Bicarbonate of soda..

   Bicarbonate of Soda is not just for baking once a year.

There are some incredible uses, that are easypeasy.

1. Cleaning

First and foremost, bicarb is fantastic for clearning.

Soak tea or coffee stained mugs with bicarb dissolved in water overnight

and theyll come out squeaky clean.

A bicarb solution will remove scuff marks on laminate floors or skirting boards

with a bit of gentle wiping.

Add a little water to bicarb to make a paste and use this to polish your silver for a brilliant shine.

You can also dip half a potato in a bicarb solution and then use it to rub away rust on cutlery,

or anything else metal.

2. Removing bad smells

An open tub of bicarb in your fridge will rid it of that gone-off food smell

that seems to linger even though youve thrown out everything thats past its sell-by date.

You can also get rid of garlic (or generally bad) breath by gargling with a teaspoon of bicarb

dissolved in a glass of water.

Use a powder puff to dab some bicarb under your arms for an effective deodorant.

It wont make you smell of roses, but you wont smell bad either.

A small bag filled with bicarb and put in your wardrobe will also stop

your clothes smelling musty.

3. Soothing skin

A bicarbonate of soda solution dabbed onto a minor burn until it has cooled will soothe it

and help it heal. If youve been bitten by a mosquito or any other insect,

a paste of bicarbonate of soda will help sooth the bite and dry it out so it heals quicker.

4. Freshen up

If you want to freshen up your whites a scoop of bicarb in your white wash

will have them dazzling in no time. As well as invigorating your clothes,

a bit of bicarb in the water for your cut flowers will help keep them perky for longer

and boost alkaline loving potted plants.

5. Tenderising meat

Fed up with bashing out your meat with a little hammer to get it tender?

Instead, pour bicarb over it and then leave to work its magic in the fridge for 3-5 hours.

Once youre ready to cook, rinse off thoroughly and your meat will be beautifully tender.

6. Fire safety

In case your kitchen is short of a fire-safety blanket,

when poured over a grease or oil fire,

bicarbonate of soda can extinguish flames.

Although it wouldnt be safe to rely on this in an emergency!