The Wonderful World of Baking Soda

For the life of me, I can not remember which blog I recently saw a list of ways to use baking soda other than in a recipe. I had to laugh to myself as when we purchased our home over 5 years ago the previous owner not only left me a 10 page note on how to clean her home (including details and a shop vac for the sole purpose of dusting the crawl spaces) she also left me a copy of "Baking Soda - Over 500 Fabulous, Fun and Frugal Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of - by Vicki Lansky". I can not tell you how many times I tried to throw this book out but for some reason I always rescue it from the garbage.

For all who are Green or would like to be, remember that Baking Soda is environmentally benign and is found naturally in mineral deposits, lake sediments and groundwater. It is even found in our oceans where its bicarbonate chemistry seemingly works to stabilize the carbon dioxide content of the earth's atmosphere.

During the next couple of weeks I will post some little known tips and uses that I find interesting that go way beyond the open box in the fridge:

1. Clean a stuffed animal or fabric toy that can not be machine washed by shaking it in a bag with baking soda which will absorb any odors, dirt and grime. Let the toy sit in the bag for 15 minutes then brush, shake and/or vacuum off the baking soda.

2. If you have added to much vinegar to a recipe, add a pinch or two of baking soda to neutralize the acidity.

3. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the water when you cook cauliflower to keep the cooking odors down and the cauliflower snowy white.

4. To make your omelette's fluffier, add a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for every 3 eggs.

5. To keep your babies white walking shoes white, try cleaning and polishing them with a little baking soda on a wet wash cloth.

More tips will be coming soon......