Science Experiment: Chemical Reaction – Exploding Ziploc.

"Measure one tablespoon of baking soda into a quart size ziploc bag. Measure 1/2 cup of vinegar into the snack size ziploc bag and zip the bag closed. Put the snack size ziploc bag full of vinegar into the quart size ziploc bag with the baking soda in it." -- Science Experiment: Chemical Reaction - Exploding Ziploc - Kids ...

I think because they fizz when you put hem together, people think they are "cleaning"....you would be better off using one or the other.

If you mix vinegar and baking soda you get sodium acetate, water, and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide bubbles off leaving you with a weak solution of sodium acetate. I don't know if sodium acetate has any cleaning properties or will make your hair more manageable.

Baking soda used to clean hair isn't mixed with the vinegar. Vinegar is used after rinsing out the baking soda. Maybe the point is to neutralize it? But one doesn't have to use them both.

i pour baking soda then vinegar down my drains, let it sit for 20 minutes then pour down a cup of boiling water, keeps drains clean. I've been doing this for years.I don't think I'd put either one on my hair, that's just my opinion :>)

I have!

I often use (or used to use) baking soda as a facial exfoliant; it's very gentle and my skin loved it--it really saved my skin when I was pregnant and dealing with breakouts & roughness. Sometimes I would use it on my face instead of cleanser, and if my skin was feeling especially delicate or sensitive I wouldn't rub it, I'd just sort of pat the baking soda on and rinse it off. My skin is sensitive (especially acid-sensitive) and dry, so using something alkali helped balance it out, and it was smooth as a baby's butt. You can use it to exfoliate anywhere, actually (anywhere you'd normally exfoliate, that is; don't put it near or on sensitive parts!)--in fact, one company that makes those spinning facial brushes (can't recall which, sorry, but it's a pricy one--not Clairsonic) also makes these soft pads and an exfoliating gel to use with the brush; the exfoliating gel is basically baking soda in a Cetaphil-like goo (seriously; sodium bicarbonate is listed in the ingredients). I still sometimes use it in summer on my feet.

Scalps like it, too, but it can be drying to hair. I would (still do, sometimes) add it to shampoo for a deeper clean, or use it straight when I felt/feel my blonde was getting a little brassy--it will bleach your hair over time, with regular use. It does clean your hair & scalp, and rinses clean. If you add it to conditioner it will make your hair feel & seem thicker when dry, but a little less manageable, and again, it is drying because it's so alkali. I also used it, with great success, on the horrible cradle cap/peanut butter scalp both my daughters had as babies (they were both born with full heads of longish hair, so it was hard to deal with the cradle cap).

The vinegar will re-balance your hair after baking soda treatment. It's also good for your scalp and adds shine and tone to hair--try apple cider vinegar for brunette shades. (And if the baking soda doesn't work for cradle cap, go the other direction and use vinegar.) It always made my hair super, super soft. Some people use it as toner--that's generally for oilier skin, if memory serves. My skin doesn't like it much (acid sensitive) but I've known people who swore by it.

Now I use a fruit-acid exfoliating gel from Pete Thomas Roth twice a week, and a spin brush & Shiseido White Lucent for everyday cleansing--I'm not in my twenties anymore, lol, so acne is no longer a concern and I don't need something that will help deal with it, like baking soda--but I still always have baking soda on hand, and have taught both of my daughters its many uses. It's worth trying to see if it works for you, especially since a box of baking soda is like a dollar and you probably already have some in your house.

Oh, and as for cleaning other things, b.s. and vinegar do work for a number of items around the house: sinks, toilets, etc. I seem to recall baking soda is a good cleanser for copper-bottom pots, but please double-check that before you try it!

AND, my favorite baking soda cleaning trick: if you have a pot with burned-on food--deep or shallow, doesn't matter--put the pot on the burner, dump about 1/3C baking soda into it (roughly--you just want a good heap of it in there, an inch or so high; use more if it's a really large pan, but not much more), and then add water until the water *almost* covers the baking soda, like the tip of the heap is a little mountain rising from the water. Turn on the flame (or coil, or whatever) below the pot, med-high to high, and let it come to a boil. The burned-on gunk will generally lift right off--sometimes it requires a couple of minutes and some gentle-to-moderate scraping with a wooden spoon to help it along, but it will come off and leave the pot shiny-clean! (Only once did I have to do this a second time, because not everything came up the first time. It really does work.)

Hope that helps!