Disclosure: This post is sponsored by ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda
Growing up I never understood why my mother always kept a large box of baking soda in our laundry room. Then again, I never bothered to ask. Instead, whenever I baked anything calling for baking soda in a recipe, I took my mixing bowl downstairs to the basement, measured out the amount I needed, added it to my bowl, and made my way back to the kitchen to bake. I knew from experience that baking soda had many uses, but why my mom kept ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda on the laundry shelf always remained a mystery to me.
From using it to make caramel corn, to making a paste with it to apply it to a fresh bee sting, my most favorite use for baking soda had always been to bake cakes and cookies.
It wasn’t until I became a mother did I solve the mystery of why my mom kept baking soda in the laundry room. When my oldest daughter was born, we were gifted with cloth diaper service. The service company strongly recommended adding baking soda to the dirty diaper pail to prevent odors from perfuming the rest of the house. Because baking soda is non-toxic, it was a natural and inexpensive solution for fighting unwanted odors. Adding the baking soda to the diapers also served another purpose.
When we decided to continue using cloth diapers after our service expired, I also learned from the diaper service company that baking soda kept the diapers more fresh and clean. In fact, baking soda naturally brightens and whitens clothes as well as fights stains and odors.
Ten years later I still like to add ¼ cup of of ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda to every load of laundry for its added cleaning effects for minimal cost.
I guess mom’s secret weapon in the laundry room wasn’t really a secret after all. Instead, she was being wise, frugal, and practical – just like me.
Do you have a secret way of using baking soda in your home? I invite you to share your tips in the Martha Stewart/ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda “Beyond the Bake Sweepstakes” here for your chance to win $5000.
Dpny says
I’ve read elsewhere online to put half a cup in the drum of a front loader before putting clothes in. DONOT put in dispenser drawer (will clog your dispenser)!!
Gia says
Just add it in the washer with your clothes and close the door. I always used it during the wash cycle, and it can do great things in the soak cycle too. An alternative is to put it in the soap dispenser right along with the soap.
Kaylee says
I use baking soda in my laundry, make a paste for bee and wasp stings (it reduces pain and swelling almost instantly!!), and I mix it with a few drops of essential oil and sprinkle on my carpets before I vacumn. (Let it sit for a few minutes.). It gives a nice clean freshness to the floors, and I don’t have to worry about the kids or pets touching it.
Pat says
I use Baking Soda for laundry, for scrubbing any counter surface and for my wonderful KitchenAid casseroles with enamel finish. All my baking pans, glass and aluminum scrub up like brand new when a bit of baking soda is rubbed in. All those dark stains on the glass baking dishes disappear. I use baking soda and a splash of vinegar to clean the drains in the sinks. Baking soda left open in a newly painted cupboard will help to clear the paint smell. These are just a few of the millions of uses for baking soda. It is a wonder cleaner.
Cindy says
I use it to clean my sink drains. I sprinkle some in the kitchen or bathroom sink drain and follow up with white vinegar and boiling water. It deodorizes and cleans out clogs in the drain.
Laura says
I use it to clean my house! Sprinkle on hard surfaces (tub, kitchen sink, counter tops). Scrub it with a wet sponge and it cleans great and doesn’t scratch anything. And totally safe!
Dena says
A teaspoon of baking soda and a full 8 ounce glass of water will relieve heartburn almost immediately.
Julia & 1001tealcranes says
My mom always used it for all bug bites. She’d make a paste with water and then scrub it into our bites. I still, to this day, have no idea what good it is. All I know is that she insisted on my sister and I getting the baking soda out every time we showed her a mosquito or whatever bite.
Jan says
I use baking soda to brush my teeth. It’s better than whiting tooth paste to get rid of coffee and tea discoloration. Freshens your breath and helps to keep gums healthy.
Rebecca says
How can baking soda be useful with a front load washing machine?
05worth says
I clean my cast iron with baking soda.
Angela S. says
I add just a pinch when making ice tea. It makes it stronger than regular brewed tea and prolongs how long it can sit in the fridge.