Baking Soda: 20 Frugal Preparedness Uses

Here’s another one for the growing library of baking soda uses from Peak Prosperity contributor Jason Wiskerchen. See here and here for even more.

Doing the stuff,

Todd

______________

Source: Peak Prosperity

20 Reasons to Keep Baking Soda on Hand

It’s not just for baking cookies

by Jason Wiskerchen

Baking soda, a.k.a. sodium bicarbonate, is another house old item that every well-prepared home should have plenty of.  Keep it on hand for daily use as well as those special occasions where this wonder powder is irreplaceable.  Like vinegar, baking soda has hundreds of uses and applications, including keeping your home clean, shiny, and most importantly, toxin-free.

From Wikipedia:

Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the chemical compound with the formula NaHCO₃. Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder. It has a slightly salty, alkaline taste resembling that of washing soda (sodium carbonate). The natural mineral form is nahcolite. It is a component of the mineral natron and is found dissolved in many mineral springs.

Since it has long been known and is widely used, the salt has many related names such as baking soda, bread soda, cooking soda, and bicarbonate of soda. In colloquial usage, its name is shortened to sodium bicarb, bicarb soda, or simply bicarb. The word saleratus, from Latin sal æratus meaning aerated salt, was widely used in the 19th century for both sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate. The term has now fallen out of common usage.

The following list of uses is by no means completely comprehensive, but it should give you a good idea why I buy baking soda in bulk and why I recommend that everyone stock up and learn to use it in their everyday lives.

In the Bathroom

Soothe an Upset Stomach
Mix a teaspoon into a glass of warm water to combat heartburn, acid stomach, and other stomach issues. Baking soda is alkaline, and it can help neutralize the acids that can cause digestive problem and discomfort.  Note: Always seek proper medical support if you feel you have a serious issue or if your condition worsens.

Bath/Foot Soak
Mix some baking soda into a bath for a soothing and skin-softening experience.  Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil for a relaxing enhancement.  The foot version can be done in large bowl or bucket while reading the latest seed catalogs.  Or simply add baking soda to your entire bath for all-over skin softening.

Toothpaste Alternative
Lightly dip your toothbrush into a small bowl of baking soda to use as toothpaste and give a mild abrasive quality to your brushing.  It will also give your mouth a nice fresh feeling.  A drop of mint oil can also be added to the bowl for a more traditional “minty toothpaste” flavor.

Soothing Stings, Insect Bites, or Sunburn
A topical paste of baking soda and water is a time-tested, quick, soothing remedy for bee and wasp stings.  Be sure to remove the bee’s stinger first, if there is one.  A cool baking soda paste also eases insect bites and sunburn.

Underarm Deodorant
Apply a dusting of baking soda with a powder puff for an effective underarm deodorant.

Read the rest here

Baking Soda: Splinter Removal And 11 Other Medical Uses

Use This to Remove Splinters — and to Address Many Other Health Needs

Source: Mercola.com

By Dr. Mercola

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a staple in many homes for baking and cleaning purposes – but there’s a good chance you’re not taking full advantage of all that baking soda has to offer.

For instance, did you know there’s a whole gamut of medicinal uses for baking soda, such as safely removing splinters from your fingers, or just brushing your teeth?

It rates right up there with hydrogen peroxide as one of the most inexpensive and safe health tools around (you can buy an entire box of baking soda for about $1), so it makes sense to learn all you can about the many, many uses of baking soda.

A Brief Baking Soda History

In its natural form, baking soda is known as nahcolite, which is part of the natural mineral natron. Natron, which contains large amounts of sodium bicarbonate, has been used since ancient times. For instance, the Egyptians used natron as a soap for cleansing purposes. Later, anecdotal reports throughout history suggest that many civilizations used forms of baking soda when making bread and other foods that required rising.

However, it wasn’t until 1846 when Dr. Austin Church and John Dwight began to manufacture and sell the compound we know as baking soda today. By the 1860s, baking soda was featured in published cookbooks, and in the 1930s was widely advertised as a “proven medical agent.”¹ Come 1972, the idea to keep a box of baking soda in your fridge to keep food fresh was born, and it really caught on … raise your hand if you have a box in your fridge right now!

