50 Ways to Leave Your Lover or to Use Baking Soda
I heard it at the restaurant one day...
Tell Me About the 50 Ways
I read the HubPages Question from Q & A about how to use baking soda and in what ways, and I was carried back to a time when Paul Simon was singing 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover on a pop classics radio station.
It was in the restaurant in which I worked and I had a freshly burned glass coffee pot in my hand I grabbed a standard box of baking soda, poured some into the glass carafe with a half dozen ice cubes and swirled the pot. The heat melted the ice as the cubes rubbed the baking soda around the burned areas. In just a couple of minutes at the end of the song, I had a clean pot and dissolved baking soda in water (both natural products) that I tossed down the kitchen drain.
So, that's Number One on my list of 50 Ways to Use Baking Soda. I always think of Paul Simon when I think about "50 Ways."
Pau Simon's 1975 hit song acutally listed only five specific ways to leave your lover, but I'll give you at least 50 ways to use baking soda.
Cleaning a coffee pot with baking soda is a lot more fun than breaking up with your mate, anyway. (See the video at the end of the Hub.)
Baking Soda Comes From the Substance Natron
The lesser flamingo regularly flocks to Lake Natron.
Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate = Baking Soda
Baking Soda In Health and Beauty
- For spider and mosquito bites or bee stings, make a paste of baking soda and peroxide and apply to the bite. When the compound is dry, the bite should be better. Reapply as needed. For severe stings, see your doctor ASAP as well.
- Some people think that ingesting baking soda can help maintain the human bloodstream's pH balance in order to fight colds and flu. In fact, baking soda was used in 1918 and 1919 to fight the Spanish Flu and some doctors of the period said that it worked (Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Medical Uses; 1924. Dr. Volney S. Cheney, author.)
- Injectible sodium bicarbonate can be used to treat metabolic acidosis in a number of conditions and certain drug poisonings (e.g. barbiturate). It is also used in cases of severe diarrhea.
- Bathing in a tub of warm water with a box of baking soda added helps to relieve itches, which are caused by a raised acidic level on the skin. This bath combination sometimes also works for sunburn.
- Bath in a tub after adding a little baking soda and a cup of apple cider to soak away aches and pains. This will also clean the drain after the bath.
- Baking soda is good for exfoliating the skin of the face and throat - 3 teaspoons soda to 1 teaspoon water.
- Mix a couple of teaspoons of the baking soda into a glass of water to make an effective antacid (drink the solution). I like this better than Alka Seltzer, which tastes very salty to me. In the past, customers could get a "Bicarb" (baking soda in a glass of water) in the local bar when they had an upset stomach, but now you might be able to get an Alka Seltzer there.
- Make a foot soak by adding baking soda to a container of warm water - three tablespoons of soda to a tub of water.
- Mix 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in warm water to form a paste and massage it into clean facial skin. Let it set one minute and gently rinse off with warm water, followed by cold water. You can use the past on rough feet as well.
- Stir 1 teaspoon baking soda into a glass of warm water for an effective gargle and mouth rinse. This makes the mouth less acid (acidity increases risk of cavities) and is said to be good for relieving canker sores.
- Mix a small amount of baking soda and salt together to use in place of toothpaste. If the salt is irritating to your gums, use baking soda moistened with hydrogen peroxide. Interestingly, a segment of the Dr. OZ television show advised not to use peroxide as a disinfectant or healing agent, because it supposedly makes irritations, cuts and scratches larger, but I still use it effectively.
- Add a teaspoon of baking soda to water in a vaporizer to unstop stuffy noses.
- Use a weak solution of baking soda and water to calm diaper rash.
- Baking soda can be sprinkled on human hair or animal fur and brushed out as a type of dry shampoo. This is similar to cleaning carpets by sprinkling soda and vacuuming it up.
- Pour a little soda into socks before putting them on your feet in order to prevent odors.
- A baking soda-and-water paste applied so some small outbreaks of acne can eliminate them quickly.
Baking Soda In the Home and Garden
- Here is a good recipe for Irish Soda Bread with cinnamon and other spices.
- Sprinkle your cutting boards with baking soda, scrub both sides, rinse with warm water, and air dry in the dish rack.
- Wash fruits and vegetables with a little soda in warm water to remove waxy coatings and bacteria.
- As an emergency substitute for each teaspoon of baking powder to be used, mix 1 teaspoon baking soda with 1/4 teasooon cream of tartar.
- Toss baking soda (or flour) on any small fire that occurs in the kitchen, if you do not have a fire extinguisher.
- Omelets are more attractive and lighter if you add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to three eggs before beating.
- To remedy bitter tasting vegetables like some lettuces and Brussels sprouts, soak them in a bowl of water and some baking soda for half an hour.
- Soak coffee and tea cups in soda and water in order to remove stains.
- The American EPA has registered baking soda as effective in killing unwanted fungi in the garden.
- Make a sachet of baking soda and your favorite bath oil or other fragrance oil, tie it up with a ribbon in a small light sloth, and place into the back of a dresser drawer for a nice scent.
- Open a corner of a box of soda annd place the box on the shelf in each of your closets to prevent bad odors and musty smells.
- Wash lunch boxes with a weak solutuion of baking soda and water.
- Pour some water and a little baking soda into thermos bottles and let sit a few minutes to remove stale odors.
- Sprinkle baking soda under kitchen and laundry room sinks and along basement windows to put off cockroaches and ants.
- Sprinkle soda around lettuces and other vegetables in the garden to repel rodents. It may even sweeten tomatoes when absorbed through the roots.
Baking Soda In Housekeeping
- In the garage, sprinkle baking soda over small oil and grease spills to absorb the substances; then, sweep up the spills when absorbed.
- In the kitchen, sprinkle baking soda on scuff marks and grease spills and wipe up easily with a damp towel.
- Pour a cup of soda into a toilet bowl to be cleaned and allow it to sit for about an hour. Brush the bowl with a toilet brush and flush.
- Use it to scrub metal sinks in the kitchen without scratching them.
- Pour one box of soda down the garbage disposal, let sit for 15 minutes, turn on water tap, and run the disposal to remove odors.
- Add a tablespoon of the soda to the dishwasher for cleaner dishes.
- Use a small amount to scrub off grease from pots and pans (cheaper than Comet and other more abrasive cleansers).
- Sprinkle baking soda over a dirty carpet, brush gently into stains and spills, let sit for 60 minutes, and vacuum. Large spills may need a reapplication or an overnight absorption by the baking soda.
- Sprinkle soda in the bottom of trashcans in the house before adding a liner, in order to prevent odors.
- Old books that smell musty can be sprinkled with baking soda and allowed to sit overnight to remove odors. Simply shake out the soda.
- Use sprinkled baking soda and scrub the outdoor barbecue grill before use.
- For extra clean baby toys, use 4 tablespoons of soda in 1 quart of water to wash.
- Soak household sponges in the same solution as used in #11 above. Wring them out and for the kitchen, microwave sponges for about 10 seconds to disinfect.
- A cup of soda added to laundry detergent acts as a fabric softening and whitener.
- Wash off sports equipment and gear with a baking soda solution (4 tablespoons to a quart of water).
- Using the same soda solution as in #14, scrub your automobile tires with it and rinse with plain water.
- Sprinkle a little soda into the clothes hamper two to three times a week to fight odors.
Paul Simon's 50 Ways
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2013 Patty Inglish MS