...huh. Now that is a quandry. Did they change the formula, therefore making it only good for a month, or did they simply change the packaging to get people to buy another box even though it's good for three months still...

My brain hurts.

guess the grocery shrink ray has morphed into time-shrink ray.

Isn't activated carbon better anyways?

I blame the new box. It's shinier and therefore less effective. Everybody knows that it's actually the box that absorbs the odor, not the contents. The sodium bicarbonate is just there to add... substance... or something.

The only thing the new box is missing is the phrase "NEW AND IMPROVED!!!!!" inside a bright yellow explosion graphic.

I'm dripping sarcasm today. I'd say use it for 3 months anyway.

@outinthedark: Not anymore. They took a page from Apple's book, and activating your charcoal/carbon is a pain in the ass now.

I'd change it every 30 days, but only if Billy Mays told me to!

@outinthedark: According to that show on the food network it is... Anybody know where to buy activated charcoal?

Unbelievable.

We should have a contest to see how the PR people spin this.

My submission: Today's consumer is more consicous about refrigerator and freezer odors. We have thus adjusted our recommendation to reflect the changing marketplace.

I think I've had the same container of baking soda in my fridge for over three years.

Unbelievable but I agree with @outinthedark that activate carbon is better anyway so I would recommend buying that.

@twophrasebark: they are so going to steal your answer

@Git Em SteveDave displays attention-grabbing vanity: Funny guy! Hehe!

@pigbearpug: I saw that too the other night. Girlfriend is obsessed with the show already. I had one in my fridge for as long as I can remember. My roommate's Mom put one in the day we moved in.

I found the like the one from the show it's called the Fridge-it...

[www.campingworld.com]

or

[www.kitchenhaven.com]

Seems that all the hits are camping or RV sites...

Back in the '60s, my grandmother taught me to put a cup of baking soda from a big economy size box into a wide mouthed jar and put it in the back of the 'fridge. I stir the soda every time I clean the refrigerator (about once a month) and replace the soda about once a YEAR. Yes, if you stir it regularly to expose fresh surface area, it will continue to work for about a year. If something spills in the 'fridge, grab that cup of soda and use it to wash up the mess (make a paste to deal with something particularly sticky). And even after a year, the old baking soda still has one more use left in it: cleaning the garbage disposal on the way down the drain...

@pigbearpug: I've found it at grocery stores and kitchen/housewares stores - costs about $3 in California.

Also, I'd imagine that you could use the activated charcoal that's used in aquariums. At least, that's the impression I'd gotten from "Food Detectives".

Oil change places tell you 3000 miles and not what auto makers suggest, the wedding industrial complex says 3 month salary guidline for rings, it's a sham, all of it.

Just make up what you want, anything goes in advertising. Lie if you want to, nobody is held responsible, hence the Consumerist exists

Arm&Hammer is recommending a strategic bicarbonate surge to combat an emboldened odor insurgency; they certainly hope we can return to a 3-month tour when conditions dictate.

@outinthedark: Wow...

Exchange this...
"I found the like the one..."

For this...
"I found a similar product from the show called the Fridge-it"

@Reeve: I agree unbelievable...

I've had the same boxes last more than 3 months, and I think a lot of it has to do with how you store your food; "open" and covered with saran wrap or sealed in tupperware?

Just do a smell test and buy a new box when the old one gives out, not when the date on the side says it's ready for a new box.

I've also heard form a relative that shaking up the box once a month increases how long it lasts, but have nothing empirical to back that up.

@outinthedark: I didn't care for Food Detectives at all. Maybe I'm spoiled by Mythbusters, but I'd rather watch them do tests than just watch them act out skits about the science they preformed off camera.

Act badly, I might add.

@scarletvirtue (Sadie, Sadie Married Lady):
You can buy a large container of activated charcoal used in aquariums for a couple of dollars in any Wal-Mart, Target, etc. or any store that has a pet department.

It's fairly dusty and dirty though, so I'm assuming you place it in cheese cloth maybe and hang it inside the fridge?

Next up: The audacity of shampoo companies who put "repeat" into the instructions.