Baking soda was popularized by Arm & Hammer more than 150 years ago, and while many are aware of its versatile qualities for cooking and household use, few people realize that baking soda also has potent medicinal properties.

Baking Soda May Help Fight Colds and the Flu

Some people believe that when taken internally, baking soda can help maintain the pH balance in your bloodstream. This is likely the basic premise behind its recommended uses against both colds and influenza symptoms. In their booklet “Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Medical Uses,” published in 1924, Dr. Volney S. Cheney recounts his clinical successes with sodium bicarbonate in treating cold and flu:²

“In 1918 and 1919 while fighting the ‘flu’ with the U. S. Public Health Service it was brought to my attention that rarely anyone who had been thoroughly alkalinized with bicarbonate of soda contracted the disease, and those who did contract it, if alkalinized early, would invariably have mild attacks.

I have since that time treated all cases of ‘cold,’ influenza and LaGripe by first giving generous doses of bicarbonate of soda, and in many, many instances within 36 hours the symptoms would have entirely abated.

Further, within my own household, before Woman’s Clubs and Parent-Teachers’ Associations, I have advocated the use of bicarbonate of soda as a preventive for ‘colds,’ with the result that now many reports are coming in stating that those who took ‘soda’ were not affected, while nearly everyone around them had the ‘flu.’

Not too certain though about how valid the pH optimizing is as to baking soda’s mechanism of action, as clinically I have frequently used diluted hydrochloric acid intravenously to also help people nearly instantly recover from acute infections. Obviously this is pushing the pH in the opposite direction, yet both appear to work, suggesting that the mode of action may be other than pH mediated.

The administration is easy enough, and is relatively harmless even if you should not experience relief from your cold symptoms. Simply dissolve the recommended amount of baking soda in a glass of cold water and drink it. Recommended dosages from the Arm & Hammer Company for colds and influenza back in 1925 were:

• Day 1 — Take six doses of ½ teaspoon of baking soda in glass of cool water, at about two-hour intervals
• Day 2 — Take four doses of ½ teaspoon of baking soda in glass of cool water, at the same intervals
• Day 3 — Take two doses of ½ teaspoon of baking soda in glass of cool water morning and evening, and thereafter ½ teaspoon in glass of cool water each morning until cold symptoms are gone

11 More Medicinal Uses for Baking Soda

You’ll be amazed at the myriad of remedies you can whip up if you have a box of baking soda handy. Among them:

• Ulcer Pain: I have personally recommended this to many including family members and have been surprised how remarkably effective it is. This would make sense, as the baking soda would immediately neutralize stomach acid. Dosing is typically 1-2 teaspoons in a full glass of water.
• Splinter removal: Add a tablespoon of baking soda to a small glass of water, then soak the affected area twice a day. Many splinters will come out on their own after a couple of days using this treatment.
• Sunburn remedy: Add ½ cup of baking soda to lukewarm bathwater, then soak in the tub for natural relief. When you get out, let your skin air dry, rather than toweling off the excess baking soda, for extra relief. You can also add a mixture of baking soda and water to a cool compress and apply it to the sunburn directly.
• Deodorant: If you want to avoid the parabens and aluminum found in many deodorants and antiperspirants, try a pinch of baking soda mixed with water instead. This simple paste makes an effective and simple natural deodorant.
• Enhanced sports performance: Distance runners have long engaged in a practice known as “soda doping” – or taking baking soda capsules — before races to enhance performance,³ a measure that’s thought to work similarly to carbohydrate loading. While I don’t suggest you try this at home, it’s another example of baking soda benefits.
• Plaque-busting tooth and gum paste: For an incredibly effective tooth and gum paste, use a mixture of six parts of baking soda to one part of sea salt. Place them in a blender and mix for 30 seconds, then place in a container to use. Wet the tip of your index finger and place a small amount of the salt and soda mixture on your gums. Starting with the upper outside gums and then the inside of the upper, followed by the lower outside of the gums then the lower inside, rub the mixture onto your teeth and gums. Spit out the excess. After 15 minutes rinse your mouth. This mixture is incredibly effective at killing bacteria.
• Insect bites: Apply a paste made of baking soda and water to insect bites to help relieve itching. You can also try rubbing the dry powder onto your skin. This is also effective for itchy rashes and poison ivy.
• Teeth whitener: For a natural way to whiten your teeth, crush one ripe strawberry and mix it with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Spread the mixture onto your teeth and leave on for five minutes. Then brush your teeth and rinse. This method should be used no more than once a week, as excessive use could potentially damage your tooth enamel.
• Foot soak: Add three tablespoons of baking soda to a tub of warm water for an invigorating foot soak.
• Exfoliator: A paste made from three parts of baking soda combined with 1 part water can be used as an exfoliator for your face and body. It’s natural, inexpensive and gentle enough to use every day.
• Detox bath: Baking soda and apple cider make a wonderful spa-like bath for soaking away aches and pains and detoxing. It also cleans the tub and the drain, as a bonus!

