Bob Livingston: Amazing baking soda: kills cancer and cleans hou

Bob Livingston: Amazing baking soda: kills cancer and cleans house too

The most powerful tool in your house is not your power drill or vacuum cleaner or leaf blower. It's baking soda.

Yep. Humble, unassuming, plain ol' baking powder, also known as bread soda, cooking soda, and bicarbonate of soda, but is really, officially called sodium hydrogen carbonate. It's the Swiss Army knife of household products, able to handle a multitude of jobs quickly, easily, safely, and cheaply.

Long term readers of this letter well know my firm stance on choosing alternatives to the poisons dispensed by Big Pharma. Baking soda comes right off the shelf at your supermarket, requires no expensive prescription from a doctor, and serves medical purposes among its catalog of uses.

Its most familiar medical use most of us know about is as a quick-acting antidote for acid indigestion and upset stomach. On a more serious level, some medical experts tout baking soda as a cancer treatment because its alkalinity helps neutralize acidity.

One expert at killing off cancer stem cells gives all his cancer patients baking soda and takes a tablespoon himself every day for prevention.

Researchers note that cancerous tumors are highly acidic and create an acidic environment around them. Baking soda has been found to help detect tumors by identifying the acidic environment around them, and baking soda also reduces tumor growth and prevents metastasis without adversely altering blood or unaffected tissue pH.

From time to time, I've discussed with you survival preparations for natural disasters and man-made ones (wars, civil disorders). Baking soda should be an essential component of your survival kit because it does so many basic vital tasks so well, doesn't spoil, and takes up so little space in your kit.

Going camping or backpacking in the wilderness? Toss a couple of boxes of baking soda into your pack. It's a multipurpose helper around the campfire — dish washer, pot scrubber, hand cleanser, deodorant, toothpaste, fire extinguisher and much more.

For everyday duties around the house, baking soda shines in so many ways. It's almost like having a full time handyman around.

I'm not sure all the uses for baking soda have even been discovered yet, but here are 50 of my favorites — 48, plus those two already mentioned. Some of them will probably be familiar to you but there may be some you haven't thought of before or have not been aware of

For your body:

1. Brush your teeth. Ditch the chemical-laden commercial toothpastes. Dip your brush into baking soda directly or mix it with a 3-percent solution of hydrogen peroxide for a bright smile.

2. Freshen your mouth. Mix a teaspoon of water in a half glasses of water and swish it around in your mouth…neutralizes bad breath instead of just covering it up.

3. Clean oral appliances. Soak dentures, retainers, and braces in a bowl of warm water with two teaspoons of baking soda.

4. Use as a deodorant. Simply pat some baking soda under your arms or mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda with about 10 drops of your favorite essential oil and brush on.

5. Scrub your face. Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub in a gentle circular motion.

6. Cleanse and soften your hands. The face scrub formula also works for hands.

7. Rinse your hair and clean combs and brushes. Sprinkle some baking soda in your hand along with your shampoo to remove residue in your hair from styling products. Soak brushes and combs in a small basin of warm water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda.

8. Make a soothing bath soak. Add a half cup of baking soda to your bath to neutralize acids on the skin, wash away oil and sweat, and soften your skin.

9. Treat insect bites, jellyfish stings, and itchy skin. Make a paste of baking soda and water, apply to the affected area as a salve to neutralize the sting venom. For itching, shake some baking soda into your hand and rub it into damp skin after a bath or shower.

10. Soothe your aching feet. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a basin of warm of water, soak your feet, and gently massage them.

11. Soften tough calluses. Soften calluses with a solution of 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a basin of warm water. Then after a long soak, scrub calluses with a solution of 3 parts baking soda, 1 part water, and 1 part brown sugar. Apply a moisturizer and wrap with a warm towel for 5-10 minutes.

For deodorizing:

12. Simply place an open box in the fridge to neutralize food odors.

13. Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of the trash can and add some on top of garbage from time to time as it fills up.

14. Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down drains with running warm tap water. Sprinkle some on a wet sponge to wipe drain openings.

15. Sprinkle baking soda on wet sponge or cloth to wipe down the inside of the dishwasher and add some to the dishwashing powder/liquid.

16. Between uses, put a spill-proof box of baking soda in lunch boxes to neutralize food odors.

17. Neutralize stinky odors in things like gym clothes by adding a half cup of baking soda to the rinse cycle of your washing machine.

