5 More Things To Do with Baking Soda

Baking soda rocks, especially when you can find other uses for it. Did you know sodium bicarbonate (i.e. baking soda) is found naturally in bile, and serves to neutralize stomach acid? Check out these other uses for baking soda, and prepare to be amazed.

1. Cool Off Sunburn and Other Skin Irritations

For quick relief of sunburn pain, soak gauze pads or large cotton balls in a solution of 4 tablespoons of baking soda mixed in 1 cup water and apply it to the affected areas. For a bad sunburn on your legs or torso – or to relieve the itching of chicken pox – take a lukewarm bath with a half to a full box of baking soda added to the running water. To ease the sting of razor burns, dab your skin with a cotton ball soaked in a solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda in 1 cup water.

2. Clean Your Produce

You can’t be too careful when it comes to food handling and preparation. Wash fruits and vegetables in a pot of cold water with 2-3 tablespoons baking soda; the baking soda will remove some of the impurities tap water leaves behind. Or put a small amount of baking soda on a wet sponge or vegetable brush and scrub your produce. Give everything a thorough rinsing before serving.

3. Tenderize Meat

Got a tough cut of meat on your hands? Soften it up by giving it a rubdown in baking soda. Let it sit (in the refrigerator, of course) for three to five hours, then rinse it off well before cooking.

4. Deodorize the Litter Box

Don’t waste money on expensive deodorized cat litter. Just put a thin layer of baking soda under the bargain-brand litter to absorb the odour. Or mix baking soda with the litter as you’re changing it.

5. Fluff Up Your Omelets

Want to know the secret to making fluffier omelets? For every three eggs used, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Shhh! Don’t let it get around.

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