Baking Soda is an Excellent Household Cleaner, Too

After you’ve stashed a box of baking soda in your medicine cabinet, put one under your kitchen sink, in your bathroom and with your cleaning supplies too …

• Baking soda is great to scrub your bath and kitchen with. Put it in a glass grated cheese container with a stainless steel top that has holes in it, and just sprinkle the baking soda on the surfaces and scrub. You may add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to this. Lavender and tea tree oil have potent anti-bacterial qualities.
• Baking soda mixed with apple cider vinegar is a bubbly combination that has many uses. As a drain cleaner, sprinkle baking soda down the drain, then add apple cider vinegar and let it bubble for 15 minutes, then rinse with hot water. This is a safer alternative to dangerous drain cleaners.
• Soak pots and pans in hot water and baking soda for 15 minutes to easily wipe away baked-on food.
• Use baking soda to scrub your barbecue grill.
• Clean baby toys in a mixture of 4 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 quart of water.
• Baking soda can also be used as a fabric softener in your laundry, or to get your clothes whither and brighter (add one cup to your laundry load).
• Baking soda is a natural carpet cleaner. Sprinkle it onto carpets, let it sit for 15 minutes, then vacuum it up.
• To polish silver without using toxic silver polish, fill your kitchen sink with hot water, add a sheet of aluminum foil and baking soda, and let the silver pieces soak until clean. It is an easy and fun way to clean silver.
• Sprinkle baking soda in your shoes for a natural deodorizer.
• In the event of a minor grease fire in your kitchen, use baking soda to help smother out the flames.

Not bad for around $1 a box, right?

The Many Uses of Baking Soda in Survival Situations

Source: Doom and Bloom

THE MANY USES OF BAKING SODA IN HARD TIMES

Guest post by Jim Sawyer

(Dr. Bones says: This well-written and highly useful article was submitted by our reader JIM SAWYER, and tells you the myriad ways that baking soda makes sense to accumulate in bulk for survival situations.  I have a ton of this stuff to help maintain sanitary and hygienic condition in our retreat.  Jim calls himself an old coot; well, we need more old coots around like him.  Me, I spend most of my time drooling on my shoes….)

 

The world is on the brink of destruction and I have all my preps together; my water, food, fire making gear, guns and ammo, 3 different combat knives, 5 typesof camo, water filters, night vision goggles, camping gear, a bug out vehicle, a bug out location and a plan. I also have 20 pounds of baking soda.

BAKING SODA?

Yes, baking soda. After the balloon goes up, off grid, in the post apocalypse zombie filled world there are tons of uses for baking soda. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, helps regulate pH, keeping a substance not too acidic or too alkaline.

When baking soda comes in contact with either an  acidic or an alkaline substance, it’s natural effect is to neutralize that pH. It releases bubbles of carbon dioxide when it interacts with an acid and a liquid. Beyond that, baking soda has the ability to retard further changes in the pH balance, known as buffering. This capability of neutralizing and buffering allows baking soda to do things such as neutralize acidic odors.

It’s most commonly used in baking, where it acts as a leavening agent. If your wife is like mine, there is always an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator to soak up odors.