@Milo.Stone: I hate it too...I can't stand the guy. He knows his food but it sounds like he is shouting at the camera throughout the show.

I thought it was funny I have two of those purple things in my fridge and never really cared. It may be the reason why my roommates seem to overlook their decaying food. Maybe I'll get two more for the both of them to wear as well.

30 days? 3 months? Meh. I've had a box in mine for a year! Around 6 months, I just took it out, gave it a good shake. And put it back. My fridge has no odors. Nor the freezer.

Shrink-Time Ray is Arm&Hammer's Mission Accomplished!

I just wanted to point out that the military removes the stench of rotten flesh from Jeeps, trucks & etc... using open cannisters of coffee...they then brew the coffee.

EEEEWWW!

Donopolis

@CaptainConsumer:

How often should you change the oil in your car??

@BrianDaBrain: Can something really be NEW AND IMPROVED? If it improved, doesn't that mean there was something before it to "improve" upon, therefore making it old? Just a thought.

It's our fault as consumers anyway. 3 Months!? How can we expect a company to stay in business when we only buy a consumable product once every 3 months? We really have gotten a lot of audacity lately, and these companies are fully justified in being fed up with our crazy actions. We read the 3 month directions and followed them like little sheep, why WOULDN'T they change it to a month? Hell, make it two weeks! Let's send those marketing genius-boys to the Cayman's for a month or two for this brain-buster!

To think... the top floor at Arm & Hammer has probably been settling for second-class caviar for years because we just COULDN'T break past this 3-month thing. Thank GOD their marketing department came to our rescue! They may have to fly business-class for that little FAQ-miss snafu, but they'll learn and be better for it.

I have some inside connections, so I'll share the next strategy... it will no longer be enough to have just one box either. You see, smells dissipate in a very permeating fashion, and if you only have a box on ONE side of the fridge, or (GOD FORBID) you put it in the DOOR, well... how will you get the smells in the BACK of the fridge? Or the other side?

You see... two is the new one. It's coming.

@Milo.Stone: Yes, the acting is really bad.. it seems like a show really aimed at young children rather than people who would watch Good Eats or Mythbusters. I still watch it though because I like the information, allthough most of it so far has been stuff I already knew. I think the show won't last very long unless the format/acting changes.

FoodTV has a show with Ted Allen called Food Detectives that says the baking soda's effectiveness isn't all that great. The problem is baking soda's surface area is very minimal for odor absorption.

The champion is activated charcoal. And you need a whole baking pan to do the job whereas baking soda isn't very effective.

Possible marketing strategy: with energy costs rising, people have been turning up the temp in their freezers/fridges. So the warmer temps of the foodstuffs are reducing the lifetime of A+H boxes.

/not in marketing
//is evil, anyway

I really like the newer designed box with the side vents. that is so much better than the "open the top of the box" method of killing fridge smells.

I would really hope that A&H has not come up with a new formula that is weaker than before so that we have to buy more boxes per year. Companies do strange things but his would be a pretty low thing to do.

I can only hope they do not recommend soon that the box needs to be replaced weekly.

@The_IT_Crone: Wow. That's good!!

@Saving_is_fun: It's a new recipe, which is an improvement over the old. Booya!

@twophrasebark: It won't shock me when the actual answer is similar tow hat you just posted.

Next, they'll make smaller and cheaper water filters just to get you buy one every month...

Or better yet, Arm & Hammer should sell one for 2 dollars and say that a new 90 day one is available for only $5.99!

@SadSam: You can get about 5000 miles from regular oil, about 7000 from synthetic. This all depends on your driving habits of course.

@outinthedark: If you NEED the strength of activated carbon to deodorize your refrigerator, you are covering up a bigger, possibly more dangerous issue.

Bad smells in a refrigerator indicate that the food is not being stored properly. Things to check for include:

Food isn't containerized correctly.
Many food packages are not suitable for storage once opened, such as metal cans or hot dog wrappers). Improper food storage exposes food to the air, which is the leading reason for "odor transfer." Exposure to air will dry out the food and make is less palatable, and it also will transfer bacteria and mold spores, which will cause the food to spoil more rapidly. Leaking packages create a pool of growth medium for bacteria on shelves or in drawers, and the risk that this could drip onto other food stored below, contaminating it. I use jars with good lids and well-sealing plastic containers for storing most opened foods and beverages. -- Improper packaging leads to faster spoilage, odor transfer, and may increase the risk of illness due to contaminated food.

