25 Uses for Baking Soda

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Recently, I went on a trip to Wally World with the kiddos.  Of course their whining, complaining and constant touching of everything in the store distracted me and I grabbed a giant box of baking soda instead of washing soda.

I certainly was not about to go back to return it so now I am the proud owner of a 4 pound value-sized box of baking soda.

4 pound box of baking soda

This box may last me a lifetime even with all the uses I’ve found.  Now on to the chemistry lesson, history and uses of baking soda!

What is Baking Soda

Baking soda is also known as sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate.  According to Wikipedia it is “the chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3.  Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder.  It has a slightly salty, alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda (sodium carbonate).  The natural mineral form is nahcolite. It is a component of the mineral natron and is found dissolved in many mineral springs.”

Got all that?  All you really need to know is that it is cheap and non-toxic.

History of Baking Soda

The ancient Egyptians mined natron (see the chemical lesson above) which they used as soap.  Those ancient Egyptians were so smart — pyramids and soap made out of what we know as baking soda.  Wait…they didn’t make the pyramids out of baking soda, just the soap.  See what happens when you have a poorly written sentence?

In 1846, two bakers named Dwight and Church refined the process of making baking soda from sodium carbonate and carbon dioxide and Arm & Hammer Baking Soda was born.  Arm & Hammer has been around for 165 years and has many uses in addition to baking.

25 Uses for Baking Soda

In The Kitchen

1.  Freshen Your Refrigerator.  I think we all know that if you add an open box to your refrigerator it will keep it fresh smelling.

2.  Remove Burnt on Foods.  Pour a little baking soda in a pan or pot that has burnt, stuck on food.  Add water and bring to a slight boil.  The burnt on yucky stuff will slide right out.  My mom taught me this trick on her last visit.  Worked like a charm!

3.  Clean Fruits and Vegetables.  Baking soda is a safe way to clean fresh fruit and vegetables.  Just shake, rub and rinse.

4.  Garbage Disposal Freshener.  Pour 1/2 cup baking soda in your garbage disposal followed by 1/2 cup of vinegar.  It will bubble and fizz for a while.  Leave for 10 minutes and then pour boiling water down the drain while running your disposal.   It will leave the disposal clean and fresh.

5.  Chicken Cleaning.  I don’t know of anyone who kills and cleans their own chickens.  If this is something that you do, adding a teaspoon of baking soda to the boiling water before dipping the chicken will help the feathers come off easier.  I think I’ll just continue to buy my chicken at the store feather-free.

6.  Keep Fresh Fish Fresher.  Back in the day, fisherman would pack their fish in baking soda to keep it from spoiling.  Soaking your raw fish in baking soda solution for about an hour before cooking will remove that fishy smell.

7.  Kitchen Fires.  Never throw water on an electrical fire.  I remember learning this in grade school.  We were given a can filled with baking soda that my mom kept under the kitchen sink in case of grease or electrical fire. Throw handfuls to help put out the flames.  Apparently, heated baking soda gives off carbon dioxide which will help smother the flames.

8.  Deodorize Food Containers.  Soak in water and baking soda overnight to remove food smells from your plastic containers.

9.  Coffee and Tea Stains.  Make a paste of baking soda and water and rub on coffee of tea mugs to remove those stubborn stains.

For the Home

10.  Carpet Deodorizer.  Sprinkle on your carpet and let sit for a few minutes before vacuuming.

11.  Pest Control.  Throwing a little baking soda around your vegetable garden will keep the rabbits from eating your bounty.  It will also keep the ants away.

12.  Stain Removal.  Soak stubborn stains in baking soda solution and detergent overnight.  You can also use a sponge to rub a little baking soda on the stain.

13.  Clean Crayon Marks and Scuffs off Walls.  Make a paste to rub away scuffs and crayon marks from your little Picasso.

14.  Cleans Grout – 1 tablespoon water and 3 tablespoons baking soda with a small brush will bring the sparkle back to your grout.

