Super powder Why you should have baking soda at home

What eco-influencers are celebrating today, their great-grandmothers have known for a long time: the wonderful effect of baking soda in many situations.

Sounds almost too good to be true: a natural, inexpensive powder that can be used to care for the body, soothe the stomach and clean the house of stubborn stains and unpleasant odors.

Baking soda, or more precisely sodium hydrogen carbonate, can do even more. It is a salt with many different properties. It is therefore advisable to always have a little bit of this super powder at home - or ideally several portions of it strategically distributed around the house.

This is because baking soda can not only be used for baking and heartburn, but also for removing odors or cleaning silver. What's more, there are hardly any costs or packaging waste when using this sustainable product. And that's exactly why this old household remedy is currently celebrating its comeback.

Can do more than loosen up cakes

The English-language term for baking soda is Baking Soda, but this should not lead to baking soda being confused with baking powder or even with pure soda, a hazardous substance.

Baking soda or table soda, on the other hand, are synonyms for baking soda or sodium hydrogen carbonate, which is abbreviated with the chemical formula _NaHCO3.

The difference between baking soda and baking powder is that baking powder usually contains baking soda - in addition to an acid, such as tartaric acid, and a release agent, such as corn starch. This is because the desired effect of making the dough light and fluffy is achieved with baking soda by reacting with an acid and converting it into salts and, above all, carbonic acid.

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Pure baking soda can also be used for baking, but must then be supplemented with an acidic ingredient. In contrast to the baking powder mixture, baking soda can be useful in many other ways in everyday life.

Sodium bicarbonate is naturally contained in the mineral nahcolite. However, it is usually chemically produced from table salt. The powder can be bought cheaply everywhere and can have a beneficial effect in many places: above all because it neutralizes acids, binds odours, softens, is mildly alkaline and therefore easily absorbs fat and limescale.

Two pinches of baking soda, taken with a glass of water, can quickly alleviate the type of discomfort caused by excessive stomach acid. The baking soda neutralizes it and is therefore traditionally used as a home remedy for occasional heartburn.

Baking soda can be used not only for baking, but also for cooking.

For example, green vegetables retain their fresh color when cooked in water with a little baking soda added. The skin of pulses such as beans or peas softens sooner this way.

Adding baking soda (approximately one teaspoon) also has a positive effect on the shell of eggs during cooking: the shell can then be easily removed from the boiled egg - no more annoying nibbling.

Adding a little baking soda to tea or coffee water before brewing softens it and makes the hot drink taste rounder and more digestible.

Even some fruits taste better when a little baking soda is added: The powder takes some of the acidity out of berries, for example.

Other fruit and vegetables can become tastier for other reasons when baking soda comes into play: if it is used as an additional cleaning agent when washing apples, for example, residues can be effectively and safely removed from the skin.

You can use the chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar to combat foul-smelling and dirty drains: Sprinkle up to two tablespoons of baking soda powder down the sink first, then pour about half a cup of vinegar down after. When it no longer foams and bubbles, you can rinse with water.

Wherever odors are undesirable, baking soda can make the air a little cleaner by binding odors.

In closed areas such as the fridge or old furniture, you can simply place a small, open container of baking soda.

In other olfactorily critical areas, it is advisable to sprinkle the baking soda powder over or inside to remove odors: for example, in the cat's litter box or heavily used sports shoes.

If your hands and fingers have taken on an unpleasant odor after handling garlic or onions, for example, washing your hands with a little baking soda will help.

If you want to make your own cleaning products, it's hard to avoid baking soda and its miraculous effects. Alongside curd soap, vinegar and lemon, it can be found in all recipes for homemade cleaning and washing products.

To remove nasty crusts from the oven or baking trays, you only need one other ingredient besides baking soda: water. Mixed in a 1:1 ratio, a paste is formed that can be applied generously. After a few hours, it can be wiped off with a damp sponge - with a little scrubbing if necessary.

It is also worth using baking soda in places where cleaning the bathroom quickly becomes tiring: it is effective against limescale, speeds up the cleaning of joints and removes stains from the toilet. It is often enough to add a little water. A higher level of effectiveness can be achieved by adding vinegar.

Coarser stains on clothing can be pretreated with baking soda and a little water before washing in the washing machine.

Things that cannot or should not be washed so easily can be dry-cleaned with baking soda, which also works well against odors.

The sofa, car seat, carpet or teddy are covered with baking soda and rubbed in if necessary. After the powder has been left to work for one or more hours, depending on the material and degree of soiling, it is simply vacuumed up and tapped off.

A mixture of baking soda and water will make even discolored silver shine again if the precious metal is gently brushed with it.

If you want to experiment with natural cosmetics, you will probably end up with baking soda sooner or later. It doesn't even have to be mixed with many other ingredients.

Some people also use the powder on its own as a deodorant. You can also use it to brush your teeth with a few drops of water. Dissolved in water, it can be used as an acidity-regulating mouthwash.

For more intensive cleansing of the (facial) skin, it can also be sufficient to mix a little baking soda with water and rub the paste in lightly. Wash it off with water afterwards.

When added to a foot bath, baking soda softens the skin, has a gentle effect against unwanted microorganisms and helps to reduce perspiration. It can also be applied dry as a foot deodorant.

Finally, baking soda can even be used as a shampoo substitute. However, you will have to do without the feel of foam and the scent of conventional shampoos, and your scalp may also have to get used to the new form of care.

The unanimous recommendation is to rinse with apple cider vinegar afterwards. One of many examples of how baking soda can become a cost-effective and ecological alternative in everyday life.

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