The Magic of Baking Soda!

Ever hear about how baking soda has a million and one uses, from the pedantic to the miraculous? Well, leave it to Reader's Digest to compile them all – several dozen – for your pleasure.

As it turns out, baking soda is very green, despite being white. From cleaner to deodorizer to meat tenderizer, baking soda can be used in place of a number of more ecologically costly products.

Here are some of our favorite uses for baking soda:

Get yellow stains off piano keys

That old upright may still play great, but those yellowed keys definitely hit a sour note. Remove age stains on your ivories by mixing a solution of 1/4 cup baking soda in 1 quart (1 liter) warm water. Apply to each key with a dampened cloth (you can place a thin piece of card-board between the keys to avoid seepage). Wipe again with a cloth dampened with plain water, and then buff dry with a clean cloth. (You can also clean piano keys with lemon juice and salt.)

Remove musty odor from books

If those books you just took out of storage emerge with a musty smell, place each one in a brown paper bag with 2 tablespoons baking soda. No need to shake the bag, just tie it up and let it sit in a dry environment for about one week. When you open the bag, shake any remaining powder off the books, and the smell should be gone.

Use as antiperspirant

Looking for an effective, all-natural deodorant? Try applying a small amount -- about a teaspoon's worth -- of baking soda with a powder puff under each arm. You won't smell like a flower or some exotic spice. But then, you won't smell like anything from the opposite extreme, either.

Use as plant food

Give your flowering, alkaline-loving plants, such as clematis, delphiniums, and dianthus, an occasional shower in a mild solution of 1 tablespoon baking soda in 2 quarts (2 liters) water. They'll show their appreciation with fuller, healthier blooms.

Keep bugs away from pets' dishes

Placing a border of baking soda around your pet's food bowls will keep away six-legged intruders. And it won't harm your pet if he happens to lap up a little (though most pets aren't likely to savor soda's bitter taste).

For the full list of uses check out Reader's Digest's site.

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Here's an example of baking soda's effectiveness as a cleaner in action: