Turn bicarb into washing soda in a few easy steps

Bicarb (sodium bicarbonate) and washing soda (sodium carbonate) are staples on my DIY trolley. I use them (mainly) for cleaning purposes, as they’re completely natural and particularly useful in stain removal!

Bicarb, commonly known as baking soda, is a versatile ingredient used in both body care and cleaning recipes. It is antifungal, antiseptic and gently exfoliating, and excellent at eliminating odour.

Washing soda softens water and is effective at removing stains. It acts as a fungicide, helping to eliminate mould and mildew.

If you can’t get your hands on any washing soda, or you’re looking to reduce the number of ingredients you need to track down for DIY, you can actually make it yourself!

I won’t get all science-y about it, but basically, you only need bicarb, a tray and an oven – and you’ll bake out the moisture. How awesome to be able to buy one ingredient and, after a simple process, end up with another. So cool!

What To Do?

〉Simply spread 3-4 cups of bicarb on an oven tray and bake it for about 60 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius (no fan).

〉At the 30 minute mark, use a spatula to stir and squash the mixture to make sure there aren’t any clumps of bicarb hiding and avoiding a roasting!

〉You’ll know when it is done when you feel the texture change to a gritty, slippery feel, which doesn’t clump together – sort of like dry, fine sand.

〉It might be handy to keep a little bicarb aside so you can test the difference.

〉Extend the time if you need to.

And that, my friends, is it!

Warning! Be careful not to inhale the dust, and wear gloves, especially if you have sensitive skin.

Krissy Ballinger

author and passionate advocate for natural living and wellness

Krissy Ballinger is an accomplished author and passionate advocate for natural living and wellness. Her mission is to gently guide individuals towards holistic wellbeing by providing a wealth of resources and services, ranging from natural living guidance and DIY recipes, to healing therapies that nurture the mind, body, spirit and space. She envisions a world where conscious choices are made that honour the self, humanity and the environment.

With her roots in education and health promotion, Krissy continually expands her expertise. Recently, she obtained certifications in Zone Healing Technique and NeurOptimal Neurofeedback (brain training), qualified as a Reiki Healer, and completed an Undergraduate Certificate in Lifestyle Coaching from Endeavour College of Natural Health.

Krissy dedicates her time to managing her wellness room, offering services in Zone and Reiki Healing, Neurofeedback brain training, and Chemical Awareness Consulting. Additionally, she educates individuals about common and avoidable toxins through her various social platforms. Krissy’s books have collectively sold over 100,000 copies, including the award-winning Naturally Inspired – Simple DIY Recipes for Body Care and Cleaning, as well as Make & Play – Natural DIY Recipes for Kids, and The Lifestyle Edit.

3 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Post comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.