How to Use Baking Soda in the Medicine Cabinet

Baking soda is indispensable in the medicine cabinet. For everything from dandruff to athlete's foot, baking soda offers an inexpensive, non-toxic remedy. Keep a few boxes of baking soda near the medicine cabinet and try some of the following suggestions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Relieve the sting of canker sores. Mix a teaspoon of baking soda in 8 oz. of water and stir well. Rinse with the solution twice a day.
2. Soothe the itch of bug bites, chicken pox or the measles in a baking soda bath. Pour 2 cups of baking soda under the faucet while running a lukewarm bath. Soak in the bath as needed to relieve itching.
3. Ease heartburn and indigestion. Stir 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda into 8 oz. of water and drink.
4. Apply a paste of baking soda to bee stings and mosquito bites. Put a few drops of water in a spoonful of baking soda, then dab the mixture onto the bites to soothe and relieve itching. Treat poison ivy rashes with a paste made of 3 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of water.
5. Combat dandruff. Rub a handful of baking soda into wet hair, then rinse and dry. Use this treatment regularly instead of shampoo for a few weeks to get to soft, flake-free hair.
6. Freshen combs and brushes in a soak of 4 cups of warm water and 3 teaspoons of baking soda. Swirl the combs and brushes to work debris loose from teeth and bristles. Soak for 30 minutes, rinse well and dry.
7. Relieve the itching and sweating inside a cast with baking soda. Use a hand-held blow dryer on a low, cool setting to blow small amounts of baking soda into the cast to absorb moisture and relieve irritation.