also be your great ally in this case.

Ingredients :

• 100 g of baking soda.
• 2 glasses of hot water (500 ml).

Preparation

• Empty the fridge. 
• Mix both ingredients in a bowl.
• Dampen a cloth with the mixture and start cleaning with it.
• You can also place, at the bottom of the refrigerator, a small plastic container with 200 grams of bicarbonate to absorb bad odors.

6. To remove the bad smell of old books

Although there are people who have no problem with the smell of an old book, not everyone likes it. A good way to eliminate it is to do the following.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of baking soda (100 g).
• 1 plastic bag where the book with a bad smell will fit.

Preparation

• You just have to put the 100 grams of baking soda in that plastic bag along with the book you need to remove that bad smell and mold.

• Close the bag and keep it like this for a week. You will see what a good result it offers you!

To consider

There are many other uses for baking soda as a cleaner, polish, or plunger. Now, as a product for cosmetic use, you must be careful, as it can cause skin sensitivity, for example.