Baking Soda – Stock it up!

Baking soda, meetha soda, or soda bi-carb, these all common terms used for Sodium Bicarbonate, a chemical that is naturally found in the mineral Natron. When Baking Soda comes in contact with moisture, and an acidic ingredient (such as curd, buttermilk, lemon or even Vinegar) it results in a chemical reaction which produces Carbon Dioxide making it bubble up / go fizzy.  This chemical reaction is what makes it an essential additive in Baking (hence the name – no surprises here!). It’s important to not confuse it with Baking Powder, which includes other things besides Sodium Bicarbonate.

Baking Soda is inexpensive and a highly effective kitchen ingredient that can do a lot more things than make your Cakes rise. There are many baking soda benefits including baking soda cleaning. By itself, or combined with other ingredients, it can pose a serious challenge to off the shelf cleaners¹ and deodorizers^2,  and reams have been written about the amazing benefits and things it can do for you – in the kitchen, across the house, in our car etc. We’ve collected some great ideas for a house with young kids – below.

But before you go on, what does you using Baking Soda do for the environment? One, it helps you reduce the amount of plastic bottles and containers that you send to landfills every month (reducing pollution levels), and two it reduces the amount of toxic chemicals you send down the drain, and into the environment.

So, if you have house with small kids, here are five benefits of Baking Soda that can help you:

1. Clean toys: Make a natural cleanser by mixing Baking Soda with water, or some vinegar and water to wipe down toys with a piece of cloth, and keep them clean without using buckets of soapy water. The after taste will also safely discourage toddlers from putting all toys in their mouth!
2. Clean stuffed animals³: These dust bags are the hardest to maintain, and soak up tons of water in the wash. Instead, you put together in a plastic bag, and add a cup of baking soda to this. Shake the bag thoroughly, and once done take the stuffed toys out of the bag, and vacuum them. The Baking Soda will have soaked up the dust, deodorized and killed all germs.
3. Get your kids hooked onto science: Another interesting benefit of baking soda is the magical world of science. The chemical reaction of Baking Soda with other compounds makes it a great ingredient for simple science experiments at home! Check out our post with three ideas you can try this summer.
4. Have fun sharing secrets: Baking soda and water can be used to make a simple invisible ink. The amount of fun young kids can have with doesn’t need to be stated. Here’s a quick video that will teach you how. This requires adult supervision, but you can easily replace the flame with a dark colored fluid (grape juice, coffee concentrate etc.)

5. Clean Crayons from your wall: Sprinkle some Baking Soda onto a damp sponge, and wipe the wall. The sprinkled soda has a slightly abrasive texture which lifts the dirt, while its cleansing properties will help get the stain off. Will your wall be as good as new? Probably not, but it will be a lot better than what you started with.

Try these benefits of baking soda and let us know how it goes! If you have any more ideas, share them with us!

Sources:

^{1 http://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/4465/how-does-sodium-bicarbonate-act-as-a-deodorizing-agent}

^{2 http://oconto.uwex.edu/files/2011/02/Baking-Soda.pdf}

^{3 http://lifehacker.com/keep-stuffed-animals-clean-and-smelling-good-with-bakin-1503256785}