Washing Soda

So, what is washing soda and why do you need it? Well, the long answer will come in later posts, but the short answer is that it can be added to your washing machine for added laundry cleaning power. Washing soda is different from baking soda (despite them both being most associated with the Arm & Hammer brand and coming in almost identical packaging), and is not interchangeable with baking soda in recipes. Washing soda can be found in the laundry section of most large superstores (like Wal-Mart), but is no longer commonly carried in smaller grocery stores. It's fairly inexpensive, too. But most people don't have it on hand, and probably won't want to make a trip to Wal-Mart just to acquire it should it end up being needed. But you know what most people do have? Baking soda. And baking soda can be turned into washing soda very, very easily.

What You Need:

• Baking soda

That's it. One ingredient. And to turn it into washing soda? One step.

Step 1:

In an oven set to 400 F, bake the baking soda in a thin layer inside a baking pan until it turns into washing soda.

Done.

To elaborate:

Washing soda is sodium carbonate, while baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Extreme heat causes the sodium bicarbonate to release carbon dioxide, slowly turning it into sodium carbonate.

So, how can you tell when that has happened?  Well, fortunately the 2 sodas have different physical properties. Baking soda is a really fine powder that clumps together slightly.

Washing soda takes on a grittier texture, like fine sand, and does not clump.

The baking time will vary depending on how much baking soda you're trying to convert. Stirring the powder every 10 minutes or so will help speed up the process. For reference, I baked 1/4 cup of baking soda in an 8-inch metal pie pan, and it was ready in about 30 minutes. Just bake it until the powder is gritty and doesn't clump when you lightly shake the pan.