Baking soda is capable of doing far more than just reducing food odors in your refrigerator. Rediscovering the skills of our ancestors and learning how to become more self-reliant is an ongoing process of both education and discovery.
During World War II women left waiting on the home front took “doing more with less” to a new level. American families conserved what they had while finding new uses for everyday products. Baking soda was not rationed as many other former staples were during the war.
WWII housewives, to keep their homes functioning as normally as possible, found new ways to utilize baking soda in the kitchen, the bathroom and the medicine cabinet.
Baking Soda Medical Uses
- Bee Stings – Apply a paste comprising equal parts baking soda and water to draw out the stinger and reduce swelling. The same paste can also help reduce the inflammation of bug bites.
- Oral Sores – Mix a pinch of salt, 1 cup of water, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda together and gargle.
- Common Cold – Make shower vaporizer disks to help relieve a stuffy nose and sinus headache. Mix together 20 drops of eucalyptus essential oil with 2 cups of baking soda. Add just enough water to create a thick putty. Put the mixture into muffin tins and allow it to air dry for 24 hours. Turn the tins over to release the homemade vaporizer disk and place on shower drain. The steam from the hot water in the shower will activate the disk as it dissolves. You can also place the disk in a bowl of hot water while the ill individual leans over the bowl with a towel-covered head. For such close contact with the disk, breaking it in half is advised.
- Aches and Pains – Relieve common aches and pains by mixing together 1 cup of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of baking soda. Pour the stirred mixture into a half-gallon of warm water and gently wash and massage onto the impacted area.
- Chicken Pox – Reduce the itching often associated with chicken pox by mixing together one part lukewarm water to two parts baking soda and applying to the pox.
- Splinters – Mix together 2 parts baking soda with 1 part and soak the area of the splinter twice each day until the objects works its way out of the skin.
- Ulcers ¬– Help reduce the pain associated with ulcers by dissolving 2 teaspoons of baking soda in 1 cup of water and drinking when the symptoms begin.
- Poison Ivy – Mix together the amount of baking soda to cover the rash with just enough water to make a thin paste. Gently apply the paste to the poison ivy to dry out the rash and relieve the itching.
- Heartburn – Relieve the internal sensation of burning by mixing 1 teaspoon of baking soda with four ounces of water and drinking when symptoms appear.
- Sunburn – Soak in a lukewarm tub of water with a 1/2 cup of baking soda added. Allow the skin to air dry after getting out of the bath.
Baking Soda Hygiene Uses
- Fresh Breath – Gargle a mixture of 2 ounces of water and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Add 1/8 teaspoon of salt and a few drops of peppermint oil to thoroughly cleanse the teeth and to promote gum health.
- Retainers and Dentures – Soak the dental appliances in a mixture of 3 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 cup of warm water.
Feet – Soothe sore and blistered feet by soaking them in a tub of warm water with 3 tablespoons baking soda. - Toothpaste – Mix together one part peroxide and two parts baking soda to make toothpaste. To increase the whitening potential of the homemade toothpaste, add in one crushed strawberry and allow the mixture to remain on the teeth for about five minutes before rinsing.
Baking Soda Cooking Hacks
- Chicken – Make cleaning poultry easier and allow feathers to fall off more quickly by placing the bird into a pot of hot water with 1 teaspoon soda added.
- Eggs – Enjoy fluffier eggs by adding 1/2 teaspoon to every three eggs used.
- Tenderizer – Rub the meat with baking soda and place it in the refrigerator for about 3 hours before preparing the meal. Rinse the meat to remove the baking soda before cooking.
- Baking Powder – Make your own baking powder by sifting together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, and 2 parts cream of tartar.
- Rehydration Drink – Mix together a drink to help the body absorb water and replace electrolytes. Mix together 4 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 package of a Kool-Aid type drink mix, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Cast Iron Cleaning – Clean your cast iron pots and pans by sprinkling some baking soda onto the item and scrubbing with a cloth. Rinse and season before use.
- Grease Fires – Put out grease fires by pouring baking soda on the flame.
- Baby Bottles – Thoroughly clean and deodorize baby bottles by washing them in very hot water with a 1/2 cup of baking soda added.
Baking Soda Household Misc.
- Laundry – Toss 1/4 cup of baking soda into the wash to remove stains and odors. The laundry booster also helps prevent line-dried items from becoming so stiff.
- Weed Removal – Get rid of weeds in your garden by sprinkling baking soda around their stem or root. Be careful not to sprinkle the soda onto any plants or crops you want to continue growing. Do not sprinkle the soda on a windy day or when rain is expected.
- Skunk Stink – Get rid of that nasty skunk smell from your clothing by soaking the items in a bucket of hot water with 1/4 cup of baking soda added.
- Clogged Drains – Pour in cup of hot distilled white vinegar and 1 cup baking soda down drains to unclog them.
- Insects – Get rid of ants, cockroaches and other insects by sprinkling baking soda under the sinks, around windows, and in the pathways around the home where the critters have been spotted.
- Winter Weather – help speed up the melting of ice by sprinkling baking soda on walkways.