Quick Q about baking soda

[i_am2bz]

Since I've seen so many uses for baking soda (cleaners, shampoo, etc.), it got me to wondering...does baking soda "go bad"...? I mean, can you let it sit on the shelf for, oh, 5 years?

(Please don't tell me its gotta stay in the freezer - no more room!!)

 

[Dace]

Is there an expiration on the box?

I honestly don't think it goes bad...after you open a box it does start to lose it's strength though.

 

[freemotion]

I put some in a glass jar in my herb and spice cabinet for cooking. The rest stays in the box for cleaning. By the time I need to buy more, if there is any left in the jar it goes into the cleaning bs box and new bs goes in the baking jar.

Did that make sense?

 

[i_am2bz]

Is there an expiration on the box?

I honestly don't think it goes bad...after you open a box it does start to lose it's strength though.

Yikes - the stuff I was using for the litter box said it expired in 2008! That explains a lot...

freemotion, sounds like you rotate your stock. Well, I guess it's cheap enough, even if I have to replace it every few months. I wonder if there are any uses for "expired" baking soda...? Something that is not dependent on it being full-strength...?

 

[ducks4you]

Here's what I found.
http://www.ochef.com/1016.htm

 

[freemotion]

A box is about 50 cents here, and it is great for cleaning a number of things. I use it for scouring a lot, or put some in a pail of water with vinegar to use for general cleaning and rinsing my rag on cleaning day.

A bit of bs on a sponge or rag will get a lot of gook off of things. I find it to be the best way to get greasy kitchen dirt off appliances. (I am not a daily compulsive wiper-upper.... my eyes are really bad and the light is not good in my kitchen, so on a bright, sunny day when I am cleaning....I have a big job to do! ) Baking soda on a damp toothbrush will clean almost anything, even your teeth. Test on an out-of-the-way area first if it is a shiny surface, as it could dull it as any scouring product might.

 

[freemotion]

Oh, and stuff bs down a slowing drain, follow it with a couple glugs of white vinegar. A couple more follow-up treatments and you may be good to go without further effort and no harm to your septic.

A slowing drain, not a SLLLOOOOOOW drain or a stopped one!

 

[ORChick]

Put it in a glass jar with a tight lid. I get it from the bulk bin at the local health food store; haven't ever kept track of date bought/date finished, but have also never had a problem with the stuff not doing what it is meant to do.

Another use to add to free's list - hair wash. Mix a spoonful with warm water and pour it over your hair, rubbing your scalp; rinse. I have long hair, and only wash my hair every 4 or 5 days, so I repeat the process, and then rinse with ACV and water. Love it. (I keep two recycled shampoo bottles in the shower - one gets a quarter cup baking soda, and water to fill; the other gets a half cup ACV, with water to fill. And everything is ready for the next hair wash)

 

[me&thegals]

I sprinkle it on my brassicas to kill cabbage looper caterpillars.

 

[xpc]

Baking soda as mentioned before can last several +years, if you can keep a box that long. I put mine in zip lock bags to keep the humidity out. When I buy baking powder, cornstarch, and the such I transfer them immediately to a sealed glass container. If you don't use the soda that often do the same.