I’m an old coot and have a bit of acid reflux. After the mutant zombies bikers trash all the drug stores looking for drugs I doubt I will be able to get the prescription medicine I take to ease heartburn. I doubt I will even be able to find a pack of Tums or Rolaids. Baking soda is a safe and effective antacid to relieve heartburn, sour stomach  and/or acid indigestion. It’s an old remedy that was used for centuries before Tums and Rolaids came on the market.

Acid reflux runs in our family and my grandfather took a small spoon of baking soda in a glass of water after every meal to keep acid stomach at bay. He died at 105 back in 1957 but I still remember him mixing it up at the table. I can’t say that baking soda helped him live that long but it did make him a lot less grumpy.

It also works great as a tooth paste. You can use it alone or make a paste from baking soda and a 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution that can be used as an alternative to commercial non-fluoride toothpastes.

Then there is your breath. Hey guys, if we want to have any “companionship” after we get to the BOL you need fresh breath. At least that’s what they say in the commercials. Put one teaspoon baking soda in half a glass of water, swish, spit and rinse. Odors are neutralized, not just covered up; it also helps to reduce periodontal disease.  Dentists are going to be hard to come by in an off grid world. It will pay to keep your teeth and gums in good shape.

(Dr. Bones says:  Don’t underestimate the importance of dental hygiene.  Have you even had to go to work with a bad toothache?  Probably not your most efficient outing)

Remember, I’m old. For those of you like me, you can soak dental appliances, like dentures and bridges, in a solution of 2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in a glass or small bowl of warm water. The baking soda loosens food particles and neutralizes odors to keep appliances fresh. You can also brush appliances clean using baking soda.

One of the things many of the writers of the 17th, 18th and early 19th century mentioned in their writing was the way people smelled back then. In one word, Bad! After the stink (pun intended,) hits the fan, and you are running for your life, baths may be hard to come by.

I plan to bug out with a small group and I’d prefer the bad guys not be able to track us by the smell. Add a bit of baking soda in that bucket of water you use to wash the BO off, and you will find that you stay stink-free longer, without a tell-tale floral fragrance you might get from soap, that could tip off your location to the FEMA guys.

In the old West at many saloons a traveler could buy a token for, as they put it , “Bath, Beans and a Screw” for five bucks. For an extra dollar you got to be the first to use the bath water. If you can get a bath, add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your bath to neutralize acids on the skin and help wash away oil and perspiration.

A little baking soda really helps when half a dozen folks are sharing the same bath water. Yes I know you can wash in a lake, but what if it is winter and you live in Michigan? If you are smart you are going to heat enough water for your group to bathe in, and share. That is how they did it in the old days.

After your bath, pat some baking soda onto your underarms to neutralize body odor. Put a dash in your shorts to prevent chaffing, reduce odor and keep those delicate areas dry. Nothing worse than a case of crotch rot when you are on a cross country hike.

Don’t forget to add a liberal amount of baking soda to your boots. It will keep your feet drier, better smelling and help prevent blisters. Trench foot is no fun and it could cost you your life.

There is not much that baking soda can un-stink. You can use it when you wash cloths, scrub down counters after you butcher a hog or to clean out the car you just spent 6 days and nights in bugging out.

To soothe your feet after a hard day of hiking through the bush, and running from bad guys, dissolve 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a tub of warm water and soak your feet.

When you finally do get to your Bug Out Location there is still a lot of things you can use baking soda for:

 

• There is sure to be a lot of dirty work, chopping wood, digging latrines and working on vehicles. Before you head in for lunch use some baking soda as a hand cleaner. It will gently scrub away ground-in dirt and neutralize odors on your hands.
• Baking soda can be used to neutralize battery acid corrosion on cars, generators, etc. because it’s a mild alkali. (Be sure to disconnect the battery terminals before cleaning.) Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water, apply with a damp cloth to scrub corrosion from the battery terminal. After cleaning and re-connecting the terminals, wipe them with petroleum jelly to prevent future corrosion.
• Our bug out location has a septic tank. Regular use of baking soda can help keep it flowing freely. 1 cup of baking soda per week will help maintain a favorable pH in your septic tank.
• You can extinguish fires with baking soda. It can help in the initial handling of minor grease or electrical fires, because when baking soda is heated, it gives off carbon dioxide, which helps to smother the flames. For small cooking fires (frying pans, broilers, ovens, grills), Stand back and throw handfuls of baking soda at the base of the flame to help put out the fire.
• Scatter baking soda around the garden to prevent rabbits from eating your veggies.
• Use baking soda for repelling ants & roaches
• After your local WalMart has been looted, you will have to make the clothes you have last a long time. You want them to look as good as you can. For stubborn stains, try soaking overnight in the baking soda solution and detergent or scrubbing with baking soda on a damp sponge.

