Here are 15 useful tips and tricks to use baking soda in the garden and kitchen:
1. It sweetens tomatoes
Your tomatoes will have a sweeter taste, they will taste less acidic and will ward off insects in a heartbeat if you sprinkle a bit of baking soda on the ground where they are planted.
2. It improves the flowering of flowers
If you have flowers growing in an alkaline soil, you will get beautiful flowers with baking soda! Begonias, geraniums and hydrangeas benefit from being watered with a little bit of this product added in some water.
3. It helps tender roses tackle mildew
To keep roses fresh and healthy and to avoid mildew, spray them with this natural spray when needed:
Plant remedy with baking soda
- 7 tablespoons sodium bicarbonate;
- A small amount of insecticidal soap;
- 5 gallons of purified water.
Note: Make sure to look regularly for signs of burns. If there are no burn (some plants are very sensitive), the mix can be used securely once a week.
4. It repels slugs
Do you wish to efficiently eliminate slugs in your backyard? Forget about costly and dangerous chemical products! Instead of these, gently pour some baking soda on the slugs.
5. It is a certain organic pesticide
You can make a chemical-free pesticide spray at home that can kill bugs that damage your plants, like aphids, all while keeping “good” insects safe. Here’s how:
Anti-insect spray
- 1 teaspoon baking soda;
- 1/3 cups of any cold-pressed cooking oil;
- Note: Mesure 2 teaspoons of the mix and add it to 1 cup of water. Add the full mixture in a spray bottle.
6. It deodorizes smelly compost
To keep your compost from getting too smelly, pour some baking soda directly on your compost. This will also prevent an accumulation of acidity.
7. It cleans bird baths and clay pots
You can use this white powder as an effective tool to clean a bird bath without toxic chemicals. After putting the baking soda, use a damp cloth to remove dirt, then rinse well with water.
You can also use baking soda to clean clay flower pots and then rinse them. This way, no harmful residue of baking soda will be absorbed inside the clay.
8. It keeps the soil cooler inside pots
When using clay pots, you can keep the soil cooler by first sprinkling the pot with a thin layer of baking soda and then add the soil.
9. It prolongs the life of cut flowers
If you have cut flowers and want to prolong their life, do not use commercial products. Instead, place the flowers in a mixture of baking soda and water.
10. It fights ants
Remove ants at the source by adding baking soda to the anthill when it is wet. Half an hour later, add a small amount of vinegar that they will ingest when they leave and eventually die.
11. It cleans cutting boards
Sprinkle baking soda over the entire surface of the cutting board, then remove with vinegar. When the foam disappears completely, rinse with warm water.
12. It is a great home scouring powder
To make your own scouring powder, use this mix:
- 1 cup of baking soda
- 1 cupf of borax
- 1 cup of salt
13. It removes food odours from your hands
If you hate the odour of onion and garlic on your hands, sprinkle some baking soda on your palms and add just enough water to create a paste.
Scrub your hands together vigorously and then rinse the white paste off. Your hands should not smell anymore!
14. It cleans mineral deposits from your kitchen appliances
Coffee pots and kettles often have mineral deposits. Here is an easy way to clean them:
Boil a bit of vinegar and 4 tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate at a very low heat and simmer for a few minutes to avoid the foam from boiling over.
15. Keep your fridge compartments fresh
Do the vegetable and fruit compartments in your fridge smell bad? If yes, add a little bit of this white powder to keep your food smelling fresh. Clean out the baking soda every three months so your fridge always stays fresh.
Source:
- Diet of life