18. Sprinkle baking soda into shoes and sneakers between uses (shake it out before putting them on, or course).

19. Pet smells? No problem. Cover the bottom of a litter box with baking soda, add the litter, then sprinkle baking soda on top. Sprinkle bedding liberally with baking soda and let set for 15 minutes or more, then vacuum clean.

20. Sprinkle baking soda on cloth car seats, and carpets. Let it air for about 15 minutes then vacuum up.

21. Sprinkle baking soda on home carpets, leave overnight, and vacuum. Sucking the baking soda from carpets deodorizes the vacuum cleaner, too.

22. Open a box on a shelf in your closets for fresh clean smelling shirts, etc.

23. Give your children's stuffed animals a dry shower of baking soda and let sit for 15 minutes, then brush off.

24. Mix baking soda with your favorite perfumed bath salts to neutralize odors as the bath salts sweeten the fragrance.

25. Sprinkle baking soda on bookshelves and old books to remove the musty smell.

For cleaning:

26. Sprinkle baking soda on a clean sponge, wipe down fruits and vegetables, and rinse thoroughly. Baking soda has mild (and safe) disinfectant qualities and can help clean off any waxes and leftover pesticide residue.

27. Add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda to dishwater to help remove grease and food from dishes. For stubborn cooked-on grease or food, soak first then use a cloth sprinkled with dry baking soda to scrub it off.

28. Wipe down the inside of your fridge, microwave, and garbage cans with a sponge or clothe sprinkled with baking soda. For the oven, sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the oven and leave it overnight, then scoop or vacuum it out.

29. Scrub down your BBQ grill with a mix of water and baking soda.

30. Scrub tubs, sinks, tiles, and shower curtains with a damp sponge or cloth sprinkled with baking soda.

31. Add a cup of baking soda to the toilet, leave it for an hour, then flush. Cleans the toilet and absorbs odors.

32. Soak stale-smelling sponges in a solution of 4 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of warm water.

33. Add a half cup of baking soda to a bucket of warm water, mop and then rinse floors sparkling clean and fresh. No need for chemical or perfumed store cleaners.

34. Sprinkle baking soda on oil and grease stains and scrub with a wet brush.

35. Remove scratches and marks (even crayon) from walls and painted furniture by applying baking soda to a damp sponge and rubbing lightly. Wipe off with a clean, dry cloth.

36. Mix a half cup of baking soda into a half gallon of warm water to clean tires, windows, floor mats, and vinyl seats.

37. Mix baking soda with water to wipe your windshield and help make it rain repellent.

38. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda along with your laundry detergent to balance pH for clothes that are cleaner, fresher, brighter.

39. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your liquid laundry detergent, or a 1/2 cup in the rinse cycle to deodorize and gently freshen them.

40. Put baking soda on a small brush to rub canvas handbags clean.

41. Rub with a paste of 3 parts baking soda, 1 part water, rinse thoroughly, and dry gently with a soft cloth.

42. Clean and deodorize smelly sports equipment with a solution of 4 tablespoons baking soda in 1 quart of water. Sprinkle baking soda into golf and gym bags to remove odors. Clean golf irons with a baking soda paste (3 parts baking soda to 1 part water) and rinse.

43. For cars, motorcycles, mowers, etc., disconnect battery terminals (and be very careful about strong acids in batteries), apply a paste of 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water to remove corrosion from battery terminals. After re-connecting the terminals, rub with petroleum jelly to prevent future corrosion.

For general purposes:

44. Put out fires. You should have working fire extinguishers in your home, but if you don't, at least keep an open box of baking soda in every room. It releases carbon dioxide when heated, which smothers normal fires, electrical fires, and grease fires (do not use on fires in deep fryers because the sudden release of gas could cause grease spattering).

45. Create modeling clay. Combine baking soda with 1 ¼ cups of water and one cup of cornstarch to create homemade modeling clay (fun for the kids and wannabe sculptors!).

46. Restore stiff brushes. Boil stiff brushes in a solution of 1/2 gallon of water, 1/4 cup vinegar, and a cup of baking soda.

47. Keep cut flowers fresh. Add a teaspoon of baking soda to water in the vase to keep cut flowers fresh and lively longer.

48. Repel cockroaches and ants. Sprinkle baking soda around baseboards. Collecting gases from the soda make their internal organs explode.

Pound for pound, I can't think of another household product that delivers as much bang for the buck as miracle-worker baking soda. For health, household chores, camping, and survival, it's a true jack-of-all-trades.