24 Thrifty Uses for Baking Soda

Whiten your teeth

Why buy expensive whitening toothpaste when you can make a homemade toothpaste that will more effectively brighten your smile? Eliminate chemicals like glycerin, xylitol, and fluoride with one simple mixture. Though this DIY toothpaste may not be for everyday use, using this magic product every few days will give you movie star teeth. Eliminate coffee stains and freshen your breath with this recipe from ThankYourBody.com.

Instructions: Mix 4 Tbs. coconut oil, 4 Tbs. bentonite clay, 2-3 Tbs. filtered water, 1/2 tsp. sea salt, and 10-15 drops peppermint essential oil. Use the mixture like regular toothpaste.

Naturally exfoliate your skin

Because baking soda has a grainy texture, it is the perfect exfoliating solution for dry, cracked, or scaly skin. You don’t need to drop a downpayment at Bath and Body Works every time you want baby-smooth skin. Remove dead skin like a pro with only baking soda and water, and you won’t have to invest in costly exfoliators.

Instructions: Mix water with baking soda until it forms a paste, approximately one part water and three parts baking soda. Rub over the affected area, including face, feet, or lips, until you are satisfied with the smoothness. Rinse away the paste and repeat the process about once a week.

Say goodbye to acne

The best part about baking soda as a skin product is that it also has antibacterial properties that expertly eliminate unwanted oils, bacteria, and dirt. By applying this mixture to a blemish, baking soda has the power to dry out the blemish, clean the affected area, and prevent further breakouts.

Instructions: Mix water with baking soda until it forms a thick paste. Put the paste on the blemish for 2-3 minutes and then rinse off with water.

Deodorize with a customized scent

Everyone knows that baking soda is good at removing unwanted odors, so why not use it to freshen up your own body? Say goodbye to awkward underarm perspiration and B.O. with this simple DIY deodorant recipe from LiveAbout.com. Absorb sweat and stench with one magic product you won’t have to leave the house to buy.

Instructions: Mix 6 Tbs. coconut oil, 4 Tbs. baking soda, 4 Tbs. cornstarch, and essential oils (as desired) for personalized fragrance.

Immediately relieve heartburn

Swap out your antacid with baking soda for a more affordable option than name-brand medications like Tums and Alka-Seltzer. Because baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a natural antacid, it immediately treats heartburn by neutralizing stomach acid and soothing your symptoms. According to Healthline.com, this mix is all you need to solve your worst heartburn.

Instructions: Dissolve 1/2 tsp. of baking soda in 4 ounces of water. Sip slowly.

Eliminate the itch caused by insect bites

You can cross off hydrocortisone cream from your shopping list with this ultra-helpful summertime hack. All you need is baking soda and water to soothe the redness, itch, and pain of mild bug bites. Baking soda naturally sucks out the irritant from bug bites and disinfects the area, too. This solution even works for other skin irritation, like that caused by poison ivy and rashes!

Instructions: Mix water and baking soda until it becomes a thick paste. Apply it to the affected area and let it sit for ten minutes. Wipe the area clean.

Remove splinters

We’ve all been there: trying desperately to dig out a splinter with tweezers, only to make the situation worse. Don’t endure more pain than you have to when you get a splinter. With this little-known trick, you can make your skin push the splinter out for you, no fuss, no muss.

Instructions: Mix water and baking soda until it becomes a thick paste. Gently apply the paste to the area with the splinter and cover overnight. The skin will mildly swell and push out the splinter so that it is ready to pull out with tweezers. Remove splinter and rinse.

Make your pots and pans look brand-new

Grease can be a nightmare to clean, so you may be hesitant to dive into a pile of dirty dishes. However, baking soda is an alkali, which means it can dissolve grease without tarnishing the surface it works on. Let your baking soda take the arm workout out of your dishes with this neat trick from TheSpruce.com.

