baking soda

[JBaxter]

Is there a difference in regular baking soda ( arm&hammer orange boxed stuff) and something called washing soda. DH brought it home and I had never seen it before. :) the list said large box of baking soda in laundry detergant isle and washing soda is what he found.
Thanks.

[JElaineB]

Yes, there is a difference. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and washing soda is sodium carbonate. I put washing soda in our laundry sometimes as a detergent booster, and DH has a recipe to make homemade laundry soap using it. It isn't interchangable with baking soda though.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[JBaxter]

Is it ok to wash diapers with?

[holliam]

I only use baking soda. We buy a huge thing of it at BJs.

http://www.thediaperhyena.com/clothdiaperarticle_bakingsoda_washingsoda.htm has some good info.

Holli

[JElaineB]

I don't know - I use it for my regular laundry but I don't have any cloth dipes...

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[JElaineB]

Thanks for the link, it was an informative article. I do have one little quibble with it though (I am sure no one cares about it, but I just taught the urinary system in my Anatomy & Physiology class last night, so the topic is on my mind): the urine doesn' NEED to be acidic to remove waste products. It IS acidic because acid (specifically hydrogen ions) needs to be removed from our blood on a fairly continual basis to maintain proper blood pH. Removing of the acid really has nothing to do with removing of the other waste products.

ETA: Just double checked and depending on diet or other factors, such as vegetarian diet, prolonged vomiting and bacterial urinary tract infection, some people's urine can even be alkaline (around pH 8.0).

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02