51 Fantastic Uses for Baking Soda

How to Fix Your Garden Gnome (and Other Garden Decor) Garden gnomes are the cute little guardian angels that watch over our homes. And sometimes they get a bit neglected. In our case the poor fella was beaten up a bit by string trimming and the sun. So today I’m going to share how you can fix any small holes or cracks and repaint your gnome so that it looks like new. These tips will also work with other garden decor that you’d like to repair. Here are the supplies you need Hydraulic cementBucketMargin trowelGlovesGreat stuffOld towelRust-Oleum Primer (spray)Hobby paint brushesValspar paint samplesRust-Oleum Clear Coat (spray) This is a pretty fun project and the kids can participate, too. Let’s get to it Before we get started let me introduce you to Hanz, he’s our garden gnome. But this is an easy fix. Allow the Great Stuff to completely dry and harden. You can then mold hydraulic water stop cement with your hands to re-create missing pieces or fix cracks (again, wear gloves because the cement gets warm and could burn bare skin).

Create a Pebble Mosaic Mix mortar in batches Mortar, rather than concrete, must be used in mosaics. There’s sand in the mixture but no gravel, so it’s smoother than concrete and adheres well to the stones. To install a mosaic I work with small batches of mortar one bag at a time, covering a 3- or 4-square-foot area. Being organized is important because I have to work quickly. To prepare the mortar, I use a wheelbarrow and a hose with a spray nozzle. When a batch of mortar is the consistency of stiff pudding, I pour it on the layer of compacted gravel. I pay a lot of attention to how the stones fit together. After I've embedded rocks into an area of wet mortar that's begun to set, I place a piece of 1/2-inch-thick contractor's-grade plywood over my work and step on it to press the pebbles to a level even with the top of the form (slideshow photo #8). The slower the mortar cures, the stronger it will be.

How To Get Old Stains Out Of Carpet | Remove Stains How To Get Old Dirt Stains Out Of Carpet What You Will Need Before You Start Carpet shampooer Vinegar Carpet pretreating solution, like Resolve Scrubbing brush Baking soda It can happen so quickly! You look down at the carpet in your living room and it has transformed from pretty beige to a dark and dingy looking brown. With foot traffic, pet traffic, and general dust, dirt, and grime, your carpets can quickly become stained. Start by thoroughly vacuuming the carpet to remove loose dirt and debris. One thing to remember when learning how to get old stains out of carpet is that any stain that has been worked into the carpet fibers is likely going to need at least two treatments in order to loosen the dirt from the fibers. How To Get Old Food Stains Out Of Carpet White vinegar Absorbent white towels Baking soda When learning how to get old stains out of carpet, you will often hear that the sooner you treat a stain, especially a food stain, the easier it will be to get rid of the stain.

75 Extraordinary Uses for Baking Soda Baking soda is a chemical compound that appears as a fine powder. It releases bubbles of carbon dioxide when it interacts with an acid and a liquid. It’s most commonly used in baking, where it acts as a leavening agent. The following are 75 other uses for baking soda aside from making muffins soft and fluffy. Health Uses 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. In the Home 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. In Cooking 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. Cleaning Purposes 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. The most amazing thing about baking soda is that it’s very cheap.

Beyond Grass 3 Lawn Alternatives for LowMaintenance EcoFriendly Yards | Care2 Healthy Living A lush green lawn is lovely in theory, but in actual practice, it tends to be a major hassle. Mowing and weeding are just plain hard work, and the amount of water necessary to maintain a traditional lawn is unconscionable, especially in regions that are plagued with drought. For all these reasons, more and more alternatives to high-maintenance lawns are being developed these days. Read about some of the most popular. Ground Cover Ground cover is the term that describes any low-growing herbaceous perennial plant that can be used to cover the ground in place of grass. Wooly thyme is a silvery-green hardy herb that requires a minimal amount of care and is very resistant to crushing. Moss is soft and green, perfect for lying on with a book on a lazy summer afternoon. Wolly Thyme growing in between flagstones | Image credit: patrickstandish via Flickr Low-Maintenance Grass Fescue grass stands up well to both foot traffic and drought in USDA zones 1-7. Mondo Grass Meadow

Conditioning Herbal Vinegar Hair Rinse A few months ago I shared with you my love for washing my hair with homemade shampoo bars! Today I want to follow up that post with my conditioning herbal vinegar rinse in order to round out my family’s natural hair care routine and hopfully give you a little inspiration. Click this link to see my handmade shampoo bars… Simply put…we use vinegar and herbs to condition our hair. Using vinegar as part of your natural hair care routine will restore it’s natural shine and leave the hair follicle full of life! Vinegar also acts to improve circulation in the smallest capillaries of the bloodstream — this helps bring the blood supply, along with all of the nutrients and oxygen, to the scalp. Rosemary is an excellent hair cleanser and stimulates hair growth. The Recipe Directions: 1. 2. 4. 6. 8. How to use this Conditioning Herbal Vinegar Hair Rinse After shampooing and rinsing your hair, spray the herbal rinse on your hair and massage into your scalp.Avoid the eyes! Notes -Variations include:

