by Barbara of BarbaraNaturallySpeaking
Hey curlies,
I’m so excited to learn some additional uses for baking soda and vinegar. Yeah, Yeah, I know that some of you know what I’m about to discuss already, but it’s new for me.
Ok, here’s the scoop. As a child my mother used to tell me that you could use vinegar to wash out a perm. Well, I realized this statement was a myth that was passed along through generations. Although, I never tried a vinegar rinse, I believe that my mother was really trying to relay an age old secret on how a vinegar rinse can remove residue.
Well, that mystery was solved, but I still needed to figure out what to do about one of my bathroom sinks that’s been stopped up for months. My mother advised me to pour some vinegar and baking soda down the sink. I was skeptical, because initially I figured I could go buy some draino or call a plumber because this was a serious clog. I’m embarrassed to say that this particular sink has been clogged for months. Anyways I did some research and decided to pour 3/4 cup of baking soda down my drain. Next I grabbed the long end of a rat tailed comb and stuffed as much of the baking soda down into the drain as possible. After that I poured a 1/2 cup of white vinegar down the drain. I then closed off my drain so that the mixture wouldn’t bubble up and out of the drain. I wanted it to stay down in the drain so that it could work on that dog-gone clog. Mind you this is the bathroom that my hubby frequently leans over to cut his hair. So I know that it has a lot of small hairs. I’m not off the hook though, because I frequently use the upstairs bathroom for working on my hair. I just purchased a drain cover that keeps it protected from hair. Hum, I guess I should get one for the downstairs bathroom also. Anyways, I let the mixture sit in the sink for 30 minutes. After that I poured a medium sized pot of boiling water down the drain. I ran water and OMG! that darn sink was still plugged. I then plunged it once and scooped out the gook with an old cup. Then I repeated the entire process of pouring baking soda, vinegar, and boiling water down the drain. This time Wow! it worked like a charm. Now I keep turning on the water just to see the water run down the drain effortlessly.
My mama was right and I declare I saved some dollars this evening. I frequently use my vinegar and water mixtures for cleaning glass and cleaning the shower and tub, but now I know how to truly use this mixture to unstop a sink. I’m so excited!
I was even more excited to read the back of the baking soda box to learn of it’s multiple uses. Here goes:
1. Add 1 cup with liquid laundry detergent for cleaner, fresher clothes
2. Scrub and stains and grease without scratching.
3. Remove tough stains in bathrooms.
4. Absorb and eliminate odors.
5. Add 1 teaspoon to your shampoo once a week for fuller, more manageable hair.
6. Place 1/2 cup in your tub for a refreshing bath
7. Apply a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water in a circular motion, for use as a gentle facial exfoliant.
From this day forward, I promise to keep “Arm & Hammer” Baking Soda and “Vinegar” in my home at all times. These are the best darn natural products for removing residue (so they say) and unclogging a sink (I have personal experience with this one).
My mom is old school and full of remedies. She taught us that if you drink a lot of coffee or tea to just dip your toothbrush in some baking soda then brush your teeth. Follow with a toothpaste of your choice and it will remove stains and your teeth will glisten. Hence, you now see toothpastes with baking sode mixed in. She would give us a bottle cap full of vinegar if we felt light headed to regulate blood pressure. Hence… the same method was on a health show and some restaurant serve it as a condiment to add flavor to foods.
Burned dinner? Salvage what you can and put some baking soda and water in the pan to soak the burned food off.
Makes it easier to clean without scratching the pan.
Hi there
read 'Vim and Vinegar'. This is my go to book for cleaning/blockages etc!!.
This is an awesome tip. Thank you so much. I just poured drano down my sink. 🙁 Never again
very timely post. just moved and was pondering how NOT to clog the drains in the new place : )
I am so happy you have posted this. My hair clogs EVERYTHING! Sink, tub, everything. I'm going to try this tonight as soon as I get home! Thanks for the post!
Great tips! To unclog a sink, I use a Zip-It. Basically it's a long strip up plastic with teeth. You shove it into the drain, pull it out, and it pulls out hair and whatever gunk is clogging it. It's a little gross, but it has worked better than any other options I've tried. You can get it at Wal-Mart or Home depot for about $1.50.
I didn't know about this particular use, but some uses for vinegar:
-My mom swears if you add some vinegar to a bath it will gently cleanse your "lady bits" while you bathe. I'm a bit skeptical about this, but I do it and there haven't been any adverse effects.
-For manicures/pedicures: after you remove your polish and just before you re-paint your nails, go over your nails with vinegar. This makes your polish stay on longer.
-Oh, and this is a bit OT, but if you have soap scum in your shower, wet a dryer sheet and wash the scum off with it, then rinse. You don't have to scrub and it gets the tile, porcelain, shower curtain, and fixtures shiny and clean. Don't know why it works, but it does.
It's good to hear that so many others have tried this and know how effective baking soda and vinegar can be. It's also nice to learn about some of the other remedies. I had a clog that I've been plunging and a plain old plunger wouldn't clear. This mixture seriously worked.
Barbara of www.barbaranaturallyspeaking.blogspot.com
Great tips! I'm going to try this because I am tired of trying everything under the sun to unclog my sink—my hair sheds like crazy.
Why did my hubby's cousin teach me this last week! I was so surprised!
I'm going to have to use that, because pretty much all of the sinks in our apartment are backed up!
This side of the baking soda box makes suggestions about its various uses.
My oldest son is 13. For a multitude of reasons typical of 13 year old boys, his sneakers smelled horrendous…so bad he wouldn't wear them anymore. I washed them in the washing machine and then set them out in the summer sun to thoroughly dry but the nasty odor lingered. Feeling frustrated and pissed off at the prospect of trashing the sneakers (aka my hard earned money), I luckily had a Mom moment and remembered my trusty white vinegar. I poured a cap-full into each shoe and left them out in the sun. No more stinky odor and those sneakers are back in his rotation.
Like my mom, grandmas, and mom-in-law, I use vinegar and baking soda in many ways around the house, but I never knew the combo would work on clogs. Great post!!!
There's only one thing that clogs my drains; my hair. A well manipulated wire hanger does the trick every time.
I am also a huge fan of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda… I use it to clean my combs and brushes, laundry,… it's also good for diaper rashes and pricky heats and even insect bites. See link for more uses. http://www.armandhammer.com/solutions.aspx
Vinegar can also be used in place of fabric softener esp for sensitive skin, just add 1/2 cup to final rinse. The uses of these products are truly amazing… saves money too!
I use baking soda and Phillips Milk of Mag to make a paste for skin exfolliation 1x weekly, it works wonders!
This is crazy!!!!!! the boyfriend and I were up past midnight last night, doing the same to our washroom sink LMAO. Someone (I will not call names) got heeers into the sink and what do you know? it got clogged a few weeks back. I've just ignored it, like any good housewife would, until I could not even brush my teeth without water starting to pool. Vinegar and baking soda, and that sink just got worked!
i've never used the concoction, but i have just used the regular ole plunger on the shower drain. that works like a charm too.