Lyssalia, you point out a very good reason to learn about what pests invade our houseplants....and there are many.
Most pests do not damage a plant to such extent it will kill without giving adequate sign that such harm is pending.

Those specks you see, you might look at them under a magnifying glass and see they have a mouth, perhaps teeth.
Such insignificance does not block out that they are pests you should treat.

First thing to do anytime you see such unnatural thing on your plant is to try to get rid of it.
The most often remedy first tried is with the use of water.

Take your plant to where you can spray indiscrimately a stream of water at the plant. I say AT, instead of "on", because that is what will knock off most pests.
Once off, they don't come back....at least, not that pest, but their offspring may already be ready to jump aboard.
Pests that invade our plants usually have strong parental genes that causes them to look to their young.
Some pests have very short gestation period...as few a few days to a couple weeks. Your plant may be, right now, harboring the eggs, or the larvae of the specks you see.
The soil your plant is in is most likely to be where the next invader is.

Any treatment you give, must be repeated in an attempt to break the cycle of the gestation period.
Usually, application of a treatment can be done 3 times within a short period...usually 10 - 20 days.
That is, treat today, in 5 days time, and again 5 days later. This often will break the cycle...but continued vigilance must be done.

There are many remedies suggested to rid plants of what invades. Sometimes it can be as bad treating the plnat as letting the little buggers have their way.
Know what the pest is before treating.

Water is not going to harm the plant, so make that your first thing to try.
Soap and water is another treatment that can be tried in most instances. Soap--like it lays on your skin, dries out the skin of the bug. Soap will interefere with the bugs breathing; all bugs are air breathers.
One such solution is 40 parts water, 1 part dishSOAP...(not detergent) sprayed on the plant from top to bottom, bottom to top, making sure all surfaces are treated, then wait for no more than ten minutes before the plant is thorughly rinsed with clean water, top to bottom, bottom to top.

There are bugs though that are not affected by this; they might have a hard shell that soap does not do anything to.
For these, there are other measures to try.
One is the use of dormant oil---the same oil that is used on your outdoor trees, shrubs and roses, in the spring.
Then there are the insecticides, pyrethrum, rotenone and others that you should tread carefully with--they are poisons and should be used only when all else fails.
Sometimes, if you feel eggs or larvae or pest themselves are in the soil, you can immerse the whole plant over the rim of the pot until bubbles stop, telling you all cavities are filled and the bugs will be forced to come to the surface.

On store shelves there are many insecticides that might list treatment for a bug you have identified.
Again, treatment should be repeated to break any cycle the bug might have.

Further reading about the use of baking soda, sprinkled on soil, can be done.
Identifying a bug and then doing a Google search can often advise owners how to treat.

If you can see the pest, you might be able to be rid of it by simply scraping them off. Put a leaf into the palm of your hand and carefuly wipe with a tissue. Or dip a Q-Tip into a bottle of rubbing alcohol and touch the pest with it.
But leaves are not the only place bugs hide. They get into the crotches of stems/leaves, or they invade the leaf itself, eating their way through and out.
Or they can be found in the petals of flowers--and this can be tough to treat because spraying a flower is not recommended simply because most times you will harm the bloom.
Water spray might dislodge the pest or make it more visible.

In any case, do read about the pests and this can be done in most cases simply by buying a book or pamphlet on the care of houseplants.
These books are widely available in books stores --but try a USED bookstore first; gardening books are always there at very reduced prices.

Jeannie!!! You are SOOOOO reckless to even suggest this should be a consideration: "Further reading about the use of baking soda, sprinkled on soil, can be done."

This should Never, Ever, Ever be considered! The Na (sodium) ions are extremely harmful and the bicarbonates will raise pH sky-high, killing the plant outright or making it imposssible for the plant to absorb MOST nutrients - especially Fe and Mn.

Another horrid piece of advice!

Al

See, you jump at the least little thing. I made baking soda a suggestion for a particular use....not in treating plants for bugs, only in pointing out that even baking soda has a purpose when owning houseplants.

Al, ....ready now....get on your mark......go baby go!

This is not the "least little thing". It is another example in a long list of bad advice that cannot be justified or supported in any way.

You don't even understand what I said; and you obviously don't understand what you said, unless you actually intended to make a dangerous suggestion. Baking soda sprinkled on the soil is going to be LETHAL or have extremely serious consequences to the plant. No matter what misguided reason you THINK it appropriate - it is NOT. You might as well have suggested table salt as an option, too. The consequences would be roughly the same.

Al

You fire me up....the latest harangue of yours just makes me wonder whether you know anything about houseplants.

Baking soda....what a wonderful chemical combo it is...
let's see.....baking soda, given a coating on a clay pot before the soil goes in at transplant time helps the soil stay fresh;
baking soda sprinkled around tomato plants can ward off pests; baking soda used to raise pH when planting carnation, mums, or petunia;
baking soda sprinkled on dry houseplant soil will treat for mildew and dry up mold; baking soda used in conjunction with other things such as dormant oil or vegetable oil, treats black spot on roses.
Baking soda sprinkled over leaves that have mildew will help kill the fungus.

Not to mention the benefit of using baking soda around the home to kill roaches, and ants.
Makes for a good stomach effervescent still. Replaces that Alka Seltzer, Alka Seltzer, Alka Seltzer,

Further to its use above, some houseplant owners have complained about their cat urinating on the soil.
Sprinkling baking soda on dry soil there will reduce the acidity of such urine.
Most houseplants prefer an acidness to the soil, so any baking soda amount should be kept to a minimum and applied for a specific reason in amounts to do the job.

Water will do that too.

With any treatment given a plant, some common sense applies.

The question was put....can baking soda help a houseplant.
And the answer is definitely....YES!

Unbelievable.
I trust the Original Poster will evaluate the previous advice with a fair amount of scrutiny.

Josh

Try it on your plants, Jeannie. As for the other posters, I hope they stay completely away from this salt and NEVER apply it to or mix it with any container soil.

Sorry about the antagonism, Lyssa. Some posters consistently operate well beyond the limits of their knowledge.

I think the most likely cause of the black specks would be damage from spider mites. You can easily control them with a spritz of 70% rubbing alcohol and water @ 50/50 that thoroughly wets the entire plant. Do this every 10-14 days. Plain water or a combination of water and insecticidal soap @ the recommended rate will do the job admirably as well.

Take care.

Al

I've heard of bugs IN teeth, but never bugs WITH teeth. ;-)

Thank you all. I will certainly try some of the gentler options first before considering anything more intense.

Melissa

Thatagirl Melissa, take it slow and don't be guided by poison-pen pals.

Try it on my own plants Al, --why not. I've done it numerous times for a specific reason.
Hey, speaking of teeth---which someone doesn't believe bugs have, I guess she believes they gum a leaf; baking soda makes a fine dental cleaner.