 

Don’t forget the many uses in the kitchen:

• First and foremost, come the end of civilization you better not mess with my coffee. You can eliminate bitter after tastes in coffee pots using a solution of 1/4 cup baking soda in 1 quart of warm water.
•  Baking soda is the food safe way to clean dirt and residue off fresh fruit and vegetables. Just sprinkle a little on a clean damp sponge, scrub and rinse.
• When dipping a chicken, to get the feathers off add a teaspoon of baking soda to the boiling water. Feathers will come off easier, and the flesh will be clean and white.
•  In the camp kitchen, soak dried beans in a baking soda solution to make them more digestible.
•  Remove the distinctive taste of wild game by soaking it in a baking soda solution.
•  Remove the fishy smell from your fillets by soaking the raw fish in a baking soda solution for an hour inside a cooler before you cook it.
•  Reduce the acid content of your tomato-based recipes by sprinkling them with a pinch of baking soda. (My acid reflux will thank you.)
• Don’t forget you can still use it as a leavening agent when making bread. After the meal make a thick paste of baking soda and water, and used it to scrub enameled cast iron a nd stainless steel cookware. Remove burned-on food from a pan by soaking it in a baking soda solution for 10 minutes before washing.

 

You are sure to need backing soda in your medical supplies:

 

• You can treat insect bites and itchy skin with baking soda. For insect bites, make a paste out of baking soda and water, and apply as a salve onto affected skin. To ease the itch, shake some baking soda into your hand and rub it into damp skin.
• It even makes a fairly good cleaner for wounds, but it will sting a bit. Apply it on rashes, and poison ivy irritations.
• The group medic can use baking soda to unblock a stuffy nose by adding a teaspoon of baking soda to a pot of boiling water and having the patient inhale the vapors.
• Do you have very small children? After the world as we know it ends you will have to go back to cloth diapers. Baby skin requires the most gentle of cleansers. Dissolve ½ cup of baking soda  in 2 quarts of water and soak diapers thoroughly. A little baking soda in a diaper at night can reduce ammonia smell and the rash it causes. After the fact, you can put two tablespoons in your baby’s bathwater to help treat diaper rash.

Are your kids the 4 legged kind?  You can use baking soda to deodorize pet bedding and deodorize the cat boxes. Cover the bottom of the litter box with baking soda, then fill as usual with litter. To freshen between changes, sprinkle baking soda on top of the litter after a thorough cleaning. Eliminate odors from your pets bedding by sprinkling liberally with baking soda, wait 15 minutes (or longer for stronger odors), then take them outside and beat them like you would a rug.

You don’t want the pets stinking up the cabin? Give them a bath using baking soda. It’s good for their hair and skin and does a great job of getting rid of that wet dog smell. By the way, this baking soda bath works fairly well after skunk attacks, for humans and animals alike.

There you have it. Survival is not always about guns, ammo and cool gear. Our ancestors did not just survive they lived this way and moved forward to make the world what it is today. No matter how much you store you will have to go back to the basics at some point if you want to go on living. Stored stocks can only last so long. Baking soda has been a fixture in many wilderness home for a long time.

Our forefathers and mothers used it for a reason, it works and it does many jobs.  Don’t forget to include it in your storage.

JIM SAWYER

(Dr. Bones says: I was told by my dad when I was a kid that Arm and Hammer Baking Soda was named after turn of the century philanthropist Armand Hammer, and I posted as such here.  If I had simply googled it, I would have known I goofed.  Guess you can’t take everything your pop says as gospel, lol)