10 Money-Saving, Eco-Friendly Things You Can Do with Baking Soda

We all own a box of baking soda and now that we are facing some economically challenging times ahead, it makes sense to take a trip to the dollar store to stock up on a few more boxes of this precious eco-friendly powder.

Here's just 10 great things you can do with plain old baking soda:

1. Clear a clogged drain: Mix ½ cup of baking soda with ½ cup of white vinegar (careful as when you add the vinegar, it may bubble over). Pour down drain followed by 2 cups of boiling water.

2. Deodorize your dishwasher: Simply sprinkle ½ cup of baking soda on the bottom of your dishwasher before running a cycle.

3. Freshen up your sponge: If your kitchen sponge or towel starts to get a bit stinky, soak it overnight in 2 cups of warm water, 2 tbsp of baking soda and 5 drops of tea tree oil.

4. Deodorize your carpet or rug: Lightly sprinkle baking soda over your carpet. Let it settle for ½ an hour and then vacuum.

5. Dandruff remedy: Wet your hair and then rub a handful of baking soda vigorously into your scalp. Shampoo and condition with sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)-free products and repeat for the next 5 or 6 times that you wash your hair.

6. Mouthwash: If you have bad breath or it's the night after a heavy dose of garlicky pasta, dissolve 1 tsp of baking soda in an 8-ounce glass of water and use as a mouthwash or gargle.

7. Clean combs, brushes: freshen up your bristles by whirling them around in a bowl of 3 cups of warm water and 2tsp of baking soda.

8. Moldy shower curtains: Throw a mildew/mold stained shower curtain into the washing machine with a couple of bath towels. Add 1 cup of baking soda to the detergent and add 1 cup of vinegar to rinse cycle. 9. Paving stones: Keep the weeds from growing in between paving stones by sprinkling baking soda onto the paving stones and sweep it into the cracks. 10. Clean your grill: scour yucky grill racks with a paste made from 2tbsp baking soda and 2tbsp of water. Apply paste with a brush, leave for 15 minutes and then rinse. Find More on Baking Soda in the Planet Green Baking Soda Archives.