15.  Keep Litter Box Fresh.  Sprinkle in bottom of litter pan and then on top of litter to keep smells away.

16.  Keep Smells Away.  Put a box of baking soda in closets, suitcases, gym bags, garbage cans, diaper pails, or anywhere you want to keep smells away.

17.  Freshen Stuffed Animals.  My kids love their stuffed animals.  Sprinkle baking soda on and let it sit for 15 – 20 minutes.  Brush off.

Personal Uses

18.  Keep Your Pet Smelling Fresh.  I hate that wet doggy smell.  Give your pet a bath using baking soda.  It’s good for their skin and helps get rid of the wet dog smell.

19.  Clean Hands.  Baking soda can be used as a hand cleaner.  It scrubs away dirt and takes care of odors on your hands.

20.  Remove Product Buildup in Hair.  Add a little baking soda to your shampoo once a week  to remove product buildup from your hair.

21.  Clean Combs and Hairbrushes.  Clean your combs and brushes once a month by soaking in 2 teaspoons of baking soda and warm water.  Rinse.

22.  Microdermabrasion.  Mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part water and gently rub your face and body then rinse for great exfoliation.  I actually do this one and it leaves my skin feeling really soft.  Be gentle when rubbing on your face.

23.  Anti-itch for Bug Bites.  Mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part water and apply to bite to relieve the itchiness.  My mom also told me that meat tenderizer will work as well.

24.  Clean Teeth.  Baking soda is in a lot of commercial toothpaste.  Sprinkle on a wet toothbrush and brush your teeth.  The taste is not as good but if you are out of toothpaste, baking soda will work.   

25.  Use As Deodorant.  Pat baking soda under the arms to help rid body odor.

Do you have any other uses for baking soda?  

Let me know in the comments and I’ll update the list! 

 

 

Willow the Cat

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Willow the Cat

Here is Willow the cat, or Willow Pillow as I call her because she is so soft.   Willow quietly rules the house.  She terrorizes the dogs by staring at them until they submit to her will, smacking them on the head as they walk by and then twists the knife by saying “cats rule, dogs drool.”  And the dogs just bow their heads and say “yes, you are right your highness.”

She is the keeper of the water bowl.  She has her own water bowl but prefers to drink out of the dog’s, and if it is low she will sit there and meow until you fill it up.   This is the only time she makes a sound except when her food bowl is not filled to the top.  The food must reach the top of the bowl at all times or she will meow her little head off.

Willow also loves L very much.   At every nap, there she is, curled up next to him watching over him as he sleeps.

Willow and L

She is such a sweet cat!

Something To Think About

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This is how many Saturdays between the day your child is born and the day he or she turns 18.

* from No Regrets Parenting by Harley Rotbart, MD

18 years seems like such a long time but when you look at it as only 6,570 days that you have before they are practically adults, going to college and moving out, it really changes the perspective.

Love them, cherish them and if you give them at least 2 hugs a day that is 13,140 hugs…doesn’t seem like enough to me so I’m going to give more than 2 a day!

I’m ending this post now before I start crying.

My First Guest Post at Expandng

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I’m so excited that my BBB (best blogging buddy) Lisa from Expandng  has me as a guest blogger on her site today!  She asked me to share what I’ve learned about blogging, what I want to learn and what I wish I new before I started.  Head on over and read the post.

 

You will want to read the rest of her blog, too. Lisa blogs about photography (great info and great pictures!) and family. You will enjoy her posts about the adventures of raising a toddler…her son, J, is ADORABLE.

I’m so glad that I met Lisa through Blogelina. She is the sweetest person and has been one of my biggest supporters. I know you will enjoy reading Expandng as much as I do.

Wine Bottle Tiki Torch

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If you are as obsessed with Pinterest as much as I am, I’m sure you have seen the wine bottle tiki torches.  Since neighbor T and I were weekend wine warriors for a while (we have since switched to mojitos!) I have a lot of empty wine bottles.   I was using them to make wine bottle lamps, which I will share in a future post, but I just had to make some of the tiki torches.

