A box of baking soda in the fridge does only one thing: it wastes the baking soda. Read on to learn why.
Why Doesn't Baking Soda Work?
I shudder to think of the thousands of tons of baking soda that have been wasted because of this myth. This was a very successful marketing ploy by you-know-who! But let me back up for a moment.
From a chemical point of view, baking soda can in fact neutralize some odors—but not all—that might be found in your fridge. It works with odors from rancid butter, fish, and decaying meat, but not on others such as garlic, onion, or mold and mildew. So at best, baking soda can do only half the job.
Another Problem!
The more serious problem is getting the odor to the baking soda. Folks will just put an opened box of baking soda in the fridge. At best they will remove the entire lid. The odors will at best contact the top surface of the baking soda, which soon gets "used up" and caked from absorbing moisture. The air (with odors!) in the fridge cannot reach the rest of the baking soda so it is wasted and does you no good. And no, tiny particles of baking soda do not float out of the box and around the fridge, that claim is bogus!
For baking soda to be effective in any meaningful way you would have to spread it out in a thin layer on a large plate. But that's a spill waiting to happen, and who has the space in their fridge?
What Does Work for Fridge Odors?
We have seen that a box of baking soda is at best only minimally effective against odors, and only some odors at that! Activated charcoal pellets are much better at absorbing odors than baking soda, but they are sort of pricey and again must be spread out in the fridge so that the odors can get to it, making it impractical for most people. Bottom line? The only really effective way to prevent food odors in your fridge is to wrap smelly food, throw out spoiled stuff, and clean the fridge now and then!!!