Instructions: Coat the surface of the pot/pan with baking soda. Mix 1/2 cup vinegar with 1 cup of hot water. Pour this solution over the baking soda and wait for it to fizz. Once the fizzing has subsided, rinse the dish and wash it normally.

Rescue your clothes from grease stains

There’s nothing more heartbreaking than ruining one of your favorite shirts with a grease stain. Wash it all you want, it never seems to come out! Save your favorite garments from the trash by using baking soda to eliminate impossible grease stains.

Instructions: Coat the affected area with baking soda and dish soap. Lightly scrub the area with a toothbrush. If the baking soda turns brown, wipe away the mixture and repeat the process until the mixture is clean. Rinse the area and wash normally.

Scrub the microwave

It’s inevitable: food is bound to splatter in the microwave every now and again. You don’t have to dread cleaning it off, though! Baking soda does wonders to loosen stubborn, dried foods while also giving your cleaning utensils some much-needed scrubbing power.

Instructions: Sprinkle baking soda over a damp cloth and scrub the inside of your microwave. Rinse away with a clean, damp cloth, and let dry.

Clean the oven

Cleaning the oven can seem like a near-impossible task. With food crusted on there since 2012, the prospect of having to bend over backward to get a good scrubbing angle is downright repulsive. Baking soda can make this appliance-cleaning task a piece of cake by loosening debris, deodorizing the surface, and removing stuck-on stains.

Instructions: Sprinkle baking soda over the bottom of the oven, being sure to cover food-coated areas, and spray down with water. Let the solution sit for several hours. Scrub away the mixture and rinse it clean.

Deodorize the refrigerator

When you have half-eaten containers of curry, creamy garlic pasta, and tuna salad in your fridge, chances are you’re not going to smell pleasant when you open the door. You won’t have to fear your leftovers with this pro tip! Most odors have an acidic base, and since baking soda neutralizes pH levels, it’s the perfect odor-killing product.

Instructions: Open a box of baking soda and leave it in your fridge.

Deodorize your litter boxes

Cat-lovers swear by this baking soda hack. We all know litter boxes can cause a lingering smell in your home even when cleaned often. Don’t feel embarrassed by your kitten’s odor when you have baking soda at your disposal. Your guests (and your cat!) will thank you for using this safe and natural deodorizing tip.

Instructions: Sprinkle the bottom of your litter box with baking soda and then fill with litter. Sprinkle more baking soda on the top of the litter as needed.

Freshen up your toilet

It’s no walk in the park to use a toilet that isn’t at its freshest. Save your guests the discomfort of a bad-smelling toilet with this clever baking soda trick. It’s as easy as it is effective. Just one cup of baking soda is needed to rid your bathroom of unpleasant odors.

Instructions: Pour a cup of baking soda into your toilet and let it sit for an hour. With a toilet brush, clean the inside of the toilet and flush.

Clean and disinfect cutting boards

Cutting boards are a must for anyone looking to protect their surfaces from unwanted scratches and scars. However, when food gets lodged in the grooves of your cutting boards, they can become hard to clean. Worry no more about keeping your cooking surface safe! Baking soda will naturally disinfect the cutting board while its micro-granules will scrub out hard-to-reach grooves.

Instructions: Sprinkle baking soda over the surface of the cutting board and scrub with a damp cloth. Rinse.

Protect your home from pests

Got bugs? Not to worry! If you find anything from ants to bed bugs in your home, you don’t need to dump a load of cash on an exterminator. Baking soda is the perfect insect exterminator because it releases carbon dioxide when eaten that kills any unwanted pest. According to PestKill.org, there are several ways to go about protecting your home from invasion.

Instructions: Sprinkle baking soda around your home, garden, or furniture. Be sure to put baking soda around things like sofa legs and bed legs or anywhere a bug can climb onto the furniture. After 24 hours, vacuum the baking soda and repeat every three days until you no longer see bugs.

