Why you need baking soda at the barn

You’ll be surprised at how many ways you can put this grocery store staple to use in taking care of your horse, barn and equipment.

Next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up a box of baking soda for the barn. You’ll be surprised at how many uses you’ll find for it there.

• Scrub out water buckets and troughs. Combine a few tablespoons of baking soda with just enough water to make a paste that you can use on a sponge to scrub buckets. The baking soda is abrasive enough to remove “gunk,” but rinses away easily with no chemical residue.

Black and white image of a barn aisle with horses' heads overhanging stalls. — There are multiple uses for baking soda around the barn.

• Clean bits and metal stirrups. Apply some of your baking soda paste to a toothbrush to clean the metal parts of your tack.

• Freshen your horse’s laundry. A sprinkling in a load of saddle pads or leg wraps will help deodorize the material while brightening the colors.

• Deodorize drains. Pour a half-cup down a stinky wash- stall drain, then follow that up with a half-cup of vinegar. The mixture will bubble and overflow, so don’t be surprised. After five minutes, flush the drain with water.

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