Baking soda is that classic pantry staple that’s also a wonderful natural cleaner for your home, and you can even toss it into your beauty routine. But did you know it can help out in the garden, too?

Keep Pests Away

Sprinkle baking soda on your soil with a flour sifter to keep ants, roaches and slugs away from your garden. (Be sure to avoid your plants!) It’s a safe way to keep beneficial insects around and say sayonara to the ones you’re tired of seeing.

Kill Crab Grass

Crab grass can take over your lawn and continue growing spring through fall. Did you know you have a defense for this enemy sitting right in your cabinet? First, wet the patch of crab grass with a watering can. Then, sprinkle the patch liberally with baking soda. (Be sure to avoid your surrounding grass.) In a few days, this unwelcome weed will be history.

Prevent Fungal Disease

Nothing can be more frustrating on a beautiful plant than powdery mildrew or leaf spots. Give this natural remedy a try.

MAKE IT: Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 2-3 drops of liquid soap in 1 liter of water. Spray the solution on the infected plants. Baking soda helps the plants become less acidic and prevents fungal growth.

Kill Weeds

Bring beauty back to your sidewalks. Simply pour baking soda into cracks where weeds appear. The baking soda alone should kill any small weeds and prevent new ones from sprouting back up.

Sweeten Tomatoes

Nothing’s better than sinking your teeth into a sweet, juicy tomato right from the garden. Baking soda can actually make them taste even better! Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on the soil around your tomato plants to lower the acidity levels. (The lower the acid level, the sweeter your tomatoes are.) Just make sure the baking soda doesn’t get on the plant.

Clean Bird Baths

Scrub dirt and stains off your bird bath with a damp cloth and baking soda. After, simply rinse with cool water to ensure safe, clean bathing for your flying friends.

Freshen Compost

Is your compost pile starting to scare the neighbors? Sprinkle baking soda around your compost pile (or in the bin) to eliminate odor.

Keep Cut Flowers Fresh

Fill a vase with water, then mix in a teaspoon of baking soda. Your freshly-cut flowers will thank you.

Clean Dirty Hands

Baking soda is a natural deodorizer, so it’s perfect for cleaning dirty, hard-working hands without the chemicals found in other cleaning solutions. Pour baking soda on your palms, add some water, scrub, then rinse.