Reader Kirin says he’s suspicious of Arm & Hammer’s assertion that the same 1lb of baking soda will only deodorize for 30 days when it used to work for 3 months.
I try to preempt nasty smells in the refrigerator by buying one of those handy Fridge-N-Freezer baking soda boxes where you can simply tear off the sides and allow it to absorb odors. But in the past three months, it looks like marketing got a hold of the packaging, and suddenly baking soda only works for one month instead of three! Arm & Hammer say that they are “America’s #1 trusted baking soda brand,” but I’m not really feeling the trust anymore…
How very, very odd. Arm & Hammer says that their baking soda is 100% pure sodium bicarbonate, so we’re assuming they haven’t changed the recipe. They also haven’t updated their FAQ. It still recommends changing the box every 3 months. 
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Potential Marketing Strategy:
Arm & Hammer Baking Soda contributes to the environment in many ways: The active ingredient, Sodium Bicarbonate, is a buffer, neutralizing not only harmful acids and alkalais but acting as an anti-oxidant in many chemical reactions. Sodium Bicarbonate can be used to sequester harmful Carbon Dioxide, a powerful greenhouse gas that scientists say is the primary cause of the greenhouse effect and global warming. By dumping Arm & Hammer Baking Soda down your drain, you are countering the effects of acid rain, global warming, pesticide runoff, and conservative politicians. Remember- the more often you change Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, the better your refridgerator- and our planet- will smell.
See, they say bicarbonate, but they don’t say how many sodiums you get in each molecule of the compound.
Can you tell I dropped out of engineering?
It’s not the recipe or formula that has changed.
It’s pretty clear what happened. Sales for odor deodorizer were down. A&H corporate needed to drive sales up, so they’re using the whole 30days instead of three months. Nice play on numbers too 3 vs 30 rather than 90 v 30 days. This way the consumer feels they’re getting more for their money.
@TVarmy:
You get one sodium and two bicarb groups per molecule.
@craftypants:
Unless the shrink ray has struck here too
@SpdRacer: The problem is you need to check your manual. Hyundai won’t honor their warranty if I don’t change it every 3750 miles.
@pigbearpug: Try your local pet shop; they sell it for use in aquarium filters.
Is this some kind of US based scam? I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this in UK to remove fridge odours. Very strange concept.
I’m guessing that Arm&Hammer simply wants you to spend more money on baking soda by having you replace it more often. Much in the same way that Jiffy Lube tells you to change your oil every 3,000 miles when it’s generally accepted that 6,000 miles between service is just fine.
@shufflemoomin: Get your brain checked, you should at the very least be able to understand the concept behind fridge odor.
Depends how dirty is your fridge !
@shufflemoomin: Baking soda absorbs odors. However, you don’t need to buy overpriced ”refrigirator soda”. Any baking soda does the job. Just pour some in a small box, and leave it open.
Ask your grandmothers, they will explain this ”deodorant” thing
At least after only using to deodorize my fridge for 30 days it doesn’t taste nearly as bad as the stuff that was in there for 90..
I’ve had a box in the fridge so long you could probably eat it as a meal.
I have NEVER had a box of this stuff in the fridge, and I have NEVER had a stinky fridge as punishment. This is 100% scam.
These guys are pretty creative when it comes to selling this white dirt. About ten years ago, we fell out of our chairs laughing at a picture on the back of the box. A friend called our attention to it. “What GENIUS,” she asked, “thought this up?” It was a picture of a white hand pouring a box of baking soda into the garbage. “Deodorize your garbage,” the box suggesting. We admired the plan: purchase box, dump contents into garbage can. Then it’s time to buy another box.
@friendlynerd: Sure, that’s all fun and games until someone uses something like matchlight briquettes to deodorize their fridge!!! C’mon, you KNOW somebody would do that….
@NotATool:
Oh yikes. Yes. Good disclaimer.
BoorRichard:
I’ll dump some into the actual can occasionally, not the liner. It’s not so much to control the odors of the stuff in the liner, as I change it out frequently enough, but the can itself can get a bit nasty on occasion – and it’s not worth it to take it outside and wash it out in the winter.
I’m not sure what’s penetrating through the heavy plastic garbage bag to do that.
As for my fridge, I container the stuff in there and have had no odor/taste transfer problems.
Noticed this back in August. Actual mileage may vary, but this is ridiculous! Maybe they’re using Donald Rumsfeld’s method for war calculations: Iraq war will last…six days, six weeks, I doubt six months…
Next, Colgate will tell you that “for best results, squeeze from the bottom.” Oh, they do? Never mind.
I know this comment is way way late, but in the May/June 2009 issue of Cooks Illustrated (also on the website if you have a subscription), the editors point out that baking soda’s ability to neutralize acids is so slight that its deodorizing ability in the fridge is minimal to none.