The Reason Doomsday Preppers Stockpile So Much Baking Soda

In high school, preps often win the affections of the most popular kids in school. They're rich, hip, chic ... and that's about it. Put them out in the real world, and they wouldn't last a minute. 

Now, if you add a "-per" to the end of prep, you get a prepper. This person is the exact opposite. They are weird. They probably played Yu-Gi-Oh in the hallways and shopped for samurai swords online in high school, but in case of emergency, they're exactly who you want to be locked in a vault with. A true prepper is prepared for every scenario, and loves to stockpile supplies for emergency preparedness. Common household items become invaluable, and Ralph Lauren polos drastically decline in their worth, functioning no better as a tourniquet than a Van Heusen V-neck from Walmart.

One must-have item for any prepper preparing for the apocalypse is baking soda. Happy Preppers lists a slew of uses for this non-addictive white powder that'll send you straight to Costco with a blank check. 

For starters, it's a good fire extinguisher, smothering flames with ease. It can easily smother odors as well, essential in the undoubtedly stinky confines of close quarters living you're likely to encounter in the apocalypse. It's also a great cleaning supply, as you probably know. Anything from your charcoal grill to the grill in your mouth — baking soda will help. Body odors, bug bite relief, canker sore neutralization ... no problem with baking soda. Since it neutralizes acids, it's also great as an antacid, helping with that post-canned peaches indigestion.

Need more reasons? Baking soda can protect your kidneys from radiation, useful in case of nuclear disaster, and help with your blood pressure and potential nausea. According to Speedendurance.com, baking soda can even increase your athletic performance, for when you've got to outrun the zombie horde.

Of course, it also is great for baking ... obviously. So it'll help your fallout shelter feel a bit more like home. Heck, who wouldn't want this stuff? Baking soda is a fairly simple compound, and as such, the possibilities for its use are nearly endless. Even if disaster never strikes, it's something worth having in any household. You'll be glad you prepped.