Baking Soda is a Wonderous Thing

I have discovered, in my quest to improve my housekeeping skills and to decrease spending as well as increase my environmental-friendliness, I have come across the many, many uses of baking soda. As an aside, you can buy a 4lb bag at Costco for something like $4.50. Compared to buying a small box at the grocery store for $3ish, that's a phenomenal deal!

Here are some of my favorite uses for baking soda:

Microdermabrasion:
For literally almost nothing, you can have a first-rate microdermabrasion experience using baking soda. I recently attempted a career in selling cosmetics for a Texas-based company (rhymes with Kary May) but failed miserably. However, in that foray into a strange world, I discovered microdermabrasion. I fell in love with how smooth my skin became, but at $30 a bottle for the exfoliant there was no way it was a truly affordable option for me. I happened to accidentally pick up a container of baking soda at the store that was in a shaker bottle rather than a box, and while reading the label noticed that it suggested using baking soda as a facial exfoliant. I was skeptical, but it works as well as the pricey stuff. Plus, you have the option of mixing it with whatever you want (no acid peels though, bad idea!) with no icky chemical additives. The container suggested using just water to make a soft paste, but I actually prefer using a dab of aloe vera gel. I am still working on perfecting this, and am going to explore adding it to a good facial cleanser gel, but since I am using a Dove facial cleansing bar at the moment so that idea really wouldn't work. Anyway, make up a paste, rub it gently into your skin, and wash it off. I do recommend using a light facial moisturizer afterward, appropriate to your skin type, as this can be somewhat drying. Mahvelous, dahling!

De-stinkifying Cloth Diapers (or laundry in general)
We use Bumgenius One Size cloth diapers, as I've said before. One downside to these particular diapers is that they cannot be bleached, so they can have a bit of residual smell even after several washings in a row. We use CountrySave detergent, which is a fantastic price and works great, in addition to being Earth-friendly. Turns out adding 1/8 to 1/4 cup of baking soda to the first diaper wash, in addition to the detergent, eliminates the poop smell! This is my wash cycle for diapers:
Hot soak cycle, with 1/2 scoop detergent added.
Hot wash cycle, 1/2 scoop detergent plus slightly less than 1/4 cup baking soda.
Cold wash cycle, 1/2 scoop detergent. -Smell the diapers, if they have any residual odor, add another wash.
Cold wash cycle, no detergent (this serves as a thorough rinse) but add 1/2 cup vinegar via the bleach dispenser.

Works great!

Cleanser!
Instead of using cleanser, try baking soda! It won't scratch your pots and pans, or your sink. Bonus effect in the sink is that it eliminates odors.

Fridge/Freezer Freshener
Put some baking soda in a small Gladware (or similar) container with holes poked in the lid. Place on a shelf in the fridge or freezer to cut down on odors!

That's all for now!