Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda into stinky trainers - and even your whole gym bag - and leave it. Just tap it out when you next need to use them 17. Keep flowers fresher for longer Unwanted Food or Drink Products - Once supply conditions are broken, there are a number of factors outside of our control that can affect the quality of a product. Therefore perishable goods such as food and drink cannot be returned. Birtwhistle says she “lived for years and years” with stains on the inside of her cast iron casseroles. “Then it just took a tablespoon of sodium percarbonate and a kettle of boiling water and it was clean.” Brightening whites

Avoid using the baking soda jewellery cleaning technique on pearls or gemstones as it risks damaging their finish. Stain Removal Showdown: Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder Tip: It may be worth starting in one corner and working towards the door. And it is helpful to clean extra dirty areas first. Pop a box of baking soda in your wardrobe. Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil such as lavender to keep your clothes smelling fresh. This will also ward off moths. 19. Reduce unpleasant smells in roomsWhile some trials and scientific research mitigate the effectiveness of baking soda against fungal diseases, it won’t hurt the plant and does have short term benefits, so go for it! However, it’s also possible to use bicarbonate of soda for cleaning. It’s gentle, non-toxic, pet and child friendly, doesn’t have a harsh smell and is highly unlikely to cause damage.

From door handles to ornaments, almost all of the accessories in your home can be buffed up to look as good as new with this great cleaning technique. It did, however, work on the curry stains, proving slightly more effective with vinegar. The downside to using vinegar is the smell, so you'll need to clean the scent out afterwards. How we test carpet stain removers And while bi-carb of soda alone might not be able to rescue a badly infected plant, it can help stop the problem from spreading around your garden and can also be used as a preventative treatment throughout the growing season. How to Make a Bi-Carb of Soda Anti-Fungal Spray To shine tarnished silver, combine three parts bicarb with one part water. Rub onto silver with a clean cloth or sponge. Rinse thoroughly and dry. 6. Keep litter tray smells at bay with bicarb Our verdict If you ever did the volcano experiment at school you know how this goes. It's very visually impressive. That said, don't use bicarbonate of soda to clean red wine stains. When we tried it, it appeared to react with the wine stain and we were left with a large patch of carpet with a blue tinge.A fab DIY skincare product, exfoliate your skin with a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water. Apply gently with your fingertips in a circular motion, then rinse. 23.Make a homemade hair treatment From carpets to throws, and from your cushions and sofa fabric to your shower curtain, baking soda is the perfect substance to remove stains and leave soft furnishings smelling fresh. From your bathrooms and kitchen to hard surfaces, surfaces, hardware and touchpoints and even soft furnishings, baking soda can work wonders to keep your home clean in a non-toxic, eco-friendly, super-affordable way.

After a run-in with a rubber parking bollard (“These things happen”), Birtwhistle dabbed some bicarbonate of soda on the mark with a damp cloth and it was as if it had never happened. It also works on walls, skirting boards and appliances. Home-brew pesticide B&M Top Tip: To clean up your carpets, simply sprinkle over bicarbonate of soda, leave it for 15 minutes and vacuum it off. Simply finish with a spritz of your favourite scent and the whole room will feel cleaner and fresher than ever! 5. Shine up Your Accessories & Hardware Before trying out any of the mixes you make on your entire carpet you should do a spot test first. Spot tests should be done on unnoticeable patches of carpet, like under the sofa. These little patch tests can indicate very early on if the solution you’ve created is suitable or not for your carpet. You really don’t want to avoid this step.Sodium bicarbonate as a fungicide works by disrupting the ion balance in the fungal cells, which causes them to collapse. The biggest danger in using sodium bicarbonate on plants is the potential for foliar burn. This appears as brown or yellow patches at the end of the leaves and can be minimized by thorough dilution of the product. Is Baking Soda Good for Plants? Descale a kettle by filling it with around three quarters of the way with water and add a large tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda before boiling the kettle. Lay off the shampoo for a few weeks and massage your wet scalp with a handful of baking soda instead. 27. Whiten your teeth naturally Work from the outside of a stain towards its centre, this will limit the spread of the stain onto other areas of the carpet.

Citric acid will dissolve limescale and kill germs. Photograph: kali9/Getty Images Deep-clean the loo Vinegar is not recommended for all surfaces, especially stone such as marble or granite, so this recipe is an alternative if you have these surfaces at home. To make this spray, mix the following: Add a teaspoon of baking powder to your vase of flowers to keep the bunch looking and smelling fresher for longer. 18. Freshen up your wardrobe You can make your silver shine again with bicarb too. Make a paste of 3 parts bicarbonate of soda to 1 part water and rub your silver to remove tarnishes. Rinse it off, and it will shine once more. Last summer, Birtwhistle had two different sprays to keep bugs at bay. She made one from nettles (60g boiled in 600ml water) and another using rhubarb leaves (500g of leaves in a litre of water). Both also contained clove bud oil, thought to deter insects. “The oxalic acid in rhubarb is a mild poison, so I didn’t use that on my veg,” she says. “I used the nettle spray there and I used the rhubarb spray on non-edible plants.” Both were effective, she says. “I was delighted.”Removing stains on carpets can be a real challenge for any cleaner. However, bicarb and vinegar can even get these out too. Severe allergic reaction: Avoid sodium bicarbonate if you have a known allergy to it or its components (ingredients or parts). Ask a pharmacist, healthcare provider, or registered dietitian for more information to verify its safety.