Household Cleaner

• Washing soda cuts through grease, but baking soda or epsom salts are a good substitute. Make an all-purpose household cleaner by combining 1/2 cup baking soda or epsom salts with 1/2 cup borax, 1/2 cup vinegar and a gallon of warm water. The baking soda and borax cleans dirt and softens the water. In addition, the borax acts as a disinfectant, and the vinegar cuts grease. This recipe will keep indefinitely in a spray bottle. Label the bottle.
  
  

Clogged Drains

• Although washing soda can be used to unclog drains, you shouldn’t use it in PVC pipes because it will damage them over time. Instead, pour one cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar down the drain and let it sit for 15 minutes. Add 3 cups of boiling water. Repeat if necessary. This works best if the drain isn’t yet completely clogged. You can also try ½ cup of borax and 2 cups of boiling water.
  
  

Tarnish Remover

• Baking soda or toothpaste make a good substitute for washing soda when you need to remove tarnish from silver. Make a paste by mixing 1 cup of baking soda with 1/3 cup of water and rub the paste on your silver. Rinse with warm water. You can also rub toothpaste on your silver and let it dry before rinsing it off. Tarnish is easier to remove when it’s still a yellowish tint rather than black. If the tarnish is very light, you may be able to remove it with Windex with vinegar. Use a cotton ball to apply the Windex to the silver.
  
  

Stain Removal

• Washing soda is an effective way to remove greasy stains from your clothes, but you can also remove grease stains by making a baking soda paste and pretreating the stains before you wash your clothes. Another method is to pour boiling water over the stain and then apply dry baking soda to it. Stains are easier to remove if you treat them as soon as you can instead of letting them sit.
  
  

Concrete Floors

• Instead of using washing soda to remove grease from a concrete floor, you can pour kitty litter over the spot instead. Let it sit for 48 hours and then sweep it up. You may need to follow this up by sprinkling dry concrete mix over any remaining stain and letting it sit for another 48 to 72 hours before sweeping it up.
  
  

Water Softener

• Acidic water has a low pH. It can damage metal pipes and cause metals to leach from them. It can also stain laundry or cause a metallic taste in the water. Washing soda can be used to raise the pH, making the water softer. However, using washing soda increases the sodium level of the water, which can cause health problems for people on low-sodium diets. Instead of using washing soda to raise the pH, use a neutralizing filter that contains calcium carbonate or magnesia.