My favorite Soda

I hail proudly from the mid-west where we call sugary, carbonated beverages "Pop" and are on day two of dreary but much needed rain. I have been contemplating why we are called the mid-west, as we are quite far from the true midpoint of the country in Oklahoma but... back to soda.

I have three favorite sodas:

I don't recommend consuming them as is. I find the flavor a bit salty.



Soda #1 - the classic Baking Soda is obviously for baking and deodorizing the refrigerator. I most commonly use it for my daughter's eczema and "cradle cap" head. My previous hair specialist (who moved to Texas and is much missed!) recommended 1 Tbl. Baking Soda combined with 1/4 cup salt. Add water to the mixture to form a paste and scrub into baby's hair and scalp instead of shampoo. The salt exfoliates skin while the Baking Soda cleans hair and skin. Since both my babies had hair, the "baby oil under a cap" trick was rather messy. This is easier, less time consuming and more effective. Find Baking Soda in the baking aisle of your grocery store.



Soda #2 - Washing Soda. My mother brought me a box of this wonderful agent and a plastic tub. She taught me that Washing Soda softens laundry water in addition to having cleaning and deodorizing power. I soak soiled clothing in a tub of cold water with 1/8 cup Washing Soda. It helps clean the "soils" and prevent stains from body fluids, if you catch my drift. I also use 1/4 to 1/2 cup Washing Soda in lieu of detergent to "wash" brand new clothes, clothes from storage that were put away clean, in really dirty loads of laundry and as an additive when washing cloth diapers (1/4 regular amount of detergent plus 2Tbl Washing Soda per load of diapers). I buy Washing Soda at Meijer.



Soda #3 - Club Soda. As a baby, I vomited on an airplane, all over the man in a suit behind my mother (she was holding me on her shoulder). The airline attendant used Club Soda to deodorize and clean the affected clothing of all parties involved. Again, the soda works as a deodorizer and cleaning agent. On our recent vacation, I visited four stores before finding the above pictured bottle of Club Soda (over-priced in my opinion) at RiteAid to clean Thing One's car seat after he vomited in the car. Lovely. I typically keep some on hand for potty-learning mishaps on the couch or carpet. While Kroger in Kentucky does not carry Club Soda, Meijer in Michigan does.

Happy Cleaning!