How to make baking soda

            Here's one link:  http://www.ehow.com/how_6752224_make-bicarbonate-soda.html

            Conventional wisdom is that making it at home is both difficult and dangerous. So if you think you'll need it, stockpile some for hard times. The shelf life for baking soda is at least 2 years, probably longer if kept in a cool dark place, like a cupboard. (The same idea goes for making ammonia at home, too. I am not sure about the shelf life of ammonia).

            Here's an article about shelf life for baking soda and baking powder.

                       

Opinions vary about how long baking soda and baking powder will keep once they've been purchased.

 

Some experts have gone so far as to characterize their "sell by" or "use by" dates as arbitrary. Though these products aren't subject to spoilage, both may eventually fail to rise to the occasion as leavening agents for baked goods.

Baking Soda and Baking Powder Shelf Life

 

	Pantry
Baking Powder	18 months
Baking Soda	2 years

Handling Tips: 

Keep dry and covered.

Source(s): 

Boyer, Renee, and Julie McKinney. "Food Storage Guidelines for Consumers." Virginia Cooperative Extension (2009): n. pag. Web. 7 Dec 2009.

---

"Cupboard Storage Chart." K-State Research and Extension n. pag. Web. 23 Dec 2009. .