Just a spoonful or two of baking powder in baked goods can mean the difference between light, tender baked goods and hockey pucks, so it's important to use the freshest baking powder available. Old baking powder simply won't perform its function of creating bubbles, and will only lead to disappointing results. Here are many uses for baking soda. Enter your E-mail Address: Enter your First Name (optional). To make your own baking powder, stir and sift together 2 parts of Cream of Tartar to 1 part baking soda and 1 part cornstarch. Put 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of your favorite potpourri inside old panty hose. For odor-removing sachets.

• Can Use Old Baking Powder

Help Your Hair Drugstores and beauty supply stores sell expensive shampoos, serums, and dry shampoo formulas to combat product buildup, chlorine damage, and oily hair. All you need to solve all three hair woes is a cheap box of baking soda. Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to your usual handful of shampoo to remove buildup, rinse hair with about half a teaspoon dissolved in water to fight chlorine discoloration, or sprinkle a small amount on your scalp and brush for a quick and easy dry shampoo.

Baking soda is a great cleaning agent, and easily lifts oils, discolorations, and buildup on your scalp from hairsprays, conditioners, and other products. Whiten Teeth Several studies published in the Journal of Clinical Dentistry found that not only were toothpastes with baking soda more effective at removing plaque, but baking soda also is more effective at whitening teeth than other products. Want a make-at-home whitener?

To banish coffee and wine stains from your smile, many dentists recommend brushing with a powerhouse combination of baking soda and strawberries, which contain malic acid, another natural stain-fighter. Mash a ripe strawberry and combine with baking soda to form a paste.

Brush onto teeth for a few minutes, rinse, and then brush with regular toothpaste to remove residue. A word of caution: Don’t use this treatment more than two or three times a month, since too much malic acid could damage your tooth enamel.

Soothe a Sunburn When aloe just isn’t cutting it for soothing sunburnt skin, try baking soda for calming relief. Combine baking soda and water and use a washcloth or soaked cotton balls to apply to your skin, says Hadley C. King, MD, a clinical instructor of dermatology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in an article on A baking soda and water paste also helps calm itchy bug bites, bee stings, and poison ivy rashes, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

Can Use Old Baking Powder

The alkaline nature of baking soda neutralizes irritants and restores skin’s pH, soothing burning and itching in the process. Polish Jewelry If your silver jewelry looks old and tarnished, try cleaning it with this simple trick.

You just need some baking soda, very hot (almost boiling) water, and aluminum foil. Pour the water into a small bowl and submerge your jewelry. Then add about a tablespoon of baking soda and a sheet of aluminum foil. The combination of the water and baking soda helps lift the tarnish from your jewelry and sticks it to the aluminum. Move the pieces around, making sure that all of your jewelry touches the aluminum.

Afterwards, just rinse and polish with a soft cloth. Avoid using this method on jewelry with gemstones or organic material like pearls (which are easily damaged), says the Gemological Institute of America. Regis Philbin was comedian Joey Bishop's sidekick on the ABC television show 'The Joey Bishop Show' from 1967 to 1969 and hosted his own local talk show -- 'A.M. Los Angeles' -- from 1975 to 1983. But his name wasn't exactly on the tip of our collective tongues until he became a daytime staple with Kathie Lee Gifford in 1988 on 'Live with Regis and Kathie Lee' when he was 57.

His vibrant, caustic, yet fun-loving personality pushed him over the top sometime after the show began to gain in popularity with daytime viewers. Andy Rooney is another personality that seems to have been around since the beginning of time, and we're all glad to have been the recipients of his off-the-wall satirical takes on human nature. In 1978, at the age of 59, Rooney began his 'A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney' segment on the CBS news show '60 Minutes,' continuing through 2011. He made us laugh, he made us cry, he made us think. It doesn't get better than that. Rooney died on November 4, 2011 at the age of 92 only a few weeks after his last appearance on the show.