17 Smart Baking Soda Tips For The Garden & The Kitchen
Keep this list handy for a range of tips ranging from growing sweeter tomatoes to restoring the shine to your BBQ grills.Baking soda has many household uses which can avoid the use of harsh chemicals. Try these tips out in your kitchen and garden for yourself.
KITCHEN USES FOR BAKING SODA
1. REMOVING MINERAL DEPOSITS: Over time coffeepots, teapots and even pots and pans can be affected by a build up of mineral deposits such as calcium. A simple way to remove them and restore to their former glory is to boil some vinegar with 4 tablespoons of baking soda in the pots and let them simmer for a few minutes. Rinse thoroughly afterwards before you use them.
2. HOMEMADE SCOURING POWDER: It is easy to make your own non toxic scouring powder for those more intense cleaning jobs. Mix together 1 cup of baking soda, 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of salt. Use as you would any normal scouring powder and of course rinse well.
3. CLEAN GREASY BBQ GRILLS: A build up of cooked on grease can be difficult to clean off your bbq grill bars and plates. Make a paste using baking soda and water and apply with a wire brush. Leave it to set for about 15 minutes. Wipe off as much residue as possible and then light the grill which will burn off any remaining product before you use it to cook food.
4. REMOVING ODOR OF ONIONS & GARLIC: Inevitably when cooking we can get our hands ingrained with the smell of onions and garlic. A simple way to get rid of the odor is to sprinkle a small amount of baking soda onto your palm. Add a few drops of water to make a slight paste and rub well between your palms and fingers. Rinse under warm water and your hands are fresh once more.
5. CLEAN THE MICROWAVE: Baking soda makes this an easy task. Mix a solution of 1 quart of warm water with 4 tablespoons of baking soda in a microwave friendly dish. Simply boil in the microwave for a couple of minutes. The insides walls will be damp and so are easy to clean with just a paper towel or dishcloth. This has the added benefit of removing odors that may be stubbornly clinging to your microwave.
6. SANITIZING CHOPPING BOARDS: Sprinkle baking soda generously across the surface of your chopping board. Pour vinegar over the surface. It will foam up initially, but when the foam subsides just rinse off under hot water.
7. FRESHEN CRISPER DRAWERS IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR: These drawers can take on a strange smell if not washed out regularly. Problem solved if you just put a teaspoon of baking powder in the drawer and cover with paper towel. Change every three months (handy tip is to write the date on the paper towel so you remember to change it).
GARDEN USES FOR BAKING POWDER
8. SAFE ORGANIC PESTICIDE: This is an easy and safe organic spray which will banish the insects such as aphids which are harmful to plants, but it will not affect the beneficial insects. Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda with a third of a cup of cooking oil. Measure out 2 teaspoons of this mix and add it to 1 cup of water. Add this to your plant sprayer in a spray bottle and apply.
9. SWEETEN TOMATOES: If you sprinkle baking soda on the soil around your tomato plants not only will it discourage pests, but your crop will be sweeter with lower acidity.
10. BANISH ANTS: If you sprinkle baking soda on a damp ant hill, wait half an hour and then add a small amount vinegar you will be saved from pesky ants bothering you and your garden.
11. BLOOMING FLOWERS: Flowers that are known to thrive in a more alkaline soil such as begonias, geraniums and hydrangeas, will do even better if they are watered with a weak baking soda solution.
12. ROSES: Roses frequently suffer from a powdery mildew. To help eliminate this you can make the following solution and spray the roses every few days: mix 7 tablespoons of baking powder into 5 gallons of water. Add a dash of insecticidal soap (no pyrethrums). However you need to keep an eye on the plant to check for burning as some breeds of roses are more sensitive than others. If your plant is unaffected by the burning spray weekly with this solution.
13. SMELLY COMPOST PILES: To minimize the smell of a compost area sprinkle baking soda directly onto it. The baking powder will prevent acidity from building up causing the stench.
14. GET RID OF SLUGS: Avoid harsh chemicals in traditional slug pellets by just pouring baking soda onto the unwanted slugs.
15. CUT FLOWERS LAST LONGER: Add a small amount of baking soda to your water in a vase of flowers and they will last even longer.
16. CLEAN CLAY POTS AND BIRD BATHS: Obviously we want to avoid using toxic chemicals to clean bird baths. Just cover the surface with baking soda and leave for a couple of minutes. Remove the dirt with a damp cloth and then rinse thoroughly to ensure no residue remains. The same goes for cleaning clays pots.
17. KEEP SOIL FRESH IN POTS: When growing in clay pots, if you first coat the pot with a thin layer of baking soda before adding the soil you will find the soil stays far fresher.
