Small lifestyle changes around the home can add up to big savings. If you have committed to saving money this year, go beyond just clipping coupons and join me as I learn new frugal ways.
If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you know of my love for Baking Soda and its many uses. I use it so much for household cleaning, I now buy it in bulk!
Cheap? Yes. Ease of use? Not so much.
So here is a little tip I learned for quick and easy cleaning with baking soda…
Parmesan cheese.
Yes, you read that right.
Step 1: Clean out a used container of grated store-bought parmesan.
Step 2: Fill with baking soda.
Step 3: LABEL as baking soda (it’s harmless if eaten, but just in case ;))
Step 4: Sprinkle on sinks, tubs and other areas just like you would Ajax or Comet.
Step 5: Add water (or even vinegar), scrub, then rinse.
There you have it. Safe, non-toxic cleaning power in a recycled container. And frugal to boot! You could add a bit of Borax to boost the cleaning power if you find that necessary.
You will be amazed by how well this works if you have never tried baking soda as a household cleaner!
Linked to: Works for Me Wednesday
Another awesome trick is to put a 16 oz bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle with 3 Tablespoons of baking soda and a squirt of dish soap to use on anything stinky….say a pet stain.
It’s magical.
Melanie´s last blog post ..I Think Hurt Motivated Me to Homeschool
@Melanie, Great tip, Melanie, thanks! I will definitely try that since we have pets.
Hello,
I am curious where you can get it in bulk like that? These are great ideas!!
@susan, Hi Susan! I bought that huge bag at Costco. I believe it was around $5.50 for 13.5 pounds. Can’t beat that! 🙂
@Alyssa Francis, Yep, that’s about what it costs at Sam’s. It lasts forever!
Nothing makes my sink shine like baking soda! Love the idea for using the empty cheese container! Guess I’ll have to find someone to give me theirs since I can’t remember the last time I bought it.
Theresa´s last blog post ..My next 30 years
Love this tip- thanks!
Ps. I always add Baking Soda to the dishwasher- where I live we have incredibly hard water (eww) so the baking soda softens it up enough to allow the detergent to work more effectively.
I too, love baking soda! I’m not quite bold enough yet to brush my teeth with the stuff… For now, I’m sticking with the stuff in the tube! 🙂
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Alyssa, I pretty much love you. GENIUS!
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Hello!
Thanks for the great tip! A while back Arm & Hammer was giving away free shakers, maybe they still are, you can check there. Right now mine has powdered sugar in it but I think I have another hanging around somewhere! LOL!
Margaret
Great tips. I’m not an avid baking soda user right now but maybe I should be!
I too love baking soda! Putting it in a shaker is a great idea! I actually recently posted tons of uses for it, and vinegar too @ http://newdaygrace.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-love-for-baking-soda.html and http://newdaygrace.blogspot.com/2010/12/vinegar-you-make-me-shine.html
I just started doing this 🙂 Excellent tip! So quick and easy.
-Amy
I just got rid of an old parm container-darn:) Ive never used baking soda, but it just got added to my list. Thanks!
Happy new year, Alyssa! Great idea-thanks!
Great idea. I LOVE it and will be putting it to use just as soon as we finish up our parmesan cheese!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Mary @ Tips & Treasures´s last blog post ..Cleaning- The Frugal AND Green Way
I buy the big bag at bj’s. I add it to our stinky laundry, like gym towels and kithcen wash clothes. I love this idea for the shaker. I don’t buy parm that way though. I buy it in bulk, but I’ll have to buy one for the shaker.
Kristia@Family Balance Sheet´s last blog post ..Resolve To Lower Your Grocery Bill
Here is a msg that I got from someone else about using baking soda:
If you are now stuck with a huge bag of baking soda that you don’t think you will ever use, here’s what I use it for: all-purpose cleaning (either dry or mixed with water depending on the surface being cleaned), carpet deodorizer, toilet bowl freshener, fridge freshener, body wash (no kidding; it works so well at controlling odors that I have stopped using deodorant), laundry booster or laundry pre-soak, and of course, for baking. You can also freshen kids’ stuffed animals by tossing them in a pillowcase with baking soda and shaking them around for awhile. Gets rid of those un-fresh smells from toys that can’t be cleaned otherwise.
@Bethany, These are fabulous tips, thanks, Bethany! I especially like the pillow case trick. Thanks again for sharing!
@Alyssa Francis,
You are very welcome! 🙂
Great tip! I have been doing this for a couple of years now. I try to re-purpose as much as possible and I use them for baking items as well. http://koreamom.blogspot.com/2008/03/repurposing-grated-cheese-containers.html
It is nice to put small amounts of sugar, corn starch etc and not have to drag out the big containers when you only need a little of something!
Michele G´s last blog post ..Managing your goals
I have been using baking soda to wash my hair for the last year and it has never been healthier! I use an old ketchup bottle to mix 2 TBS soda to 1 cup water and spray that. on my hair after wetting. I massage it in and follow with a cider vinegar rinse (and NO my hair does NOT smell like vinegar :p)
@Tanja, I have read a lot about going “no poo” and I am tempted to try it. Thanks for sharing your experience, Tanja! 🙂
I think I am going to try this. How well does it work on bacteria?
@Stacey, For bacteria, I would add some plain white vinegar for a cleaning power boost. It’s also a natural anti-bacterial agent!
Baking soda is amazing! It can be used for PERSONAL CARE, GENERAL CLEANING, even can be used as Deodorizing the Cutting Board！Thanks for sharing! Love it.
Hi Amy
Great tips here! I’ve used baking soda on my teeth before, but never thought about mixing it with vinegar and using it as a scrub.
Thanks for sharing!
Jeff