Make your bathroom sparkle

For many, the bathroom is the dirtiest room in the house. Bathtubs coated with soap scum, stained sinks, and grody tiles make this area a bear to clean. However, with a simple baking soda scrub devised by TipsBulletin.com, you can cut through the toughest grime, eliminate deep stains, disinfect, and deodorize all of these bathroom surfaces and more.

Instructions: Sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and scrub the desired surface until clean. Rinse and dry the area. For a deeper clean, mix 1/2 cup baking soda, 1 Tbs. salt, and 1 Tbs. dish soap. Apply a layer of the mixture to the desired surface, let it sit for ten minutes, and then scrub with a sponge. Rinse and let dry.

Disinfect and deodorize sponges

You’ll be mad you didn’t think of this simple sponge-saving trick. Stop running to the store every time you need to replace a foul-smelling sponge. You won’t believe how the savings will add up by putting your sponges to work with a little extra baking soda soak.

Instructions: Dissolve 2 Tbs. baking soda in 1 cup of warm water. Soak the sponge in the mixture for several hours and then rinse in water.

Polish your silver

There’s no doubt that silver is gorgeous. Lustrous, shiny, and smooth, silver is a material that will never go out of style. If you want to take good care of your silver and make it look as clean as possible, then you’re going to need to learn how to get rid of tarnish. You’re in luck, though, because with this Huffington Post-approved trick, you can make silver look as shiny as its ever been with a few household materials.

Instructions: Layer a small bowl with aluminum foil and put your silver on the aluminum foil. Sprinkle a tablespoon of baking soda onto the affected silver and then pour hot, almost boiling, water into the bowl until it submerges the silver. With a non-metal utensil, move the pieces around so that all of the affected silver touches the aluminum. Once your silver is clean, rinse the silver and dry it with a clean cloth.

Remove stains from your carpet

Cozy, chic, and colorful, carpet is a godsend for those who don’t like the feeling of bare feet on cold tile. However, it can also be a magnet for hard-to-clean stains. Why settle with blotched carpet when you can get those stains out easily with something as inexpensive as baking soda? This recipe, from TipsBulletin.com, will make your carpet look brand-new.

Instructions: Get out equal parts vinegar, water, and baking soda. Sprinkle the stain with baking soda. Mix the vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray the baking soda-covered stain. Wait a few hours until the mixture dries. Scrub the mixture until it is loose and then vacuum the carpet.

Destain your furniture

If baking soda works like magic to remove stains from your carpet, why not use it on your furniture, too? Especially for pieces like patio furniture, which can be stained with everything from mud to grass, baking soda is the magic tool to make them look as fresh as a summer’s day.

Instructions: Sprinkle baking soda on a damp cloth. Rub the stain thoroughly, and then let sit for an hour. Rinse off baking soda with a clean damp cloth. Let dry.

Erase crayon from your walls

Got a little Picasso on your hands? You don’t have to let your house be turned into an art museum when you have this trick up your sleeve. Make your walls look freshly painted with just baking soda and a little water. You don’t have to make yourself sore with cleaning, either. Let the baking soda do the heavy lifting for you with this cleaning hack.

Instructions: Sprinkle baking soda on a damp cloth. Rub crayon marking on the wall until it is gone.

Freshen and destain your cloth diapers

Cloth diapers are good for the environment and good for your wallet, but cleaning them can be a pain. Don’t be penalized for doing good by your baby! Now you can neutralize the odors of soiled cloth diapers and remove stains with this simple baking soda solution.

Instructions: Dissolve 1/2 cup of baking soda into 2 quarts of warm water. Submerge the cloth diaper in the solution and let soak for several hours. Wash normally.

Deodorize your garbage disposal

With everything from leftovers to eggshells stuffed down your garbage disposal, it’s no wonder it can start to smell rank. You don’t have to suffer the stench any longer with this household hack! A little baking soda will replace expensive products like garbage disposal deodorizer balls, pods, and liquids.

Instructions: Pour baking soda down the drain with a thin stream of warm tap water. Let sit.