It has been a particularly gross start to 2014. Like totally disgusting and I’m OVER IT. And while I’ve always tried to use the non-harsh chemicals, vinegar when possible, and green everything in the house… sometimes it’s just like, OMG NUKE IT ALL. 

It has been nice to know however that nuking my house with a toxic chemical blast hasn’t really been necessary, since I figured out that baking soda really takes care of most everything I need.

At least when it comes to the grossness of having children.

I like to talk about the gross things that parents will do for their precious snowflakes, but I have to say that the clean up aspect of it all can be downright gnarly. From cleaning up after explodey diapers to trying to figure out what to do with that pile of stuff on the carpet, baking soda can be surprisingly effective in tackling those messes that kids can dole out.

* The Artistic Mess*

Have crayon, will draw… on any available surface. So what to do if you’re budding Picasso decides to use your wall as their canvas? Sprinkle some baking soda on a wet sponge and go to town. It is gentle enough to not remove paint, but will take that masterpiece off the wall.

* The Carpet Mess*

You all probably read that we had the stomach flu for the past two weeks, and let me tell you that it did a number on our carpets. But the nice thing is that if you have a mess on your carpet, be it barf from a child, or cat or dog messes, baking soda is going to be your lifesaver. With the child sickness, I cleaned it up as best as possible (omg EW) and then DUMPED baking soda on top of it. And when I say dumped, I mean it. You want there to be a visible pile of baking soda covering up the mess and you have to let it sit. Luckily, our dramatic sick moment happened at midnight, so I covered it up then and by morning it had extracted all of the moisture and smell from the carpet so that I could vacuum it up. I found that using the hose attachment was easiest because then you don’t have to worry about getting the yucks in the brushes of the vacuum.

This also works great if you have a potty training kiddo. When we were trying to night train the Big Kid, it didn’t always work and sometimes we had a wet bed. And sometimes (because I was in between 75 loads of laundry) there was no waterproof sheet… therefore WET mattress. Which could have been a total bummer… but just dump a ton of baking soda on the wet spot and it will draw out both the moisture and the smell from the mattress. Vacuum up like before (with the hose attachment) and you’re ready to rock. Just remember to get that waterproof sheet back on ASAP.

* The Lunch Box Mess*

So less a mess than a smell. If your kiddo brings home a stinky stinky lunchbox, deodorize it by shaking baking soda all around the inside and letting it sit overnight. The next morning, before school, rinse out (if it’s hard plastic) or shake out (if it’s soft fabric) and the smell should be gone!

* The Laundry Mess*

So there are a number of laundry messes that baking soda can take care of. If you have smelly boy clothes (because WOW do they stink), delicate baby clothes or smelly stinky cloth diapers? They all can benefit from a dose of baking soda. Just add a 1/2 Cup of baking soda to boost your laundry detergent and get rid of the stinkies AND the stains. It will also do amazing work on your whites, by helping to boost the effectiveness of your bleach, so just throw 1/2 Cup in there too.

* The Mommy Mess*

So it isn’t always the kiddos that make the giant messes, sometimes the Moms do it too. So what do you do if that fabulous glass of red wine you’re drinking spills on your carpet or your clothes? Use more wine! Crazy as it sounds, if you have white wine lying around (which I never do), or club soda if you don’t want to waste the good stuff, soak the red wine stain with it and then make a paste of baking soda and water. Spread it over the stain and let it sit, moistening it every few hours. After your treatment is finished, wash the fabric or vacuum up the baking soda from the carpet. (Disclaimer: Nothing is completely foolproof when it comes to stain removal, so some stains may be harder to remove than others. Make sure to get after it while its still fresh and you’ll have an easier time!)

Baking soda is a super cheap and effective way to clean your house/laundry/carpets/etc. and these are just a few of the things you can use it for. I buy this stuff in bulk and use it with reckless abandon around my house because of it’s non-toxic properties. It’s cheap, it’s easy and it’s awesome, especially when your kids, or you, make huge messes.