Tree of Life Bottle

Yuengling Bottle

Please don’t judge my picture-taking!  For the life of me I couldn’t get rid of the shadow on the Tree of Life Bottle.  That one is for my personal use.  I painted the tree with enamel paint and baked it.  Then embellished it with clear rhinestones and beaded wire.

The Yuengling Bottle is for my brother who, from what I hear, drinks a lot of this stuff.  I decoupaged yellow tissue paper all over the bottle and then added the label from the beer bottle.  I’m still practicing on the copper wire embellishment.

The wine bottle tiki torch is so easy to make.  All you need is a wine bottle and these three supplies….

 Supply List

1.  Tiki torch replacement wicks

2.  Threaded seal tape 1/2″ size

3.  1/2″ x 3/8″ copper coupling

The tape and coupling can be found at Lowe’s or Home Depot in the plumbing section.  The Tiki torch replacement in the garden section.

How To Make the Wine Bottle Tiki Torch

Wrap the larger end of the coupling with the tape, keeping it even and smooth.  Continue wrapping until there is enough around the coupling to fit snugly in the bottle opening.

Insert the wick through the coupling and let it stick out about 1/4″.  I had to flare the top of the wick in the Tree of Life Bottle because it kept falling in to the bottle.  I’m not having a problem with the Yuengling Bottle’s wick.   Once the wick soaks up the torch oil it fits a little better.

You can use a copper cap also available in the plumbing section to cover the wick and keep it dry, but I just bring my bottle indoors when I’m not using it.

I can’t wait to make more of these to give as gifts.  You don’t have to use wine bottles – you can use beer bottles, soda bottles or jars.   You can paint, decoupage, glue on rhinestones or leave them as is.  Neighbor T has made some really cute tiki jars!  They are adorable and I will get some pictures to share.

What ideas do you have to decorate a Wine Bottle Tiki Torch?

 

Being a Patient Parent

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Being a patient parent is something that I struggle with daily and with school almost out, I’m sure it will be a bigger struggle during the summer months.   I love, love, love my kids but sometimes I have to tell them “I have had enough!”

My mom sent me an article about being a patient parent that she saw in USA Weekend magazine.   She has this annoying habit of always sending my brothers and me articles about things she thinks we need to read.  It could be from magazines or newspapers, but she will carefully cut it out and put it in a generic card and mail to one of us.  Most of the things she cuts out are about raising children, weight loss, recipes or the police blotter with a name she recognizes and wants to know if we went to school with this person.   (I came from a small town – the police blotter is big news).

The most recent was a good one.  How to be a more patient parent.  Basically it talks about setting up situations so that you won’t go off in the first place.

Planning

Face it, when we don’t plan, we plan to fail, or something like that.  We know that we have some high pressure situations that always bring out our tempers.  For example, if you need to be somewhere in the morning and your kids are slow-moving (daughter A is one of these), have them get as much ready the night before as they can…lay out their clothes, backpacks ready by the door.

One thing that I like to do is tell them how much time they have and set a timer so they can see how much time they have left before we leave.  This works particularly well for son L because he sees it as a race to beat the clock.

Weekly Family Meetings

Have a sit down meeting with your family to discuss the past week and how things went.  If something didn’t go as planned you can discuss how to handle it in the future.  Give the kids a chance to weigh in and offer up ideas.  When your children feel that they are part of the solution they are more invested in seeing it through.

Set Clear Consequences

Involve your kids in setting rules, assigning chores and setting consequences.  As the article says, make them your ally.    This will help them feel respected and there will be no question as to what is expected of them and what the consequences will be.

One thing that husband K and I learned when we became foster parents is to sit down with the children as soon as possible and come up with the rules of the house together.  We would discuss our rules and ask the kids what rules they have had in the past or think are important to have in our home.   We then would talk about the consequences of breaking those rules.  We wrote them down on a large poster board and let the kids decorate it before hanging it up in the kitchen.

There is incredible buy-in on the kids part by doing this.  There was very little argument because they knew when they broke a rule and what was going to happen because of it.   I will add that consistency with consequences is most important.

Parenthood is not easy, and being a patient parent can be difficult.  We face so much pressure in our daily lives between work and home and it is hard to keep our cool sometimes.  Hopefully, by planning and talking with my kids this will be the summer of patience!

Do you have any ideas on how to be a patient parent?

 

 

 

New Farberware Knives

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Another visit from the parents means another new item in my kitchen.  During previous visits mom has brought new silverware and kitchen towels, which you can read about here.   Usually, she doesn’t like something in my kitchen and then proceeds to take it upon herself to replace it.  It think this is a win-win for both of us…she’s happy to be rid of the old and I’m happy to get the new.

Old Knive Set

This past weekends visit brought a new Farberware kitchen knive set!

Mom has been complaining about my knives for a few years. They don’t really bother me, even though they are quite ugly, old and dull.  If you hack away at something long enough, eventually they will cut.   You just have to be patient with them.

But the new Farberware set is beautiful, sharp and shiny! And I like shiny things!

New Knive Set

 

 

I haven’t had a chance to really use them yet, but I’m sure I’ll find out about the wonderful benefits of a sharp knife  before long.

Thanks mom for keeping my kitchen fresh and new.

Fish Update

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A couple of months ago, we had some major fish drama around the World of Laura B.  Turns out the cute little fishy that L picked out was “with fish”.   One morning all 25 of them were born.  You can read about that here and here.  It has been a couple of months and guess how many fish we have now?  Zero, zip, none, nil, zilch.

What Happened to the Baby Fish?

I had bought a nursery tank to keep the little ones protected from the big bad momma fish who would eat them.  This went well.  Some of the babies died which I attributed to survival of the fittest.  Then one day the top to the nursery tank must have come loose and the babies escaped. I thought that they were big enough now and would be able to hide well enough from the proud parent fish, so I let them stay out.  Big mistake.  I think they ate them!  They must have, where else did these baby fish go?    I felt terrible, but I really thought they were big enough and smart enough to hide from their piranha parents.  So now I’m back to the 2 fish I originally had.

What Happened to the Parent Fish?

It wasn’t long after all the baby fish disappeared that poppa fish was found belly-up on the bottom of the tank.  Ha, I thought, serves him right eating his children that way.   So I flushed the baby-eating poppa which left only momma fish and she hung on for a long time.

Then, one day, daughter A says, “momma fish has been living a long time.”  No!  Don’t say that.  Around here a comment like that means certain death for a fish.  Sure enough, 2 days later momma fish had joined poppa and the children in the great fish tank in the sky.

An Empty Fish Tank

Now our fish tank sits empty.   Son L said he is sad that his fish died and wants to get more.  I’m trying to convince him that there is an official fish mourning period of 3 months before you can get any more fish.  He’s not buying it.  I will hold off as long as I can, though!

 

 

Closet Organization

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A's Closet Floor

Vacuuming the kids room on Monday and I open A’s closet and find this!  So I dragged it out and took this pic.  Yes, the picture is a little blurry because I was shaking from…what…anger? disbelief?  grief?  all of the above?  All of this was on the floor of the closet!  This is so unacceptable!

I love my daughter.  She is beautiful, intelligent, funny, talented and sweet.  But, she is also, dare I say it?….a slob.  On this floor I see shoes, of course, but also clothes, tote bags, a cord to something and a doll’s hair brush.  I see 3 things that were laying on the floor in her room that I told her to put away and I didn’t mean throw it on the closet floor.

So, in my never-ending quest to teach my daughter to be neat and tidy, to take care of her things and be responsible, I bought a shoe organizer for her closet.   I also threatened pool privileges for the summer if I open her closet door and find something similar to the picture above again.

We’ll see how long this lasts…

Shoe Organizer

 

 

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