The best uses for baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate - NaHCO3) you didn't know

The best uses for baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate - NaHCO3) you didn't know

Baking soda is an old and very useful household remedy. Most people know it as an ingredient for tasty muffins but after reading this post you will be astounded how powerful properties baking soda has!

At first thanks to @alice.perrott because her question on my last post brought me to the idea to write this article. :)
Before showing you the most important cases of application, I give you a short wrap-up of the definiton of sodium Bicarbonate:

Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogen carbonate) is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of sodium ions and bicarbonate ions. Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slightly salty, alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda (sodium carbonate). The natural mineral form is nahcolite. It is a component of the mineral natron and is found dissolved in many mineral springs. It is among the food additives encoded by the European Union, identified as E 500.
[...]
Since it has long been known and is widely used, the salt has many related names such as baking soda, bread soda, cooking soda, and bicarbonate of soda. In colloquial usage, the names sodium bicarbonate and bicarbonate of soda are often truncated; forms such as sodium bicarb, bicarb soda, bicarbonate, and bicarb are common

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate

Sodium bicarbonate neutralises acids. You can use it orally but externally (like for washing and cleaning) as well. So lets talk about the...

Administration form

It comes in white powder or in pressed tablets. The pressed pills are very useful on the go, it's part of my first aid kit for every trip I make. It's possible to suck the tablets if you don't like swallowing but the taste is disgusting. It's like sucking a block of salt... Therefore the most convenient way of administration is swallowing.

The powder is better suited for external use. You can use it orally as well - normally mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda into a glass of water. The taste is more neutral and not nearly as disgusting as sucking a tablet.

There are a lot of different brands. You can buy sodium bicarbonate in some super markets, drug store or in online shops like amazon or ebay.

Internal use

Don't use baking soda instead visiting a doctor! It's only suitable for short term use and even if it's a safe substance it can produce side effects if you take it too often.

• Reduces stomach acid
  It's a good medicine to fight heartburn. Mix 1 teaspoon in a glass of water and drink it. Alternatively swallow or suck a tablet
• Bloating
  Ate too much? Take some baking soda, it's way better than 'digestive' bitters!
• Too much alcohol
  It helps with sickness and sometimes prevents from vomiting after drinking too much.
• Toothpaste
  Baking soda is antibacterial and kills "Streptococcus mutans" bacteria and neutralises sour food remains between your teeth. Mix 1 teaspoon with 1 glass of water then gargle and rinse the fluid. There is toothpaste mixed with bicarbonate. Such toothpastes has been proven to be more effective than regular ones.
• Teeth whitener
  Crush one ripe strawberry and mix it with 1/2 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate. Spread this mixture onto your teeth and leave it there for five minutes. Afterwards clean your teeth as usual. Don't do that more than once a week. I never tried that by myself.
• Cure a cold
  Taking 2-3 baking-soda-water drinks daily can help to fight a cold much faster. I will try it next time I catch a cold.

External use

• Natural Deodorant
  Baking soda is a good alternative to deodorant. It has no perfume or aluminium and is 100% natural. Mix some powder with a bit of water and spread it under your arms. Alternatively you can simply brush some dry powder under your arms.
• Insect Bites
  Mix 1 tablespoon with just enbough water to create a paste. Apply this paste to the bite and wait 10 minutes before washing it off.
• Splinter
  Mix 1 tablespoon of sodium bicarbonate in a small glass of water, then soak the affected area twice a day. The splinter maybe will come out on its own after some days of this treatment.
• Sunburn
  Mix 2 tablespoons with just enough water to make a paste. Apply this paste to the bite and wait 10 minutes before washing it off. You can make a cool compress with a mixture of water and baking soda and apply that to the sunburn.
• Cleaning Silver
  Put a piece of aluminium foil into a plastic bowl and fill it with hot water. Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of salt. Place your silver jewelry on the foil and wait. After some time it should be clean again. You can clean the rest with a soft cloth.
• Remove shoe odors
  Sprinkle a layer of baking soda into your shoes and wait one night.
• Footbath
  Mix 3 tablespoons of sodium bicarbonat to a bowl of warm water for an invigorating foot soak
• Washing your hair
  Mix 1-3 tablespoons (depends on hair length) of baking soda with glass of warm water. Apply it to your hair and massage. After that clean your hairs with water. This method gently removes grease so it is recommend to use a conditioner afterwards. Here is a good recipe for a natural conditioner:
  • Water
  • 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar (organic)
  • 3-5 drops of essential oil (such as tea tree oil)

There are a lot more use cases for baking soda. You can clean drains or pots with burned food residue, you can make a bathing supplement and some studies showed that it even helps to fight cancer! There is so much more, so please share your applications for this awesome powder in the comments.

If you think this post is useful please comment and resteem. Thanks a lot :)