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As a home hack goes, this one's a doozy. Most households will have a tin of baking soda, hidden somewhere in the kitchen cabinets, so why not put yours to good use. Baking Soda is a gentle abrasive and it eliminates odours that occur in the home. The best bit? It's cheap as chips, so stock up!
Image via Wegotreal.comClean Oventop: Pour some baking soda directly onto the grimey hob. Get a damp sponge or cloth and gently scrub the hob in a circular motion. To finish, simply wipe clean with a wet cloth.
Drain Cleaner: Pour around half a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by half a cup of vinegar. Let the solution work its magic for a few minute, before pouring roughly six cups of hot water down the drain, to flush out the solution.
Carpet Refresher: If your carpets and rugs are starting to look a bit lacklustre, you can give them a new lease of life with this simple home hack. Sieve some over your carpets, leave for about half an hour and just hoover up the excess. Not only will your room be refreshed, but so will your hoover - win, win! As regards pesky carpet stains, baking soda also has the solution: Mix one cup of baking soda with one cup of salt and a cup of white vinegar. Mix into a paste and apply liberally to the stain, let that dry in and hoover up.
Clean the Oven: For a sparkling clean oven, you'll need to pair baking soda with some lemon and vinegar. Mix a cup of white vinegar with a 1/2 cup of lemon juice and pour into some sort of spray bottle. Spray your freshly mixed solution onto the dirt and leave it to sit for 10 minutes. Next, sprinkle baking soda over the mess and leave for a further 5-10 minutes, before wiping with a cloth - virtually no scrubbing required. Nice one!
Image via: Davidwolfe.comFresh Fridge: Baking soda will naturally absorb stronger food odours such as garlic or onion, so they won't be left lingering or change the taste of other foods. The easiest way to prevent lingering odours, is put a box of baking soda inside your fridge to keep it smelling nice and clean.
Crayon Graffiti: Do you have kids who like to think they're the next Picasso? There is very little worse than a crayon covered wall - enter the baking soda home hack! Mix it with water (equal parts, 50/50) and lightly scrub with a damp cloth, and voilà, clean walls again!
Fresh Bins: You know that god-awful smell that seeps out of the bottom of your bin? Yeah, we could do without that too. For a fresh smelling bin, simply sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of your bin and a little more into the bottom of the bin liner - say buh bye, to that gross bin juice smell!
Pristine Tiles: No matter how clean your tiled floor or wall is, the grout will 100% appear grubby. Lay down baking soda directly on the grout, spray it with a bit of water, leave for approximately 10 minutes and then scrub off using an old toothbrush. Baking soda (mixed with vinegar, water, and liquid soap) will cut right through soap scum and mildew just as good as any old bathroom product - perfect for use on shower doors and mirrors!
Dirty Garden Furniture: So it's probably time to let go of the summer and put away the garden furniture. But, before you do just that, give them a quick wipe down with a water and baking soda solution and place some baking soda inside the chair cushions, to keep them fresh until next summer.
