‘Tis the season for shop shop shopping. And I thought it might be helpful to pass on a few tips from FOOD STORAGE MOMS (www.foodstoragemoms.com) regarding ways to save money around the house so you have a little more for your gift- and food-buying this month.


Site author, Linda, suggests we can save a lot of money by using baking soda for more than baking. For instance, consider those store-bought cleaning supplies. Besides being pricy and usually toxic, they are generally limited to what they can clean, forcing you to spend even more money on even more cleaners.

So you need to clean your trash containers? Turn to baking soda. It can get them sparkling and remove funky odors at the same time, so don’t spend any more money on costly toxic cleaners!


And speaking of baking soda, odors, and freshening the air: You know it works because you keep a box of baking soda in your refrigerator to conquer food odors. But did you also know it can do the same thing for floor drains?

I walked into our laundry room and smelled this very stinky stink. Worried that we might have sewage backing up into the house, or something, I called my husband in to get a whiff. He explained that once in a while floor drains need a little water poured down them to keep smells at bay. Adding baking soda to this water is even more effective. The trick is to mix ½ cup of baking soda into two or three cups of warm water and pour it down the floor drain. The stink disappears in an instant! (And hot tip: Add a little vinegar and you’ve also addressed any clog issues.)


And still speaking of odors, besides trash cans, the refrigerator, and floor drains, there’s nothing like diaper pails, changing tables, hampers, potty training seats, closets, and gym bags for giving your nose a workout! But baking soda to the rescue again: Just fill small jars with baking soda, punch some holes in the jars’ lids, and place them in the offending locations.

Arm & Hammer sells the same idea in plastic and you can pay over $10 for a pack of 10 or you can make your own for free!


Besides tackling smells, baking soda does an excellent job of cleaning your walls, so there’s no need to buy those expensive “magic” wall erasers.


And baking soda efficiently removes scuffs and sticky stuff from flooring without doing any harm to fine finishes. I have non-stop hardwood floors and I used to use lamp oil to remove scuffs and gunk. Baking soda is a better choice for a few reasons: it’s non-toxic and there’s no lingering odor.

Baking soda does a terrific job of getting your porcelain fixtures sparkling clean without marring or eroding the fine finish, the way Ajax and Comet cleansers do. Yes, you can use Bon Ami or Meyers Surface Scrub instead of these gritty cleansers. But baking soda is much the same thing and is MUCH less expensive, so save your money.


It also cleans the inside of your microwave really well. Just heat a glass of water to boiling. Remove the glass and wipe the moist walls and turntable with a damp cloth sprinkled with baking soda. It will shine everything without removing any finish.

Lastly, baking soda can stretch the life of your laundry detergent while refreshing your laundry at the same time. You’ll find that if you mix in a ½ cup of baking soda to your laundry detergent, each load will not only come out smelling fresher, but colors will be brighter as well.


I hope there’s something here that you can use to help you save a little money. December can be an expensive month, so maybe baking soda can come to your rescue!