Two Invaluable Products

If I were banished to a remote island and forced to take only two personal care products with me, I would have no trouble making my selection. A deserted island seems like a great idea, by the way. No indoor plumbing, no pesticide sprays, no weed killers.

Unfortunately, an island may not be the answer. Midway Island is 3100 miles from Los Angeles and 2400 miles from Tokyo and its population of black-footed albatrosses is contaminated with DDT, PCBs, and dioxins.

Back to my point. I could survive on a deserted island if I had clean water, a food source, my Internet (a fair request), and

Baking Soda and White Vinegar.

Both are anti-fungal. Both are safe. Both are cheap.

White vinegar is acetic acid which has been distilled and diluted. We use it for virtually all of our cleaning. We use it, along with baking soda or borax, for every load of laundry. We use diluted apple cider vinegar as a hair conditioner. The following is an excellent list.

1001 Uses for White Vinegar

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. If I had paid attention in Chemistry class I would know what that means. I do know that it is a component of the mineral natron and is found dissolved in many mineral springs. We make a paste with baking soda and water (or hydrogen peroxide) and use it as a shampoo, as toothpaste, and deodorant. We've used it as a facewash for acne with great results. The following article is titled "Baking Soda, the Most Useful Product Ever" and lists more than 100 uses.

Uses for Baking Soda

I just ordered 50 pounds of baking soda and paid 23 dollars. A case of white vinegar (at a website called Buy the Case) costs 30 dollars including shipping. I'm not sure of the shipping cost to my deserted island.