The Benefits of Bicarbonate Soda

Baking soda offers many uses around the house, from sparkling clean kitchens to the sweet smell of success in the laundry room. This unassuming white powder isn’t just for baking cakes and cookies. Baking soda is an eco-friendly, multipurpose cleaning and deodorizing agent that can save both your pocket and the planet. Explore different ways to use baking soda around the house, in your homeschooling, and sprinkle a little baking soda magic in your home.

Science Experiments that Use Baking Soda

There are many science experiments that call for the use of Baking Soda, and kids really get a kick out of experimenting. I will name just a few of my favorite experiments below.

Build a Volcano

Everyone loves learning about volcanoes. There is something so fascinating with watching the lava flow out of them. After you make and build a volcano, make sure to watch some videos of active volcanoes.

Make Fake Snow

Kids and adults will love playing with this fake snow that is made with baking soda especially on those days when it is too cold to go outside.

Blow Up a Balloon

This experiment highlights the chemical reaction that occurs by inflating a balloon.

Explode a Bag

Children will be fascinated by the Ziploc bag that continues to expand until the pressure builds so much that you get an explosion.

Fizzing Ice

Another great baking soda experiment is fizzing ice cubes. This experiment is a sensory seekers dream!

Create Art with Baking Soda

The ideas are endless when you add baking soda to your art lessons. From clay creations, fizzy painting, and watercolor paints, the sky is the limit for creativity.

Revive Your Reusable Shopping Bags

Your reusable shopping bags are environmental champions, but they can sometimes carry a musty odor or stains from groceries that don’t seem to budge. Baking soda’s gentle abrasiveness and odor-neutralizing properties make this household powder one of the many effective ways to care for and clean reusable bags.

You can revive reusable shopping bags with baking soda in many ways, from a spot treatment to an overnight soak. When tackling specific stains, make a paste of baking soda and water, apply it to the stain, and let it sit for 30 minutes before a gentle scrub and rinse. If you are doing an overnight soak, fill a basin or your sink with warm water, add 1/4 cup of baking soda, and let your bags soak overnight. Give them a quick rinse the next morning and air dry.

Freshen Your Fridge and Freezer

Your fridge and freezer work hard to keep your food fresh, but they can get a little funky over time. Baking soda can make the perfect fragrant fighter you need. For a simple deodorizing solution, place an open box of baking soda in your fridge or sprinkle some in the crisper. The powder will eventually soak up any odor, removing bad fragrances from your fridge and freezer.

If your fridge needs a deep clean, create a homemade cleaning solution with four tablespoons of baking soda and one quart of warm water. Scrub this mixture into fridge surfaces, then rinse your shelves and walls.

Make Your Laundry Sparkle

Enhance your laundry day with baking soda. Soaking and sprinkling your clothes in baking soda powder and pastes can brighten whites, attack odors, and soften hard water. 

Do your whites have stubborn stains? Create equal parts baking soda and water paste and rub it into the stain, then let your garment sit overnight. The next day, wash as usual. For odor elimination, add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your regular amount of laundry detergent.

Other Uses for Baking Soda

Whiten Your Teeth

Washing Pots and Pans

Clean Grout

Deodorize Your Mattress

Cleaning Silver

Unclog Drains

Remove Coffee and Tea Stains from Mugs

Use as a Toothpaste

Extend the Life of Your Flowers

You can use baking soda around the house in many different ways. These three methods offer simple solutions that can enhance many daily or monthly deep clean routines. The best part is that baking soda allows you to clean chemical-free, keeping your home a safe and healthy space for you and your kids. You can even implement these baking soda uses as science experiments for homeschooling lessons! Whip out your baking soda from your kitchen cupboard and put it to good use.

Final Thoughts: When researching for this post, I came across an interesting fact about baking soda and movies. When filming movies with cocaine, many times substances such as baking soda are used and the actors/actresses actually snort the baking soda. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!