The Best Uses of Baking Soda in our Daily Life

One of the most popular uses of baking soda in our daily life is to whiten certain parts of the body. As you may know, there are several whitening toothpastes that incorporate baking soda as an active ingredient, and it can also be useful on its own. However, this remedy should only be used for a short period of time.

But it's not only teeth that baking soda may whiten; it can also be used on skin, especially in areas that tend to get darker with time, such as the underarms, the upper lip, or other body areas. Baking soda is not a proven skin-lightening treatment, and it can irritate the skin, so avoid sensitive or broken areas and stop if redness develops.

Another of the best uses of baking soda in our daily life is to use it to get rid of stains from clothes. Baking soda can help lift stubborn stains, especially when mixed with detergent or other natural ingredients such as apple cider vinegar. At OneHowTo we show you how to use baking soda for stains.

It is even more useful when you find a shirt or T-shirt that has those annoying yellowish stains that appear in the underarm area due to sweat and the use of certain deodorants. Baking soda can be especially useful to get rid of these stains. Test it on an inconspicuous area first, especially on colored fabrics, and follow the care label.

There are several tricks and hacks to make your hair more beautiful that require baking soda as a main ingredient.

For example, you can use baking soda to make dry shampoo, or you can mix three cups of white vinegar with one cup of baking soda, apply it to your hair for 5 minutes, and rinse it out to get more volume and strength in your hair. Another great baking soda hack for hair is for people who usually have dandruff. These mixtures may dry or irritate the scalp, so use them sparingly and stop if discomfort occurs.

Baking soda is useful for trapping and getting rid of bad smells because it can absorb some odors. Use baking soda to remove bad odors from clothes by washing your smelly clothes in a bowl with warm water and two tablespoons of baking soda.

If your hair smells bad due to burnt hair or not washing it properly, baking soda may also help remove the smell by adding one teaspoon to your usual shampoo.

Moreover, if you have strange smells in the refrigerator that you can't get rid of no matter how much you clean it, adding a small container full of baking soda may help absorb them. Replace the container periodically, since it will not absorb odors indefinitely.

There are even more great uses for baking soda around the home. Another of the most useful is to clean drains with baking soda. It can be useful for some household cleaning tasks, but avoid using it on aluminum because it may discolor the surface. It can also help with cleaning drains and mild buildup.

To do so, you should mix one cup of hot water with one cup of white vinegar and half a cup of baking soda. First, pour a whole pot of hot water down the drain and then pour in the mix. Rinse with water after ten minutes have passed. This may freshen a drain or loosen mild residue, but it will not reliably clear a serious blockage.

Baking soda is a leavening agent, which means that it creates a foaming action that makes dough rise. This is why it's commonly used to make cakes or as a substitute for baking powder, as we show you in our article on how to make cupcakes without baking powder. Baking soda needs an acidic ingredient in the recipe to produce the gas that helps the batter rise.

Did you know that baking soda is also used in some facial treatments? Some commercial products include baking soda as an ingredient, and it is sometimes used in scrubs. However, it can be harsh on facial skin, so use it sparingly, patch-test first, and avoid applying it to irritated or broken skin. Make your own baking soda face scrub and take care when using it.

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