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Good things often come in little boxes. Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda, is a veritable treasure chest for the home. Non-toxic and environmentally friendly, it sits in most refrigerators to absorb odor and keep things fresh.

Moms use it to remove crayon, ink, and pencil marks put on painted walls by budding artists. A cup of it down a clogged drain followed by a slow drip of vinegar and a chaser of boiling water robs the plumber of a job.

A cup in the washing machine refreshes laundry and softens naturally. Use in coffee pots, teakettles, and washing machines to sweeten up your world.

As kids, we used baking soda as a tooth powder. Mix a tablespoon in a glass of warm water to use as a gargle and dab some on canker sores. A paste of soda and water relieves sunburn and insect bites. The paste also eases discomfort of itchy childhood rashes such as chickenpox. A small handful stirred into baby's bath water eases the ouch' of diaper rash.

It makes a safe deodorant for underarms and other sweaty body parts, and a teaspoon or less in a glass of water makes an effective, gentle antacid for those chilidog attacks.

I remember using baking soda to make invisible ink for secret messages when I was a child. My brother and I knew who was on the FBI's most wanted list and we coded messages back and forth. Just mix baking soda with an equal amount of water and use a cotton tip stick to write. Hold over heat such as a light bulb to expose the world's most important secret! We also used it as a propellant for a submarine that came inside a cereal box and lived in the bathtub.

Always keep a box near the stove to quell any grease fires that erupt. Throw handfuls on the fire until extinguished. Never use flour, which causes spectacular fireballs, or water, which spreads the fire everywhere.

Oh yes, it is good for cooking too. A fun recipe is to make sponge candy. Use butter to grease a square nine-inch cake pan. Combine a cup of sugar, a cup of dark corn syrup, and a tablespoon of white vinegar. Stir on medium heat until the sugar dissolves and then cook to the hard crack stage, which is 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. Quickly stir in one tablespoon of baking soda. It will bubble and expand, the fun part. Turn it out on the greased pan. It will spread itself. Be sure to score cut marks or you can break it when it is cool. We made this a lot as kids and it is amazing every time.

The good things that come from that familiar yellow box just never stop. You never know what new thing you will discover next from your household treasure trove. It would be my one thing to take with me to a deserted island.

Learn more about this author, JoAnne Windsinger.
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