Common household cleaner everyone overlooks, part one

Have you ever suddenly noticed something that has been staring you in the face that you just keep ignoring? Something so ubiquitous that you just never considered using it for anything other than its traditional use?

Baking Soda is one of these things. I’ll bet everyone knows you can place an opened box of it in your refrigerator to help eliminate odors. But, housewives, years ago, knew about its cleansing power. And I happy to say that lately, I have seen many articles about how baking soda cleans a long list of items that we typically buy chemicals for.

Chemical companies have managed to bury this little jewel through their multi-million dollar advertising budgets for their ‘miracle’ cleaners by using cartoonish icons of bald, muscle-bound, super cleaners and ‘scrubbing bubbles’. Thankfully, through the ‘miracle’ of the internet, knowledge of these old, time tested, natural items are finally being spread to the general public.

Vinegar and club soda are a couple of other common household products that could eliminate a lot of chemical products that we buy out of habit. Around the web you can read about how those who are asked the question “What is one thing you would do to become green?” One of the answers is to use cleansers that are more environmentally friendly. I am willing to bet that the thinking behind this answer is to rely on chemical companies to come up with a more ‘environmentally safe chemical’. This indicates how brain washed we have become in our dependence on ‘chemicals for a better life’.

Baking soda, a naturally occurring substance, is a natural deodorizer and cleanser.

Removes tape residue - Make a thick paste of baking soda and water. Rub the paste onto bits of tape stuck to windows, then wipe clean.

Put out grease fires - Sprinkle on the base of a fire to smother the flames. DON'T USE WATER.

Kills roaches - Set out a shallow dish or bowl containing equal parts sugar and baking soda. Roaches are attracted to the sugar, but the mixture is deadly to them.

Spot-clean a rug - Sprinkle baking soda on greasy spots and let sit for about an hour. Scrub gently with a damp sponge or brush, then vacuum to remove any leftover grime.

Absorb moisture - Place an open box of baking soda in your tool cabinet to fend off moisture that could rust saws or other equipment.

Keep drains clear - Once a week, pour a cup of baking soda and a cup of vinegar down your kitchen sink. It'll help keep your pipes clog-free. Also, use in your toilet to help keep it fresh and clean.

Clean a shower door - Pour some baking soda on a damp sponge, wipe the door, and rinse with warm water.

Removes crust from your grill - Sprinkle baking soda directly on an indoor or outdoor grill. Let sit overnight, then slough off the grime with a wire brush and warm water.

Scrub your hands - Rubbing your hands with warm water and a palm full of baking soda will remove stubborn odors.

Combats body odors - Wash well with baking soda and apply for a stronger substitute for underarm deodorant.

Banish other odors - Seal musty-smelling books for a few weeks in a plastic bag with baking soda sprinkled inside to eliminate mildew and odors, sprinkle in garbage can and leave sit, pour down garage disposal, diaper pails, litter boxes, ‘wet-dog’ odor by sprinkling dog with baking soda and then brushing it out.

Clean your teeth - Use a little bit of baking soda on your toothbrush after you've brushed to get your teeth extra white. Don't do this more than 2, 3 times a month.

Cleans clothes - Add a little baking soda to your wash cycle, it takes out tough stains.

Cleans dishes/containers – Sprinkle on food and drink containers to clean well. Works better with plastic items.

Cleans stainless steel pots and glass – Sprinkle with baking soda, then add hot water. Let soak overnight; the dried on food will come loose much more easily.

Cleans baking dishes - Enamel, Ceramic or Glass: Soak in hot soapy water, then scour with salt or baking soda and rinse thoroughly.

Cleans silver - use a paste of 3 parts baking soda to one part water. Rub the paste onto each item, then rinse with warm water and dry with a soft cloth.

Breaks down tough dirty areas - dirt on a car, inside of barbecue etc. For stubborn buildup, use a paste of 3 parts baking soda to one part water and let sit overnight.

Removes scuff marks or grease spills from floor - sprinkle with baking soda and then wipe with a warm, damp cloth. This is even safe for no-wax floors!

Cleans appliances – Sprinkle on a damp sponge and wipe down dishwashers, coffee-makers, etc.

Cleans hairbrushes and combs – mix 1 part baking soda to three parts water and let them soak.

Sun-burn solvent - To relieve minor burns (such as a sun burn), use baking soda and water, apply gently.

Gargle - Gargle baking soda for whiter teeth, fresher smell and it also heals mouth sores.

Bug bites - Apply baking soda to bug, bee, wasp, ant or any kind of insect bite for a quicker heal.

Polish - Baking soda is a great polish for chrome, silver, marble furniture, piano keys.

Smooth skin - Use with water to create paste, apply to face, careful to avoid eyes and mouth, and leave on for 3 - 5 minutes, wash off. Your face will be noticeably softer.

Ashtrays and stale tobacco smoke - put baking soda in the bottom of each ashtray to keep away some of the stale smoke smell.

This list goes on and on. You can come up with your own uses too.

Now, go back over this list and think about how many common chemical based cleaners you have in your house that can be eliminated.

Everyone knows about Arm & Hammer Baking Soda but other natural cleansers are Bar Keepers Friend, 20 Mule Team Borax, vinegar, lemon juice and isopropyl rubbing alcohol.

Using these products instead of the more expensive chemical based cleansers is a sure way to get you closer to being green.

As an added bonus, baking soda, washed down our drains, is a lot less harmful to pipes used in our municipal sewage system and water treatment plants.

Cleaning tips using other natural products:
Rubbing alcohol: clean candles by using a sponge and a piece of cotton dipped in rubbing alcohol. Telephone Cleaner: Sponge with a piece of cotton dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Club soda: removes stains from stainless steel counter tops, ranges, sinks and carpet. It dries without streaks or spots. Use it fresh or flat.

Bleach: as a toilet bowl cleaner: Pour 1/4 cup full strength chlorine bleach OR 1/2 cup full strength ammonia into bowl. NEVER MIX BLEACH WITH AMMONIA, it produces a toxic odor that can make you pass out. Swish with a bowl brush and flush.

Borax and Lemon Juice: For removing a stubborn stain, like toilet bowl ring, mix enough borax and lemon juice into a paste which can cover the entire ring. Flush toilet to wet the sides, then rub on paste. Let sit for 2 hours and scrub thoroughly. For less stubborn toilet bowl rings, sprinkle baking soda around the rim and scrub with a toilet brush.

Table salt: makes a Non-chlorine Scouring Powder, sprinkle on a sponge or the surface you wish to clean and then scour and rinse.

Aluminum Foil: Briskly scrub rust spots on car bumpers with a piece of crumpled aluminum foil, shiny side up. Also works well on the chrome shafts of golf clubs.

Baby oil: to get nasty soap scum and dirt off your tub or shower, put 1 part baby oil to 4 parts water in a spray bottle. Spray mixture on a section and wipe off with a sponge. When you're done, spray with a disinfectant cleaner to make sure all germs are killed.

Dry cement: sprinkle on grease stains on concrete flooring, allow it to absorb the grease, then sweep up.

Go to part two for more tips.