baking soda is one of my most important items in my pantry. I buy it in 50lb bags.
it's good for:
cleaning
brushing my teeth
washing my hair (in a paste)
mixing with laundry detergent
baking
...
I'm starting to keep a stock in my basement, I know it will make my life a whole lot easier after SHTF. Does anyone have other uses for it or a similar item they just can't live without?
Where do you find 50 lb bags of the stuff? I buy the big boxes at Costco. I have put out more fires with baking soda than fire extinguishers, and nothing beats it for odor removal.
Great post! I use it to soak my dentures instead of buying the expensive stuff. Works great. I go through a lot of small boxes. I buy it at the dollar store for .50. Wish I knew where to get it in larger containers. I keep one in each of my buckets of dry goods too. Never thought of using it for deoderant. Good idea. Thanks. I think that if I had a large amount I would have to store it airtight just because it absorbs odors and moisture.
A mild solution of baking soda and water will also kill powdery mildew on your plants by raising the PH level to where the fungus can't survive.
If you heat baking soda, carbon dioxide is driven off and it turns into sodium carbonate (washing soda). This is a great water softener for doing laundry. It keeps calcium in the water from bonding to the detergent, increasing it's effectiveness.
Another thing I find a zillion uses for is vinegar. I stock both of them pretty heavily. I sure hope they don't ever mix in the house!
I use a lot of epoxy in gunsmithing. I think most people use epoxy somewhere along the way and it's universally messy and hard to deal with. Vinegar will dissolve and remove uncured epoxy. So next time you glue something together and it squeezes out onto the finish, don't sweat it. Just wash it off with some vinegar.
I use baking soda as a filler in epoxies and super glues. Stretches out the coverage without diminishing the strength where a build up may be needed. It beats running short.
My grandfather had stomach problems with indigestion/acid and he carried a box of soda everywhere he went. He would put a teaspoon full in 1/2 glass of water & almost instantly correct the problem.....must have not been too bad because he lived until his late 80-'s. I have tried the same thing and everytime within about 30 seconds I would let out a big belch & everything was great after that........anyone else ever heard of it being used for acidic stomach?
My mom used to mix it with Real Lemon juice and water as a I suppose as a tonic for a flu induced upset stomach and it worked. I still use it on occasion and not for only upset stomachs as it makes a great imitation 7-up or in days gone by a bubble-up.
Baking soda is great for so many things, teeth cleaning, deodoring your refrigerator. They used to recommend it for indigestion but I notice that is no longer a use, have to be careful how much you take. I also use it to help keep the kitty litter fresh longer and keep the smell down too. Nice thing is it's still really cheap to buy. Not to mention the uses in baking!
Please forgive the (likely) very stupid question but given who we are; is there a way of making this yourself as in a post SHTF scenario?
I agree Baking Soda has many uses and in a SHTF scenario you will over time go through quite a bit of it. I have used it for years as toothpaste and as fire fighting (really good on a stove top grease fire) or for upset stomach.:thumb:
these replies are great!
I hadn't thought of the tummy issues!
I noticed that mixed with water and peppermint oil it makes a great mouthwash. Almost anything in the 'personal care' department can be replaced with it.
A baking soda paste is great for facials...and leaves me with soft glowing skin!
Which I appreciate since I stopped wearing make-up long ago...
Baking soda sprinkled in rugs is safer than scented deodorizers. You can mix a few drops of essential oils with it if you want "safe scent."
Our doctor said to put a pinch of baking soda in homemade saline to take the sting out when you use it as a nasal spray or rinse. Changes the pH slightly.
I scour out sticky Tupperware with it and also pans.
Its great for mouth sores and cavities that are just starting to hurt. I have used it to treat histoplasmosis especially the sores in your mouth. Works for gingivitis in cleansing the mouth and dulls the pain. Here is some more uses http://lifehackery.com/2008/07/22/home-4/
as I mentioned earlier, I buy them through my husband's work here in Montreal. I've also seen them online (wholesale food suppliers) but haven't bought them that way. I would be happy to help out anyone who lives in the area.
Perfect for acid reduction in the belly! It's like Alka Seltzer without the annoying fizz!
I'm 35 weeks pregnant and have been carrying around a small container of baking soda everywhere I go (one stays in the glove box of the car, the other in my purse). I also take a bottle of water (for general daily consumption) and a plastic cup with a lid for mixing on the go. The taste is a bit hard to get used to but the relief is so sweet it's worth it. I feel much better about drink it this time. Last time I was on acid reducing pills and I prefer not to take the medication when there is a natural alternative.
I even keep a glass of it stirred up beside the bed for when I wake up in the middle of the night in pain. My toddler calls it frog water since I imagine it would taste like licking a frog.
Try a half cup with an equal part of Epsom salts in a hot bath to take out aches and pains
Also make a paste for a wasp or bee sting to draw the poison out.
I know that sealed and kept dry and cool, it lasts a long time. But the boxes only last a couple years. Baking soda is a reactive chemical and it will slowly offgas carbon dioxide and convert itself into sodium carbonate (washing soda). Heat and humidity are the enemy of baking soda.
This is not a use for a SHTF situation, but we have a yellow lab who usually relieves himself in the same spot. We are Ok with that killing the grass but the odor is objectionable. We used to buy this expensive stuff to kill the smell, but found that baking soda mised in warm warm also does the trick.
Making baking powder with Baking Soda mix two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda.
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