43 ideas to use baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) at home and in the garden
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) occurs as a mineral as well as in fresh, ground and sea water.
In the 19th century, an industrial method of soda production was also developed. The history of the use of soda begins in ancient Egypt 3500 BC.
The ancient Egyptians had natural deposits of the mineral known as natron, which was mainly composed of sodium carbonate. It was used by them to mummify the corpse and also as a cleaning agent.
Apart from table salt, sodium bicarbonate is the oldest salt used by mankind from ancient times to the present day. The everlasting usefulness of soda results from its basic properties that make it a universal substance, also in a modern household.
These properties are in physical form, as a soft crystalline powder, easy to grind, and the ability to neutralize acids. The properties of soda mean that we can use it to clean various surfaces with excellent results, even if they are made of not very hard materials. As a result of neutralization of acids with the help of soda, large amounts of carbon dioxide are produced, which makes it useful, for example, in baking cakes. It is enough to slightly acidify the dough with milk, honey or lemon juice for the soda to successfully replace the yeast.
As most of the fragrances are acidic, soda also works great as an odor absorber.
Soda can even neutralize to some extent the level of contamination in drinking water as it reduces levels of lead and copper contamination, which is sometimes the case with very old water pipes and in heavily industrialized areas.
Soda added to too hard water effectively softens it, increasing the effectiveness of detergents. Sodium bicarbonate is also used in horticulture, it limits the growth of mold and fungi in general. It is also a valuable addition to cows and poultry feed. Adding soda to the feed increases the milk yield of cows and strengthens the eggshells.
The last but significant advantage of baking soda is its total harmlessness to the environment. Due to the universal use of soda, there are hundreds of recipes for its practical use, the most popular ones are listed below as useful for everyone.
Culinary tips using Sodium Bicarbonate
1. The darker color of the chocolate cake is obtained by adding 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the other ingredients of the cake.
2. A pinch of baking soda added to the confectionery coating helps to keep it moist and prevents it from cracking.
3. Sour fruit such as currants, cranberries, blackberries used as filling cakes or for the production of preserves will require less sugar if seasoned with baking soda.
4. Whipped cream with a pinch of baking soda will be more fluffy.
5. If we want to use baking soda instead of baking powder, we have to replace sugar with honey, in the proportion of 2/3 cup of honey per cup of sugar, and also slightly reduce the amount of water added to the dough. Add baking soda in the amount of ½ teaspoon for each glass of honey.
6. Make a fluffy omelette by adding ½ teaspoon for every 3 eggs.
7. A pinch of baking soda added to buttermilk used instead of milk will give us waffles that are light and soft.
8. A pinch of baking soda added to mashed potatoes while crushing them will make them more fluffy.
9. Chicken scalded with boiling water and a spoonful of baking soda will be easier to pluck.
10. Chicken meat will be more tender by rubbing the inside of the body with baking soda and placing it in the refrigerator overnight.
11. Fish soaked in a soda solution / 2 tablespoons per liter / for an hour will lose its mushy taste and smell. Before cooking, the fish should be thoroughly rinsed and dried.
12. Eliminate the unpleasant aftertaste of venison by soaking the meat in a solution of soda overnight, rinse and dry the meat thoroughly before cooking.
13. Cabbage will be more delicate if you add a pinch of baking soda to cooking.
14. We can wash fruits and vegetables in a soda solution (instead of detergents)
15. The addition of baking soda to bean dishes helps to avoid excessive gas.
16. Pour rhubarb with water with a pinch of baking soda, when the water darkens, pour fresh water over it and cook. You will need much less sugar for sweetening.
17. If homemade tomato puree feels too acidic, we can reduce its acidity by adding baking soda.
Sodium Bicarbonate as a cleaning agent
18. Remove stains on plastic laminates by covering them with lemon juice, after 30 minutes, sprinkle the stain with baking soda and rinse clean. Also, soda paste with the addition of water can be effective, it removes ink, coffee, tea and juice stains.
19. Sprinkle cutting boards generously with baking soda and sprinkle with vinegar. After a while, rinse the foam with water.
