Home remedy: baking soda
Already the generation of our grandmothers used the home remedy baking soda in the household. Back then there were no chemical substitute products that covered all of baking soda’s uses. Baking soda is truly very versatile. You can easily replace many cleaners with it, e.g. all-purpose cleaner or oven spray, and at the same time reduce waste. From baking soda and other ingredients you can also produce cosmetics quite easily.
Use of baking soda in the kitchen – kitchen secrets
Baking soda for easy cleaning of pots and pans
If something occasionally burns while you’re cooking, the affected pot is often hard to clean. With the home remedy baking soda and water you can easily remedy the mishap. Fill one liter of water into a pot and add one tablespoon of baking soda. Stir and bring to a boil. After a while you can loosen the burnt-on food residues with a sponge or a wooden scraper.
Baking soda as a practical tip for cooking & preparation
Chili con Carne
Here is a tip when preparing Chili con Carne. The addition of baking soda together with salt helps to keep the minced meat juicy. Another tip to avoid unpleasant odors when cooking cabbage is to add a small pinch of baking soda to the cooking water.
Legumes
If you prepare legumes such as peas, beans, or chickpeas, add about 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the soaking water. This makes the legumes creamier and reduces flatulence.
Fruit
Baking soda binds excess fruit acid in strongly acidic fruits such as red currants, rhubarb, or gooseberries. Add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to 500 g of sour fruit. The result is a milder taste.
Cheese fondue
Cheese fondue is very tasty, but unfortunately it often sits heavy in the stomach after eating. Therefore add 1–2 pinches of baking soda to the fondue. Your fondue will thus be airier and much more digestible., making the fondue airier and more digestible.
Easier peeling of eggs
Peeling eggs is sometimes very tedious, especially if you want to prepare, for example, an egg salad. Make the task easier! Add one teaspoon of baking soda to your egg-cooking water. Afterwards you can peel the eggs much more easily.
Easier peeling of carrots
If you don’t feel like peeling carrots by hand, try this: pour boiling baking soda water over the carrots (amount 1 tbsp baking soda per 1 liter of water). After a few minutes you can drain the carrots and rinse them with cold water. The peel can then be removed easily.
More practical tips using baking soda
Baking soda RESTores shine
Is your sink scaled and the surface looking unattractive? Dirt collects on limescale. To RESTore shine to your kitchen and bathroom sinks, a paste of baking soda and water helps. Apply this paste to a sponge and scrub the sink surface. Then rinse the sink until the original shine returns.
Baking soda for smelly shoes
Do you have a pair of favorite shoes that unfortunately smell a bit? Baking soda neutralizes unpleasant odors. If you sprinkle baking soda into the shoes in the evening and let them air out, the baking soda will absorb the odors overnight. In the morning pour the baking soda out or, preferably, vacuum it up. The shoes will smell fresh again.
Baking soda to prevent icing
To avoid defrosting freezers so often, you can use baking soda as an anti-stick coating. After defrosting, simply wipe with a damp cloth everything to which you have applied 1–2 tbsp baking soda. Baking soda delays moisture settling and thus the formation of ice.
Baking soda for deposits in thermos flasks
You are probably familiar with unsightly deposits in thermos flasks caused by tea or coffee. You can remove these easily. Put 1–2 teaspoons of baking soda into the flask and fill it with hot water. Let it sit for several hours, possibly overnight. If you use one tablespoon of baking soda and hot water and let the mixture sit for several hours, you can remove the deposits with a bottle brush. Rinse several times afterwards.
Baking soda for adhesive residues
Stickers often leave unpleasant adhesive residue on bottles. To remove the residue, halve a lemon and spread 1 tbsp baking soda on it. Rub the adhesive residue several times with this. Afterwards rinse the containers thoroughly.
Baking soda for DIY scouring cream
Making scouring cream is very simple. You need: 2 tbsp baking soda, 2 tbsp salt, lemon juice and an empty, clean bottle. Put the lemon juice, baking soda and salt into the plastic bottle. Then fill it up with liquid soap. Shake well. You now have a mildly foaming household cleaner.
Baking soda for DIY personal care
Baking soda for itchy mosquito bites
Mosquito bites can itch terribly. Instead of applying cooling mosquito gels to the itchy area, you can prepare a soothing paste of baking soda and water. Apply this to the bite and let the baking soda dry. The itching subsides after a while and the swelling recedes.
Home remedy baking soda for natural hair lightening
To lighten naturally blonde hair, you can coat your blonde hair with a baking soda paste. After a 20-minute exposure the hair will be one shade lighter. Afterwards apply a conditioning treatment.
Home remedy baking soda for DIY bath bombs
You can make bath bombs very easily. Melt 50 grams of cocoa butter and 25 grams of coconut oil in a water bath. Then stir in 200 grams of baking soda, 100 grams of citric acid and 50 grams of cornstarch. Press the finished mixture into an ice-cube tray or silicone molds. Let it set overnight. The solidified bath bombs are easily removable the next day.
Home remedy baking soda for an alkaline bath
To prepare an alkaline bath that leaves your skin wonderfully soft, add 100 grams of baking soda to the bathwater. However, this circulation-promoting alkaline bath should not be taken more than once or twice a week.
Home remedy baking soda for your DIY deodorant
If your roll-on deodorant is empty, you can easily make one yourself. You need 1–2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp baking soda plus water to make your natural deodorant. Pour the liquid into an empty roll-on bottle.
Home remedy baking soda for a foot bath
If you tend to sweaty feet, add one teaspoon of baking soda per liter of water to your foot bath. A twenty-minute foot bath with baking soda helps against sweat odor. A useful side effect: the baking soda water softens hardened calluses. These can then be rubbed away with an exfoliating sponge or pumice stone.
More tips with baking soda
Baking soda is suitable for a wide range of applications. Since not all can be listed, here is a list of ideas that can be implemented with baking soda. Baking soda can serve as
- baking powder substitute
- ingredient for effervescent powder
- flavor enhancer in coffee
- odor neutralizer for garlic-scented fingers
- processing aid for lye-baked goods
- drain cleaner in combination with vinegar
- antibacterial wash for fruit and vegetables
- all-purpose cleaner when combined with grated curd soap
- limescale remover for fittings, tiles and ceramics
- general-purpose plant protection agent
- glass-ceramic hob and oven cleaner
- polish for silver cutlery
- window pane cleaner
- dishwasher descaler
- vacuum cleaner deodorizer
- terracotta pot descaler
- refrigerator deodorizer
- water softener
- stain remover
- dry shampoo
- or grout cleaner
be useful. Appropriate recipes can be found in books or on websites.