Square Foot Garden Designs, Tips, and Plans Save Click Here for Square Foot Garden WorksheetMeasure your garden space and plot it on graph paper implementing the square gardening scale. Keep taller vegetables on the north side. Sketch in the cool-season varieties. Square Foot Gardens for Convenience Ready to Plant the Garden The basic layout of square gardening prevents the need for endless tilling, weeding, watering, and pest patrol. The idea is to lay the groundwork of seed beds in separate blocks that are not over four feet wide. A walking space is laid out around all sides of each block to prevent trampling on the garden bed while working the individual plots. The square garden is sized just right so you can reach each plot easily when cultivating. To divide the gardens, you can use planks to serve as walkways. An easy way to plant the garden is to allot one squarefoot garden for each member of your family. Test the soil for proper pH level, add amendments such as compost, fertilize, and you are ready for planting. Back To Top

8 Little-Known Uses For Baking Soda Outside The Kitchen SPECIAL FROM Grandparents.com Women spend about $426 billion on beauty products each year. You can forgo the expensive products and still look and feel fabulous with just one do-it-all tool - and it only costs about a dollar. Find out how to use plain old baking soda to get great hair, skin, nails, and more. Help Your Hair Drugstores and beauty supply stores sell expensive shampoos, serums, and dry shampoo formulas to combat product buildup, chlorine damage, and oily hair. Whiten Teeth Several studies published in the Journal of Clinical Dentistry found that not only were toothpastes with baking soda more effective at removing plaque, but baking soda also is more effective at whitening teeth than other products. Soothe a Sunburn When aloe just isn’t cutting it for soothing sunburnt skin, try baking soda for calming relief. Polish Jewelry If your silver jewelry looks old and tarnished, try cleaning it with this simple trick. Smell Better Exfoliate Rough Skin

How to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden Having a garden is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Tangible benefits can be gained from interacting directly with the natural world, including healing faster after an illness and improving kids’ creativity and learning. Just think about how the scent of an aster or the feel of its petals completely changes your mood! Native Plants First, it’s important to select plants that are native to your region. Source: Fix.com Long Live the Monarch All butterflies are beautiful, but if your heart lies with the royals, you may wish to attract monarch butterflies above all others. Love This? Thanks for subscribing! Monarchs lay their eggs on the underside of the milkweed’s young leaves in the spring/summer. During each of the five stages, known as “instars,” the insect grows larger and the appearance of its banding pattern changes. After the fifth instar, the caterpillar enters its famous pupation stage. Milkweed Milkweed is a wildflower that is native to the U.S. Kick the Chemicals

Shampoo Bar Soap Recipe I begin my journey into soap making almost 2 years ago. It all started when I read this post and began to understand how easy and cost-effective making my own really is! I am by no means a soap making expert. I usually stick to pretty basic recipes and I haven’t experimented much with scents or creative designs. Hot processed soap is the way to go for me. Cold processed takes a long time to cure and I’m just to impatient for that! Determine Your Method There are so many recipes and soap-making methods out there. I would also recommend borrowing a few of these books from the library if you really find yourself wanting to know more: Handcrafted Soap by Dolores BooneThe Soapmaker’s Companion by Susan Miller CavitchThe Natural Soap Book by Susan Miller Cavitch Why shampoo bar soap and not just baking soda? What a great question! I have long hair and I was so frustrated. I really didn’t want to be dependent on store-bought shampoo! So I set out to create a solution! Gather The Supplies Alright! Lye

50 Things You Should Stop Buying & Start Making You may be realizing that most conventionally made products out there contain a lot of toxic chemicals. Not only that, many of these products are harmful to our environment in a number of ways. Making things yourself not only saves you money and helps the environment, but it lets you know where your products are coming from and exactly what has been put in them. You can make anything from food items to personal care and cleaning products, all in very simple ways. Remember: Whenever you can, use organic foods and ingredients in recipes. Use sea salt instead of table salt. 50 Things You Can Start Making Homemade Ketchup – This ketchup won’t break the bank, tastes better than the real deal, and contains no added sugar, so it’s good for the whole family. Homemade Mayonnaise – This is a great recipe for any mayonnaise lover out there wanting to make their own at home. Peanut Butter – It is so simple to make this pantry staple it would be silly to buy it. H/T: Natural Living Ideas

unusual uses for baking soda