Temperature inside the refrigerator is too warm.
Leave a thermometer on the DOOR, the warmest part of the refrigerator. (You can get these thermometers at appliance and kitchen stores.) It should be below 38 degrees. (I keep mine at 34 degrees; stuff in the back sometimes frosts a little). Mold/mildew/condensation is a telltale sign that the temperature is too high or that the defrost cycle isn't working correctly. You may need to schedule service. Remove mold/mildew with a solution of chlorine bleach and water (don't mix bleach with anything but water, you can make a deadly gas). -- Food stored at the wrong temperature can cause illness. This is not something you can afford to ignore.

More frequent or thorough cleaning is needed.
Wipe up all spills as they happen. Take everything out periodically - once a month for most adults is enough, at least once a week is required if you have children or a really sloppy living companion - and put the food into an ice chest. Disassemble the entire refrigerator - remove all shelves, drawers, etc. Spray down the inside of the refrigerator with a good disinfecting cleaner (I find bathroom foam cleaner is just about perfect when used with a white 'magic eraser' scrubber), scrub off all food spots, rinse, and dry. Close the door and let the chamber cool down as you wash the shelves and drawers in the sink (I use the foaming cleaner for that, too). Dry these with a towel, and put the refrigerator back together. Stir or replace your baking soda. Examine each item of food before you put it back in the refrigerator, chucking anything that's questionable and wiping any containers with drips or sticky bottoms. -- If you stay on top of this chore, your refrigerator will NEVER stink.

I like how it wants you to change your fridge water filter every 3 months for $40. Whirlpool will say every 6 months.

@Keter: I think that's the best one they came up with. Pour your Baking Soda down the drain! And consume more baking soda...

@ryan89: My fridge has a percentage counter for its water filter. If you go below 20% it flashes.

Since Sears never seems to have these in stock, I buy two years worth (4 filters) at a time.

@SadSam:

Depends upon your car and your driving habits. Read your manual. My Honda Odyssey, which I drive usually no more than 15K a year, and rarely in rush hour, I change around every 7K miles.

As for baking soda, I don't use it. I just keep foods sealed up and my refrigerator clean.

@CaptainConsumer: I came here to say this. Sounds like Jiffy Lube and Arm and Hammer got together on this one.

@Keter: Thanks for the info.

@bkpatt: Heh. Marketing in action:

@loogee: Nope, it will come in a 3 pack for $6.99 at big box retailers.

Regular old charcoal briquettes work fine for this, and definitely better than baking soda.

I had a horrible fridge odor I could not get rid of even after scrubbing down all surfaces. I put about 10 lumps of charcoal in a shallow pan and the smell was gone within 3 days.

My ice has tasted better ever since and no more stinky fridge.

@Saving_is_fun: Perhaps the "New" refers to the often flashier packaging. "New look, improved functionality"... kinda like that!

@pigbearpug: That same show on the food network said you can buy carbon from a pet store. It's the same carbon used to filter fish tanks. They sell jugs of it.

I've heard the tip about stirring the baking soda. I change mine out once or twice a year, but I don't have odor problems. When I was in college, we would wash out our little dorm fridges with baking soda dissolved in water, so there would be a coating of baking soda on the inside of the fridge.

I change my fridge filter out once a year. It's got a change indicator, so I change at one year or indicator light - whichever comes last.

Oil changes are generally 3000 for regular oil, ~7000 for blend, but nobody really wanted to say for full synthetic. That may be due to (from what I've heard) the original full synthetic oil being claimed to have a 25000 mile life. Mobil 1 has a 15000 mile full synthetic oil. I change mine about once a year, full synth, about 10000 miles.

I think what this means is in this day and age, our foods are three times as smelly (or that we leave food in the fridge three times as long, yuck)!