3 baking soda tips

This natural ingredient can help you get your home, clothes and even skin a little bit cleaner.

Por Vista Magazine

    This natural product, known commonly as sodium bicarbonate, has so many more unexpected uses.  

That little yellow box that sits in the back of your refrigerator just might surprise you. Baking soda is well known as a freshener. We regularly put it in our fridges, add a touch to our laundry and put an open box anywhere in our homes that get a little musty.

"Many people think it’s just for cleaning," says Carmen Ordoñez, beauty and fashion expert, founder of VivaFashion.com and spokesperson for Arm & Hammer™. But this natural product, known commonly as sodium bicarbonate, has so many more unexpected uses. It might even become a secret weapon in your beauty routine.

Beauty

"I like to use it as an exfoliant, “says Carmen. "The good thing about it is that it is a gentle abrasive. I mix water and baking soda and rub it together and use it on my hands and face."

It can also be used it as part of a pedicure routine . Create a foot soak by adding baking soda into some water. It softens the water and helps exfoliate the skin. It also soothes minor skin irritations, making it ideal for feet rubbed by sandal straps or even little bug bites.

It’s also great for your hair, she says. "Put a little into your shampoo bottle and it can act as a booster helping to improve [the performance] of the cleaning agents in the shampoo. And, it helps remove residue."

Odors

Baking soda also neutralizes odors and can be used as a deodorant for small areas where bad smells can collect, like in a gym bag, laundry hampers or garbage cans. "If I forget to take out the trash, I grab a little Arm & Hammer and use it in my can," she says.

In the kitchen, it can help battle a smelly sink, which occurs when food and grime builds up. According to the brand website, you can pour some baking soda directly in the drain while running warm water to clean those dirty drains.

Baby

As a new mom, Carmen says she carefully considers the cleaning agents she uses in her hoe. "Now that I have a baby, I am all about doing things naturally and doing things that are safe," says Carmen. "[ Baking soda ] effectively cleans, so it can replace harsh chemicals."

She uses it with a bit of water to clean her baby’s bathtub. "I sprinkle a little on a sponge and just wipe down the sides of the bath tub."

More uses are available via www.ArmandHammer.com/solutions .