Do’s
Replace ordinary household cleaners
Household cleaners are full of harsh chemicals, plus they end up costing you a lot of money. If you are looking to save money and limit your families expo-sure to toxic chemicals baking soda is the way to go. There are several dif-different recipes available that you can use to replace all of your household cleaners that use baking soda and other ingredients you have in the home.
Use baking soda for common ailments
Baking soda can be used for much more than just cooking and cleaning, it can also be used to cure common ailments or as a beauty product. For bee stings or splinters you can apply a paste of baking soda and allow to dry. As the baking soda dries the splinter or stinger will pop out of the skin, making it easier to remove.
Baking soda can also be used to treat burns, indigestion, and upset stomachs, along with other ailments.
Odor Eliminator
One of the greatest uses of baking soda, aside from making baked gods rise, is that it is a natural odor eliminator. You can sprinkle baking soda on your dog to give your dog a dry bath, you can sprinkle it in ice chests, tents, thermos mos, etc. to prevent and absorb musty odors. You can keep a box in your fridge and freezer to absorb any unwanted food smells. Not only is it a natural way to eliminate odors, it is also a very cost effective method. An average box of baking soda costs around $2 and with baking soda a little goes a long way.
Don’ts
Mistake baking soda for baking powder
This is one of the most common occurrences in the kitchen by novice cooks.
Baking soda and baking powder look quite similar and their names are similar, but they are not the same thing. When cooking you need to be careful that you do not mix up baking soda with baking powder because it will drastically affect your end result. Baking soda will react with the acidity naturally found in foods, while baking powder has a powdered acid inside of it. This affects the way your foods will rise, as well as taste. Use the wrong one just one time and you will know exactly what I am talking about.
Use on aluminum
Baking soda can be used on a variety of surfaces, it can even be used to remove burnt on food from pots and pans. However, you want to be careful what surfaces and cookware you use baking soda on because of chemical reactions. If you use it on cookware made from aluminum or any other aluminum surface you run the risk of discoloring your cookware or the surface because the baking soda is going to react with the aluminum.
Use to put out grease fires
You will read a lot of information about how you can use baking soda to put out grease fires. And while this might seem like a great idea, the truth of the matter is it will take way more baking soda than you think to put out a grease fire.
Not to mention you will have to get super close to the flames in order to douse it with the baking soda. In most cases what you will end up with is a massive grease fire amid a cloud of baking soda dust. Instead of using baking soda invest in a fire extinguisher.
