Baking Soda for Cooking and Cleaning Drains!

Every 6 months I switch out my baking soda.  By doing this every six months I know I always have fresh baking soda for cooking plus my fridge, freezer and drains keep smelling good.  Win, win, win!

I keep baking soda in my fridge and freezer to keep it smelling fresh.  This is a trick I learned from my Grandmother.  I read that it started in the 1970s and before that people would use charcoal!  

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in the fridge does work, to an extent.  I keep my fridge really clean so with the added baking soda it always smells fresh and clean.  If your fridge is really smelly then you need to pull everything out and scrub the fridge and everything you put back, like condiment jars, with vinegar.  Make sure you are covering and tightly sealing food you put in the fridge.  Also ALWAYS wipe down condiment containers before you put them back.  Don’t leave open containers in your fridge, ever!  Bad oders come from decomposing food.  Yuck! 

Collect two used glass jam jars with metal lids.  Wash them thoroughly and then puncture holes in the top with an ice pick.  You will use one jar in your fridge and one in your freezer.  You can wash and reuse these over and over.  Go Green!

Buy a new fresh box of baking soda.  I only have two bath rooms so the 1 lb box works for me but you may need a bigger box.  

Collect your old baking soda from your pantry, fridge and freezer in to any container.  I use my large measuring cup because it’s easy to use.  Evenly distribute all the old baking soda in to all your household drains.  Kitchen, bathroom sinks, bathtub/shower drains.  Let it sit for 15 minutes.

Take a container of vinegar and poor down each drain – no water!  You will hear it sizzling and doing it’s job.  Let it sit for 15 minutes.  

Take boiling water and pour down each drain until all the soda and water are washed down.  You’re done!  This will keep your drains smelling fresh and clean.

Now I take my NEW Baking Soda and fill my reusable cooking spice jar, my fridge and freezer jam jars.  

That’s it! Once you’re all set up with your jars the whole process only takes a few minutes and I’m good for 6 more months.