Baking soda, a common household item, is renowned for its deodorizing and cleansing properties, making it an excellent choice for foot care. Many people discover unexpected benefits when they apply baking soda to their feet, from odor control to smoother skin. Here’s a look at what happens when you use baking soda on your feet and how you can try it yourself.
Benefits of Baking Soda for Feet
Baking soda offers several benefits for foot care:
1. Odor Control: Baking soda naturally neutralizes odors, making it perfect for treating smelly feet. It absorbs moisture and sweat, where odor-causing bacteria typically thrive.
2. Softens Skin: Baking soda is a mild abrasive, which means it can help exfoliate the feet, removing dead skin cells and leaving the skin soft and smooth.
3. Fungal Infections: Due to its antifungal properties, baking soda can help prevent and treat fungal infections like athlete’s foot by creating an unfavorable environment for fungus growth.
4. Soothing Soaks: Adding baking soda to a foot soak can help alleviate foot pain and discomfort, often softening rough calluses and reducing irritation.
How to Use Baking Soda on Your Feet
Baking Soda Foot Soak
Ingredients:
- 3-4 tablespoons of baking soda
- Warm water
- A basin or foot bath
Instructions:
- Fill a basin or foot bath with warm water, enough to cover your feet.
- Dissolve the baking soda in the water.
- Soak your feet in the solution for 15-20 minutes.
- After soaking, gently scrub your feet with a foot brush or pumice stone to remove any dead skin.
- Rinse your feet with clean water, dry them thoroughly, and apply a moisturizer.
Baking Soda Paste for Odor
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of baking soda
- Water to form a paste
Instructions:
- Mix the baking soda with a small amount of water to create a thick paste.
- Apply the paste to your feet, especially between the toes where odor can accumulate.
- Leave the paste on your feet for 5-10 minutes.
- Rinse off the paste with warm water and dry your feet thoroughly.
Direct Application for Dryness and Odor
Simply sprinkle baking soda directly into your socks and shoes. The powder will help absorb moisture throughout the day and keep your feet dry and fresh.
What to Expect
After using baking soda, you might be surprised to find that not only do your feet smell better, but they also feel softer and more comfortable. The rough, dry patches can become smoother, and any mild fungal issues might improve.
Precautions
While baking soda is generally safe for use on feet, it’s important to avoid using it if you have open wounds or severe foot infections. Additionally, those with sensitive skin should test the treatment on a small area first to ensure there is no adverse reaction.
Using baking soda on your feet can be a simple, cost-effective way to address multiple foot care issues. Give it a try and experience the benefits for yourself!
Betty, Dublin Zoo’s longest resident and oldest chimp in human care, dead at 62 — rest in peace
Betty, the chimpanzee that had been at the Dublin Zoo for the longest and the oldest living chimp under human care, passed away last week at the age of 62. She was one of the zoo’s most cherished and well-known inmates.
A zoo blog article claims that Betty had age-related ailments that were impairing her quality of life, and the tough choice to end her life was made to spare her from suffering in the future.
Although it is heartbreaking to lose Betty, she enjoyed a lengthy life that exceeded the average lifespan of a chimpanzee in captivity. According to the zoo, she was also the oldest chimpanzee in human care at the time of her death.
Team leader Helen Clarke Bennett of Dublin Zoo, who has worked as a zookeeper since 1987 and has known Betty for many years, paid tribute to her.
In 1964, a West African chimpanzee named Betty made her way to Dublin. Bennett notes that Betty participated in archaic practices like “Chimp Tea Parties” and that the Dublin Zoo continued to operate in the “style of the early Victorian era zoos” throughout that period.
Betty saw major advancements in zoo standards throughout her decades-long confinement. For example, in the 1990s, the chimp habitat was transformed from a metal-barred concrete “pit” to an island with trees.
Bennett claimed to have known Betty since the zoo’s early years since Michael Clarke, Betty’s father, was looking after her at the time. The chimp was “always strong-minded,” according to him, and would not give up on her goals.
After Wendy moved in 1964, Betty’s best friend, Wendy, became an integral part of her life for the majority of it. One of the cutest pairs in the zoo was formed by the two monkeys.
“Wendy had a cheeky side, but Betty could hold her accountable!” Bennett penned the piece. “When Wendy was obstinately refusing to go outside while the habitat was being cleaned, Betty putting her arm around her to encourage her to go outside with the rest of the troop will always be one of my favorite pictures.”
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Betty and Wendy celebrated their 50th birthdays together in 2012 at the zoo. The zoo workers believed that Betty, who was devastated by Wendy’s death in 2014, wouldn’t be far behind.
She even managed to live on for a further ten years, rising to the rank of dominating female chimpanzee and earning the title of longest-serving inhabitant of the zoo.
Bennett stated that Betty experienced reduced kidney function and chronic arthritis in her latter years, which affected her weight and mobility. She was also under continuous wellness management.
They had to make the tough but humane decision to end the beloved chimp’s life after all medicinal and surgical alternatives had been tried. Even though Betty is no longer with us, she will always be cherished as a unique original and a zoogoer’s favorite for many decades to come.
“Although I am really saddened to bid farewell to a friend I have known since I was a young child, I am sure that Betty’s euthanasia was the right choice, ensuring that she didn’t suffer needlessly and preserving her dignity to the very end. That gives me a great deal of comfort,” Bennett wrote.
“Everyone here at Dublin Zoo as well as the many generations of visitors who were fortunate enough to know her will miss Betty terribly; there will never be another like her.”
Peace be with you, Betty. You lived a very long life, and it’s obvious that your loved ones and caregivers cherished you.
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