36 Baking Soda Uses You Should Know

You likely keep a box of baking soda in your pantry or dirty kitchen. From cooking to cleaning, baking soda uses abound. 

For starters, you get it out whenever you need to prepare a batch of cookies for your family. You may also use it to relieve heartburn and clean your clothes. 

In short, baking soda is a household superstar. If you want to make the most out of your baking soda, this post features baking soda uses you should know.  

What Is Baking Soda? 

Baking soda is a widely known baking ingredient. Also known as sodium bicarbonate, baking soda produces a light, fluffy texture to chocolate chip cookies, banana muffins, Korean cream cheese garlic bread, and dream cakes. Aside from cooking, baking soda boasts a wide range of home purposes. 

Additionally, we think of baking soda simply as an ingredient for baking. We also see it as something that helps keep our refrigerators odor-free. However, baking soda helps with your health, beauty, home, and cooking. 

36 Baking Soda Uses 

Here are baking soda uses that can help you: 

Baking Soda Uses for Baking and Cooking 

1. Leavening Agent 

Baking soda activates when mixed with acid and fluids. Moreover, it produces carbon dioxide bubbles. 

You can bake fluffy treats such as cookies, pancakes, and cakes with the help of these tiny carbon dioxide gas bubbles. Baking soda also neutralizes the acid while creating carbon dioxide. 

Remember, baking soda and baking powder are two different baking ingredients. Baking powder doesn’t require acid to work. 

2. Meat Tenderizer 

Soaking meat in a baking soda and water solution elevates the pH on the meat’s surface. 

Furthermore, it makes excessive protein bonding more challenging. When cooking, baking soda also keeps the flesh soft and moist. 

Baking soda contains carbonate, which combines with the water in the meat to generate carbonic acid (together with salt). 

Additionally, this acid degrades proteins. Sodium also has the same effect. They promote water retention by drying off the meat’s exterior while keeping the interior moist. 

3. Helps with Browning 

Baking soda helps brown and flavor food when cooking.

Because of its alkaline properties, baking promotes the Maillard reaction when cooking. This chemical process that produces a golden color and caramelized flavor. As you may well know, this makes everything taste good. 

Baking Soda Uses for Beauty 

1. Relieves Sunburn 

Soaking your burnt skin in baking soda and water helps treat your skin.

Soak the affected area in a warm (not boiling) bath with half a cup of baking soda. To help soothe sunburns, sprinkle the areas with baking soda. Then, apply your favorite body cream or lotion. 

2. Relieves Itchy Skin 

Baking soda can also help relieve allergic rashes and skin afflicted by poison ivy or poison oak. 

First, make baking soda paste with a teaspoon of baking powder and a little water. Let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing. 

3. Exfoliates Skin

Did you know? You can exfoliate your skin using this baking wonder.

To do this, make yourself a baking soda exfoliant to remove dry skin from your face. 

Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with 1/2 cup of water. Then, rub it on your face gently. Next, rinse your face well. 

Using baking soda for face exfoliation is a cheap way to refine your skin. However, avoid using it regularly because it’ll disrupt your skin’s pH balance. 

4. Natural Deodorant

Shout out to the DIY gals and guys out there! You can make your deodorant using baking soda, too. 

First, combine a teaspoon of baking soda with enough water to make a milky paste. Then, rub it under your armpits. 

Baking soda deodorant helps you smell fresh all day and always ready to enjoy outside. 

5. Natural Hand Softener & Cleaner 

Mix baking soda with warm water and wipe it into your hands to remove dirt and smells. This natural hand cleaner will clean and soften your hands. 

6. Removes Splinters 

Do you have a boo-boo? Use baking soda to remove splinters. 

First, mix a tablespoon of baking soda and warm water. Soak the affected part twice daily. Splinters will naturally fall out after soaking in a baking soda mixture for a few days. 

7. Soothes Bug Bites 

You can also apply baking soda to insect bites to relieve itching.

First, make a paste from a teaspoon of baking soda and water. Then, apply the baking soda paste three times a day until the bite disappears. 

8. Soothes Feet 

Want a foot spa at home? Baking soda can help. 

Take your foot bath with warm water and a spoonful of baking soda. The mix will eliminate germs and smells. As a bonus, it helps prevent toenail fungus. 

9. Nail Prep for Manicure & Pedicure 

Smooth your hands and fingers with three parts of baking soda and one part water mixture before painting your nails. 

Alternatively, dip a clean toothbrush in baking soda and scrub around your cuticles and nails. Doing so erases any imperfections before applying nail polish. 

10. Soothes Post-Shave Skin 

To make a calming solution, combine one spoonful of baking soda with one cup of warm water. Next, apply the mixture to your legs and other shaved areas. It relieves razor burn quickly. 

11. Removes Excess Hair Products 

Eliminate buildup from hair care products such as shampoos, serums, and conditioners by adding a small amount of baking soda.

Then, wash and rinse your hair for a cleaner, more manageable coat. 

12. Naturally Whitens Teeth 

Moisten your toothbrush and massage it with baking soda to naturally whiten your teeth.

However, baking soda lacks fluoride, which helps prevent cavities. Consult your dentist before using baking soda-based toothpaste. 

13. Degreases Hair

Have you run out of dry shampoo? 

To absorb excess oil, sprinkle baking soda on your roots. Then, spread and brush through or massage in with your fingertips. 

