Prepper Recon

Baking Soda- Prepper Gold

Preppers often look for items that have several different uses, especially when thinking of items for the bug out  bag. A couple of items we commonly think of as having several uses are Para-cord and Duct Tape. When we put things in our go bag that have several uses, we conserve valuable space. Many of us live in smaller spaces and also have to conserve space when stockpiling items at home. This weeks Prepper Recon Podcast will be focusing on prepping in an Apartment. My guest will be Bernie Carr, The Apartment Prepper. Make sure you stop back by this weekend to stream or download the show. It will be available anytime after Friday morning.

Baking soda is prepper gold. It has so many more uses than just keeping your fridge fresh. Here are just a few.

1. Reduce cooking time for dried beans

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, you know that I recommend stockpiling dried beans as an emergency food reserve. They are cheap and they have a lot of nutritional value, fiber and protein. The only draw back to stockpiling dried beans is the long cooking time. Even after soaking dried beans over night, they can take up to two hours to cook. In a TEOTWAWKI situation, fuel may be a precious commodity and two hours of cooking will use up a lot of it. Putting a heaping tablespoon of baking soda in the soak water the night before cooking your beans will cut the cooking time in half. That is not just a good idea for when it hits the fan, you can start using this method now. It also makes beans more digestible and will reduce the amount of gas for easily disturbed tummies.

2. Personal hygiene

Baking soda can be used for deodorant toothpaste and even to fight smelly feet. This is a muti-use item that can cover a lot of areas with one product. It is a must have for your bug out bag. It can even be used for shampoo in a pinch.

3. Rabbit repellant for the garden

Rabbits don’t like baking soda. Sprinkle a bit around the perimeter or you garden to keep away Peter Cottontail.

4. Medical uses

Baking soda can be mixed with a cup of water for a natural heartburn reliever. It can also be used as a paste to remove the sting from sunburn and insect bites and stings. If you are hiking or bugging out by foot in a warm humid climate, it can also prevent chafing between your thighs.

5. Cleaning

Baking soda can be used to clean up your mess kit while camping or bugging out. It easily removes the char from the bottom of your pans that may come when cooking over an open fire. It also breaks up the grease on the inside of the pans. It can even be used as laundry detergent while you are in the great outdoors. Particularly if you are in “escape and evasion” mode, baking soda will get your clothes clean without adding any unwanted scent that will make you easier to track.

I know there are thousand of uses for baking soda besides the ones that I mentioned I mostly tried to stick with the ones that pertain to preparedness. There are many more that pertain to day to day  uses around the house. Leave a comment and let us know a couple of your favorite uses for baking soda. You get extra points if they are prepper related uses!

I tried to incorporate several prepper tips in the story line of my new prepper fiction book American Exit Strategy, Book One of The Economic Collapse Chronicles. Liberty minded individuals and those who believe in the Constitution will find this near future dystopian novel to be right up their alley.  The first crack in the facade appears when government is unable to fully fund EBT cards and widespread civil unrest erupts. I think you will find it is very relevant to our present situation. It has already hit #12 on Amazon’s best seller list for Dystopian Fiction. The Kindle edition is only $3.99, so check it out today!

Happy prepping,

MDG