20. The baking soda and water paste can also mask the cuts on the countertop or cutting board.
21. We can use soda as a scrubbing powder for wooden and other surfaces. In this way, we will effectively remove the smell of onions, garlic or salted herring. The above-mentioned smell can also be removed from our hands by scrubbing them with baking soda and rinsing them with water.
22. Paste made of soda and water with on the wall it works well for scrubbing a hob, also a sink or a bathtub, both enameled, porcelain or stainless steel.
23. Clean the mixer with a soda solution with a minimum of detergent. Pour the mixer with soda solution, turn it on for a while, then pour it out and rinse with clean water.
24. You can clear clogged pipes by pouring 1 glass of soda into the drain and then pouring a glass of hot vinegar there. After 15 minutes, rinse the sink with plenty of hot water.
25. Another method of unblocking pipes: pour into the drain ½ glass of table salt + ½ glass of baking soda and then pour a glass of boiling water. We leave the drain overnight, rinse thoroughly with hot water in the morning.
26. Soda is an excellent agent for scouring all plastic products, because it does not scratch the cleaned surfaces. It perfectly cleans baby bottles, effectively removing the smell of milk and leaving no traces of detergents.
27. To clean the sediment from the teapot, use a boiling mixture of 1 cup vinegar and 4 tablespoons of baking soda.
28. The tarnish on cups can be easily removed by scrubbing them with baking soda.
29. Removal of odors from the refrigerator, freezer, microwave oven. We put a small, open container with soda inside, any smells will be effectively absorbed. Of course, the container should be replaced every few weeks and left outside before using the microwave oven.
30. The burnt pot, pour 5 cm of water and cook. Add cup of baking soda to the boiling water and put the dish aside overnight.
31. Heat-resistant glass dishes are cleaned with a hot mixture of 1 glass of water + 1 tablespoon of vinegar + 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
32. Sprinkle the dirty grill grate generously with baking soda and leave it overnight. On the next day, the grate can be easily cleaned by rinsing it with water.
33. Clean the copper dishes until shiny with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. After 15 minutes, scrub the pot with a paste of soda and vinegar with half a lemon. You can also scrub copper utensils with a lemon half sprinkled with baking soda.
34. We will clean silver items to a shine by scrubbing them with a piece of raw potato sprinkled with baking soda.
35. We clean tarnished silver by placing them in the sink on aluminum foil or trays. Sprinkle them with baking soda and pour water over them, after 15 minutes they will regain their shine. In severe cases, apart from baking soda, we also add a tablespoon of table salt.
36. Carpet cleaning. We sprinkle baking soda on the stain and after a while we clean the stained area with a sponge or a white cloth. Soda is good at removing wine, fat, vomit, urine stains. With the help of baking soda and water paste, you can also remove black shoe scratches from the linoleum surface as well as wax crayons from the wall.
37. We clean wooden surfaces with the following mixture: ½ cup of vinegar + ¼ cup of baking soda + 4 liters of water. If the surface is very greasy, add 1 cup of ammonia.
38. Soda added to a washing liquid increases its effectiveness / with washing powder supposedly does not work /.
39. Brushes and combs can be easily cleaned by putting them in the sink with a hot soda solution - 1 cup of baking soda for the water sink.
40. Soda instead of table salt can be used to clean icy stairs, which is very beneficial for the environment.
41. Homemade toothpaste: 3 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of fine salt, 1 ½ tablespoons of glycerin, 12 drops of peppermint oil.
Baking soda in gardening
42. Ecological pesticide! We combine 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 1/3 cup of cooking oil and 1 cup of water. The mixture is sprayed on plants attacked by aphids, mites or whiteflies. The mixture does not harm other insects. Another recipe is 2 tablespoons of baking soda in 4 liters of water, you can also spray against insects from a mixture of: ½ glass of baking soda + a few drops of washing liquid + 1 liter of water. We spray ourselves in the early evening.
43. Remove the grass growing out of the gaps between the pavement tiles by sprinkling them with baking soda. Soda is also an effective remedy against moss growing on walls.
As you can see from the examples above, it is worth having a box of soda at home as an everyday item useful both at home and in the garden.