Baking soda is my friend.......

I buy baking soda by 50lb bags and use it for multiple cleaning uses around this house;

I use baking soda instead of cleanser for cleaning sinks, tubs and counters.

here is a recipe for making your own dishwashing detergent:

Mix and use per dishwasher load:

1 Tablespoon Borax

1 Tablespoon Baking soda

OR

Mix equal parts Borax and Baking Soda, and add 2Tablespoons per load.

Increase proportion of soda for hard water. Use vinegar in the rinse cycle for sparkling glass.

I use baking soda instead of detergent for our laundry. I use about 1/2 ro 3/4 cup of bs per load of laundry. For grease stains on shirts I pretreat the spot with a natural laundry spray or dish detergent. I wash all our clothes in cold water to save energy and everything comes out clean without detergent.

Even Shilohs diapers come out clean after being washed in baking soda and hot water.

I use baking soda instead of shampoo. I take approximately 1/8 a cup of bs in a cup and mix it with water in the shower to make a thin paste. Then I massage the bs into my hair and rinse. Next I put about 5 drops of lemon essential oil into my hand and massage through my hair and rinse lightly. My hair stays soft, shiney and healthy using this solution for hair cleansing. An added plus is that the lemon essential oil keeps the deer flies from buzzing around my head in the summer if I work in my garden soon after washing my hair!

I use a mixture of 3 parts baking soda and 1 part celtic sea salt, mixed together, in place of toothpaste. I mix a spoon of this mixture in my hand into a glob of aloe vera gel and then brush.

I got this recipe from a naturalpathic dentist. (http://www.saveyourteeth.com/)

Since I have been using this mixture my teeth are about 5 shades whiter and my gums are perfectly healthy and pink.

(read about the dangers of flouride:

http://www.fluoridealert.org/)

If anyone else has any other recipes and/or uses for baking soda please email me as I am always looking for ways to make my own cleaning products to save money and be less of a consumer, stay healthy and be as gentle on the environment as possible