The Wonders of Baking Soda

Sodium bicarbonate or NaHCO3 or most commonly known as baking soda.... i just love this stuff! It practically has way too many uses and it's cheap. Having it at home is really a must, every housewife should know this, and yes, every bachelor and bachelorette, too.

Let's get into the chemistry of it first. According to Webster, baking soda or sodium bicarbonate is a white crystalline weakly alkaline salt, used especially in baking powders and fire extinguishers, and in medicine as an antacid. It is an amphoteric compound, which means it can react as an acid as well as a base but aqueous solutions are mildly alkaline due to the formation of carbonic acid and hydroxide ion. Its application ranges from cooking, medicine, laboratories, personal hygiene, cleaning agent, and many more.

Personally, my three main uses for this are as follows:

• face exfoliant/mask - i have an oily, acne-prone skin so I do this twice a week. I simply steam my face first, then, making a baking soda paste by adding water in it, I rub this paste on my face to remove dead skin and leave it on for about 10 minutes before rinsing with warm water. I dries my pimples and keep the oilies at bay :)
• teeth whitener - yep! no need to buy those expensive toothpastes that boast of their whitening effect. Being coffee and tea lover, which stains the teeth, this is very important to me. I usually do this once or twice a week, after brushing my teeth with toothpaste (don't rinse it yet), I dip my toothbrush in a paste of baking soda and brush it on my teeth, then rinse (be sure not to swallow).
• deodorizer in the fridge - it is slightly alkaline so it neutralizes the acidic scent molecules. Viola! Odor-free refrigerator :)

But hey, do not limit yourself, maximize the use of this great product. To cite some more:

• first and foremost, it is used in cooking as a leavening agent. Baking powder is basically baking soda mixed with cream of tartar and starch.
• it can also be used to soften peas or dried beans by adding a pinch of baking soda to the water where you soak the beans
• add a pinch to tomato sauce (while cooking) and coffee (while brewing) to reduce acidity
• an effective meat tenderizer
• as first aid to scalding- cover the scald area with baking soda to avoid blistering and scarring
• deodorize carpets and kitty litters
• effective and all-around cleaning agent (clothes, drink containers, pans, table tops, combs, etc.,)
• run a cycle in your coffee maker or dishwasher with baking soda and water for a thorough cleaning
• underarm deodorant
• soften your skin by adding it in your bath water
• deodorize shoes, boots, and socks
• first aid to sunburn, windburns, bug bites and bee stings
• freshen the air by sprinkling baking soda on your carpet. Leave for a while before vacuuming.
• use as a fire extinguisher
• and many more.....

Now you know why I love this... ^_^