Daily hacks: Three handy ingredients you need in your kitchen

You may not know this, but many ingredients you already have in your kitchen can be used to make your life simpler.

The ingredients listed in this article are found under thousands of cooking recipes, but can also be used to clean your home, whiten your teeth, fabrics and furniture, as well as dye your faded dark clothes to make them darker.

Here are three ingredients you need in your kitchen

Baking soda

People often think baking soda and bicarbonate of soda are two different products. If your recipes require you to make use of bicarbonate of soda as an ingredients, they are simply referring to baking soda.

Baking soda is mostly used as an ingredient for baked goods such as cakes, muffins or cookies.

The ingredient is used in recipes which have other acidic ingredients, and when mixed with the acidic ingredients, it becomes activated, producing carbon dioxide which allows for your baked goodies to rise and become fluffy in the process of baking.

Baking soda is also one of the most multi-faceted ingredients found in the kitchen. The ingredient can be used to unclog drains, as a teeth whitener, a mouthwash, deodorant, fridge odours neutraliser and air freshener, kitchen and bathroom cleaner, fabric whitener and stain remover.

ALSO READ: Beauty ingredient of the week: coffee

Coffee

Coffee is the fuel that gets most people going in the morning. A hot cup of coffee a day can put you in a better mood and assist in energising you to get through your daily responsibilities and tasks.

Coffee is also an ingredient that can be used in recipes to create many delicious dishes and drinks such as coffee cake, coffee puddings and coffee milkshakes and freezos.

Coffee can also be used to darken your faded black clothes by soaking them in some coffee for some time to dye them and give them a darker appearance.

According to healthline.com, coffee also has many health benefits such as burning fat, lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes, improving your energy levels and making you smarter, may protect you from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, and it can fight depression and make you slightly happier.

Lemons

Lemons are the most versatile fruits to have in your fruit basket. Lemons can be found in a variety of cakes, puddings, tarts, juices, teas, as well as many savory dishes.

Many cleaning products as well as air fresheners also have lemons as a key ingredients, as it is know to be an excellent cleaning ingredient, and is known to get rid of certain scents and smells, giving a refreshing and light acidic scent to any room.

Lemons can also be sued as a skin lightening product or ingredient, and can be used to diminish black spots and stubborn acne scars.

According to medicalnewstoday.com, lemons also have plenty of health benefits such as decreased high-blood pressure, lowering the risk of strokes, weight loss, boosting your immune system, preventing asthma, preventing cancer and many others.