Baking Soda and You...

I joined the Dollar Stretcher site (under my usual screen name) and find that it helps me recognize some of the things I now take for granted but are actually quite thrifty, apparently.

Someone asked what homemade items we make and how long it takes.

I ended up with multiple uses for baking soda and vinegar that I've been doing without thinking. Just goes to show that once I get a habit, it becomes automatic (if only I could acquire the habit of NOT eating a loaf of bread as soon as it comes out of the oven).

Here are the uses I'm making of the baking soda and vinegar.

Baking Soda--
-tooth powder (use it straight)
-"shampoo" (mixed with water)
-sink cleaner (put in wet sink, let it sit a while, scrub with citrus rind if I have it or a scrubby if I don't, rinse with water)
-tub/tile/turlet cleaner (like the sink cleaner only use a toilet brush on the toilet)
-bug-bite-anti-itch (make a paste and apply to the bite area)
-drain cleaner (put a big dollop in the drain, add vinegar, chase with hot/boiling water). This one makes a cool "volcano" to entertain you while it works.

Vinegar
-conditioner (dilute apple cider vinegar)
-drain cleaner (see above)
-plumbing delymer (fill plastic bag (salvaged from somewhere) with bit of vinegar and strap around the offending showerhead, if it's a faucet head then you might have to take it off and drop in bag or bowl of vinegar) ((Hint: use this vinegar to clean the drain rather than just chucking it out)
-softener (if my towels are getting SUPER crunchy from no softener and having to hang them inside, I might throw a bit of vinegar in the final rinse water)
-floor cleaner (dilute in water and wash floor with old socks and sweatshirts in the ragbag)
-toilet tank demold-ifier (this is in the beta phase but I'm hoping it will kill the mold that lives in the upper toilet tank)