The Wonders of Baking Soda

I've always stuck to the Arm and Hammer variety although other brands probably work as well. There is something very special about baking soda and I was compelled to write about it a couple of years ago. I am pleased that it's still very inexpensive, around 50 cents for a one pound box and yet so powerful. Here are some of the ways I use baking soda these days:
I use it to make delicious oatmeal/raisin cookies.

An opened box in the fridge absorbs all odors. Make sure you change the box though! Now Arm and Hammer has a box designed for refrigerator use called Fridge N Freezer where you open one side, which has a built-in filter. A regular box works just as well.

Adding some to my bath water is very soothing and baking soda is great for exfoliating the skin when added to my washcloth.

I don't always do this but baking soda is great for cleaning the bathtub and all sinks. I do sprinkle some in my drains, which keeps them fresh smelling.

We all have probably used baking soda as an antacid. It works immediately.

One excellent use (warning - not for those with high blood pressure!) I learned a few years ago, for those whose body is too acidic, is to put a teaspoon of baking soda in an 8 ounce glass of water and drink it - once each day. For health, our bodies must be more on the alkaline side (not too alkaline though) with some acidity. Cold viruses and other viruses such as cancer thrive in an acidic environment. These same viruses cannot survive in an alkaline body. This is very important to remember and just knowing this can keep us very healthy. I'll post more about this alkaline/acidic topic another time. Anyway, the most alkaline substance we can take is baking soda, which is about 14.0 on the pH scale. Water is 7.0, which is neutral (anything under 7.0 is acidic and over 7.0 alkaline). So what I'm saying is, if we find ourselves with a cold and do not have high blood pressure, taking the water with a teaspoon of baking soda will knock that cold out quickly as it brings up our bodies to a more alkaline environment. There are implications here for other viruses too...

So, what are some of the ways you use baking soda?