I have a confession: I've been having a love affair with baking soda.
For me, baking soda has always been that box of white stuff in the fridge that helps keep the smells out (with a cousin in the pantry for the occasional baking recipe). I just never used it much.
Then my sister came to visit and she pulled the baking soda out when I was cleaning my stove rather unsuccessfully. You see, I am a horribly messy cook. I spill and splatter and my pots almost always over boil because I turn my back to work on something else. This means gobs of this or that are splattered and burnt on my stove top that I have to practically chisel off, or, at least, I did.
My sister merely sprinkled some baking soda over the mess, did a little wash-on-wash-off action with a wet sponge and voila: mess gone. I couldn't believe it. In fact, I was convinced that I had just loosened up the mess and she wiped at the right time. I mean, baking soda isn't that effective, right? So I waited until I'd really dirtied up my stove to try it myself.
And I didn't have to scrub!
So what's all this baking soda craziness have to do with my new minimalist lifestyle? I have forsaken all other cleaners for baking soda. That's right -- I've gone minimalist with my products (which is also very green!)
I have been using baking for everything -- to scrub my stove, oven and counter tops. To clean my floors and bathrooms. I even soaked one of Scott's smelly gym shirts in a baking soda and water bath to get the smell out. But perhaps my favorite experiment and discovery: I tried it as a face wash! Here is what I tweeted immediately following that experience, which I think succinctly captures my feelings:
I just washed my face with baking soda. it was magical. seriously. like a spa treatment.
No joke. I still haven't gotten the courage to wash my hair with baking soda. My hair is rather long and temperamental, but I believe it would work... and although it can work as a toothpaste, yeck. I just couldn't get past that bitterness. But seriously, all my other cleaners are gone. GONE! Now that's minimalist!
Seriously, though. No pricey cleaner (eco or conventional) works as good as baking soda. It will make your pots and pans sparkle like new, removing even the toughest stuck-on grease. It will make the rest of your house shine and you'll feel really good about cleaning with baking soda and water instead of harsh chemicals.
Have you ever cleaned with baking soda?
