Baking Soda: Natural Wonder Cleaner!

Baking soda is one of those items everyone has in their cupboards, but often ignores for most of the time. We are trained to go for the glitzy, heavily marketed cleaning solutions and disinfectants like "Lysol with Green Apple Scent" or "Mr. Clean", when often just some old fashioned baking soda and elbow grease will do the job just as well. Everyone's purse strings are a little tighter these days too, so shelling out loads of dough for disposable swiffers and chemical cleaners just doesn't make sense. Read on for a list of cleaning dilemmas that trusty old baking soda will take to task.

Oven Cleaner

Major oven spills can be easily brought under control by sprinkling a little baking soda over them while they're still fresh. Let sit for a half hour or so, then wipe clean with a rag. For spills that have been hanging around for a while, try a mixture of baking soda and vinegar and a scrub pad.

De-Greasing

Baking soda will degrease ugly pots and pans, barbeque grills, or stovetop elements easily. Simply sprinkle it on as a powder, or make up a thick paste and apply to the greasy area. Let sit over night and then wipe off with a scrub pad - the metal should come clean in a matter of minutes.

Neutralizing Odors

Do you dread flipping the lid on the kitchen garbage because of the barrage of smell from yesterday's dinner? Sprinkle a bit of baking soda in the bottom of the can before putting in the plastic bag - the soda will naturally deodorize the air! The same goes for your refrigerator - it should always have an open box of baking soda at the back of the shelf, to banish rank odors and help keep food fresh.

Rust Removal

Baking soda and a little water will take the rust off of any kitchen appliances that may be of a certain age. Just apply the paste, let sit for about an hour, and then scrub lightly with a bit of aluminum foil or steel wool. Rust should flake off with ease.