Is there anything less appetizing then drinking from a coffee or tea stained cup? Have you ever come to an organisation, school etc, wanting to make a cuppa, but couldn’t find one reasonably clean cup? In such situations I have the urge to roll my sleeves up and clean them all properly.

Cleaning tea and coffee stains form cups is really easy. There is no need to use abrasive chemical cleaning products or cloths, no soaking or other tricks. Just plain old BICARB SODA (bicarbonate of soda, baking soda)!

On the photo above you can see eco cleaning in action. On a damp dishcloth sprinkle some bicarb soda, then rub the cup. The stains will disappear effortlessly. Rinse and voilà: a sparkling clean cup below!

Once upon a time, bicarb soda (Sodium Bicarbonate, Bi-Carb Soda, baking soda) in our household would be used for baking exclusively. Then, I started to use it instead of commercial cleaning products. Then, as a good natural tooth cleaning powder. And so on. There is a long list of all the different ways I use it now. And still use it for baking as well. I love that stuff.

Recently I found out a new use for the bicarb soda: as a natural body deodorant! Becoming aware of aluminum and other chemicals in the commercial deodorants and antiperspirants years ago, I’ve switched to natural and organic ones. However, the price tag and the plastic packaging got me into searching for a simple natural deodorant recipe. I’ve found several, but too complicated to make. Then I came across a great post about using baking powder as a natural deodorant. I gave it a go, and it worked well for me.

It’s pretty simple:

Put some baking soda in a container and using a brush or a powder puff apply on clean, dry skin. If you find pure bicarb soda irritating, after shaving for example, mix in some corn starch (so far, I’ve been using pure bicarb). Infusing it with essential oils makes a nice, lightly scented powder. Pure lavender essential oil is mild and safe to use on your skin. Add 2-3 drops to a quarter cup of bicarb, shake well to distribute and let stand few days before using. Apply as necessary.

I have a new batch of bicarb soda being infused with vanilla bean, the same way I make my own vanilla sugar. It smells really nice so far; I hope it will retain that heavenly vanilla scent I’m addicted to after applying it!

Since using bicarb powder soda as a deodorant, I haven’t looked back. And the benefits:

• It works even in hot weather
• It’s natural
• Inexpensive
• Readily available
• Waste reduction / less packaging.

Do you have a favourite natural deodorant or recipe for one?  Please leave your comment below.

Updates:

Vanilla scented bicarb has a lovely scent!

My husband switched to bicarb too and finds it really effective.