Read more at http://www.realfarmacy.com/17-smart-baking-soda-tips-for-the-garden-the-kitchen/#pOe1ed55clGeBiyr.99
Keep this list handy for a range of tips ranging from growing sweeter tomatoes to restoring the shine to your BBQ grills.Baking soda has many household uses which can avoid the use of harsh chemicals. Try these tips out in your kitchen and garden for yourself.
KITCHEN USES FOR BAKING SODA
1. REMOVING MINERAL DEPOSITS: Over time coffeepots, teapots and even pots and pans can be affected by a build up of mineral deposits such as calcium. A simple way to remove them and restore to their former glory is to boil some vinegar with 4 tablespoons of baking soda in the pots and let them simmer for a few minutes. Rinse thoroughly afterwards before you use them.
2. HOMEMADE SCOURING POWDER: It is easy to make your own non toxic scouring powder for those more intense cleaning jobs. Mix together 1 cup of baking soda, 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of salt. Use as you would any normal scouring powder and of course rinse well.
3. CLEAN GREASY BBQ GRILLS: A build up of cooked on grease can be difficult to clean off your bbq grill bars and plates. Make a paste using baking soda and water and apply with a wire brush. Leave it to set for about 15 minutes. Wipe off as much residue as possible and then light the grill which will burn off any remaining product before you use it to cook food.
4. REMOVING ODOR OF ONIONS & GARLIC: Inevitably when cooking we can get our hands ingrained with the smell of onions and garlic. A simple way to get rid of the odor is to sprinkle a small amount of baking soda onto your palm. Add a few drops of water to make a slight paste and rub well between your palms and fingers. Rinse under warm water and your hands are fresh once more.
5. CLEAN THE MICROWAVE: Baking soda makes this an easy task. Mix a solution of 1 quart of warm water with 4 tablespoons of baking soda in a microwave friendly dish. Simply boil in the microwave for a couple of minutes. The insides walls will be damp and so are easy to clean with just a paper towel or dishcloth. This has the added benefit of removing odors that may be stubbornly clinging to your microwave.
6. SANITIZING CHOPPING BOARDS: Sprinkle baking soda generously across the surface of your chopping board. Pour vinegar over the surface. It will foam up initially, but when the foam subsides just rinse off under hot water.
7. FRESHEN CRISPER DRAWERS IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR: These drawers can take on a strange smell if not washed out regularly. Problem solved if you just put a teaspoon of baking powder in the drawer and cover with paper towel. Change every three months (handy tip is to write the date on the paper towel so you remember to change it).
GARDEN USES FOR BAKING POWDER
8. SAFE ORGANIC PESTICIDE: This is an easy and safe organic spray which will banish the insects such as aphids which are harmful to plants, but it will not affect the beneficial insects. Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda with a third of a cup of cooking oil. Measure out 2 teaspoons of this mix and add it to 1 cup of water. Add this to your plant sprayer in a spray bottle and apply.
9. SWEETEN TOMATOES: If you sprinkle baking soda on the soil around your tomato plants not only will it discourage pests, but your crop will be sweeter with lower acidity.
10. BANISH ANTS: If you sprinkle baking soda on a damp ant hill, wait half an hour and then add a small amount vinegar you will be saved from pesky ants bothering you and your garden.
11. BLOOMING FLOWERS: Flowers that are known to thrive in a more alkaline soil such as begonias, geraniums and hydrangeas, will do even better if they are watered with a weak baking soda solution.
12. ROSES: Roses frequently suffer from a powdery mildew. To help eliminate this you can make the following solution and spray the roses every few days: mix 7 tablespoons of baking powder into 5 gallons of water. Add a dash of insecticidal soap (no pyrethrums). However you need to keep an eye on the plant to check for burning as some breeds of roses are more sensitive than others. If your plant is unaffected by the burning spray weekly with this solution.
13. SMELLY COMPOST PILES: To minimize the smell of a compost area sprinkle baking soda directly onto it. The baking powder will prevent acidity from building up causing the stench.
14. GET RID OF SLUGS: Avoid harsh chemicals in traditional slug pellets by just pouring baking soda onto the unwanted slugs.
15. CUT FLOWERS LAST LONGER: Add a small amount of baking soda to your water in a vase of flowers and they will last even longer.
16. CLEAN CLAY POTS AND BIRD BATHS: Obviously we want to avoid using toxic chemicals to clean bird baths. Just cover the surface with baking soda and leave for a couple of minutes. Remove the dirt with a damp cloth and then rinse thoroughly to ensure no residue remains. The same goes for cleaning clays pots.
17. KEEP SOIL FRESH IN POTS: When growing in clay pots, if you first coat the pot with a thin layer of baking soda before adding the soil you will find the soil stays far fresher.
Read more at http://www.realfarmacy.com/17-smart-baking-soda-tips-for-the-garden-the-kitchen/#pOe1ed55clGeBiyr.99
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