Baking Soda Uses for Clothing 

1. Cleans Baby Clothes Gently

Add a cup of baking soda to your laundry load. Baking soda acts as a natural cleaner, detergent enhancer, and fabric softener. So, it’s the perfect way to clean baby clothes. 

2. Removes Stubborn Stains 

Baking soda works best as a stain remover when combined with water and applied as a paste. 

The paste aids in the removal of stains from cloth by trapping pigment and odor. Moreover, the paste draws more blemishes from the fabric as it dries. 

3. Alternative to Bleach 

Baking soda has two functions for white and colored clothes. For one, it brightens colorful objects. 

It also makes whites whiter when put into the washer. Hence, it’s an excellent replacement for those who don’t use bleach. 

4. Enhances Color 

Although it may appear out of date, adding baking soda to washing may make colored clothes brighter and whites whiter. 

Also, baking soda is a natural deodorizer and cleaner. It softens the water, allowing you to use less detergent. Talk about saving money on laundry.

5. Deodorizes Clothes 

Baking soda helps eliminate strong scents from clothing, even if they persist after many piles of washing. It may also be used as a laundry booster and freshens clothes by removing smells. 

Baking Soda Uses for Cleaning 

1. Kitchen Scrub 

Baking soda adds cleaning power to sponges, making them more effective without being overly harsh. 

Use a moist sponge with a non-scratch scrubbing surface to apply baking soda. Scrub sinks, toilets, and tubs with the sponge to remove stubborn residues. 

2. Cleans Pans and Pots 

Baking soda cleans a burned pot or skillet. Besides, it has moderate abrasive characteristics and an alkaline pH that help neutralize acidic and burnt food. 

It just doesn’t tame acid like vinegar or lemon juice. It also produces a fizzing reaction that helps remove burnt food from a pan. 

3. Cleans Carpets

Many carpet cleaners include chemicals that might harm your children and pets.

Use baking soda to clean your carpet and neutralize smells. Sprinkle baking soda on your carpet, then vacuum it after 15 to 20 minutes. 

4. Cleans Vegetables and Fruits

Create a natural scrub by combining a teaspoon of baking soda with water. The pasty combination naturally removes microorganisms from fruits and vegetables. 

5. Prevents Clogs from Drains 

Baking soda and vinegar are an extremely effective combination for removing clogged drains. Furthermore, baking soda offers antiseptic properties that can battle fungi and germs. 

6. Natural Fire Extinguisher 

If you have a tiny grease fire in your kitchen, get rid of it using baking soda. Pouring it over a small pan fire should rapidly put out the flames. 

7. Deodorizes Shoes

Baking soda also serves as a shoe deodorizer. 

To deodorize your shoes, sprinkle them inside. You’ll notice how quickly that nasty odor disappears. 

8. Cleans Tea and Coffee Pots

To eliminate coffee stains and unpleasant flavors from your coffee or tea kettle, use 1/4 cup baking soda with one-quart warm water. 

Then, rub the mixture into your pots. If you want to get rid of difficult stains, let the mixture stay for a few hours before rinsing. 

9. Washes Your Car 

Have you ever heard of a baking soda vehicle wash? We did. 

Baking soda’s ideal for ultimate auto cleaning. It readily eliminates oil and debris. Make a paste of 1/4 cup baking soda and one cup warm water. Then, apply it to the dirty parts.

10. Deodorizes Litter Boxes

Are you annoyed by your pet’s stink? Use baking soda to fight the nasty smell.

First, cover the bottom of your litter box with baking soda. Then, fill it with litter to deodorize it. After clearing out the liter, add baking soda to the box to remove the smell.

11. Cleans Ovens

Baking soda and white vinegar, two well-known kitchen heroes, attack a dirty oven coated in the buildup. 

Moreover, the mixture turns your oven for baking into a sparkling clean appliance. Create a chemical-free cleaning solution with these natural ingredients for a safe cleaning approach that tackles even the stickiest dirt. 

Baking Soda Uses for Health 

1. Reduces Ulcer Symptoms 

Because baking soda neutralizes stomach acid, it can be beneficial for ulcers. Taking it with water may help reduce ulcer symptoms. However, check with your doctor first before doing so. 

2. Enhances Exercise 

Add baking soda to your workouts for better results. 

Soaking 1/2 cup of baking soda in warm water helps neutralize lactic acid buildup in muscles after exercise. 

Studies suggest that taking baking soda with water alleviates weariness after exercise. When taken before doing physical activities, it improves athletic performance. 

3. Improves Kidney Function 

Baking soda, an alkaline material, lessens acids in the body and keeps the pH balanced. 

Because low-functioning kidneys have difficulty eliminating acid from the body, ingesting baking soda can help. Apart from this, some studies suggest it may reduce the progression of chronic kidney disease. 

4. Relieves Indigestion and Heartburn 

Conventional heartburn medicine makers add sodium bicarbonate to their formulations. Hence, taking baking soda is a less expensive way to relieve heartburn and indigestion. 

Combine half a teaspoon with two glasses of water. Drink this concoction an hour after eating to get some comfort.  

Conclusion

Baking soda uses reach far beyond cooking. It extends to cleaning, improving your health, and enhancing your looks.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab that tablespoon or cup and baking soda for cooking or whatever you need it for now! 

Frequently Asked Questions

About HICAPS

Over the years, HICAPS has helped bakers and businesses make delicious products by offering ingredients like ChiffonAide Cake Oil, Magic Whizk Whipping Cream, Red Velvet Flavor Emulco, and Instabake Brownie Mix. 

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