Baking Soda Pockets .. What Are They ?? Why ??

Baking Soda Pocket ..... What are these things ???

There have been many questions since I posted about the infamous Baking Soda Pockets, so here are the answers.

Please be aware that the pockets do not replace the daily clean-up procedure but are a supplement to proper hygiene.

Baking Soda Pockets 101

A baking soda pocket is made of 3 parts,

1. Sodium Bicarbonate
2. Activated carbon
3. the pocket itself as the container.

NAHCO3 Sodium Bicarbonate (also known as Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate) is a chemical compound that is highly alkaline that is, among may other uses, has been found to be an effective fungicide against many organisms. Bicarb is often used as a neutralizing agent that absorb odors caused by acids (sweat is acidic), a tried-and-true method.

Activated Carbon is well known for it ability to absorb Exotic Volatile Organic Compounds (E-VOC) and in air purifiers. The purpose of Activated Carbon is to change contaminants from a gaseous phase to a solid phase which are stored in the porous material.

That said, the combination of 2 odor fighting ingredients seemed very appropriate to test and the results came out with a very positive outcome.

Since many people have asked what are the pockets the here is how you make them.

I use commercial grade tea pockets (made from Abaca pulp); they are 8 cm x 18 cm (3" x 7") They are stuffed with 5 teaspoons of Bicarb (roughly 30 grams) and 3 teaspoons of Activated Carbon (12 grams).

Then you mix the 2 ingredients evenly and pour the mixture in the bag and seal it. And there you have it, you just made yourself a baking soda pocket. Lab experiments shows that the average life of a pocket is 2 months from the date of activation.

Let me explain "date of activation"... This operation is done only once in the life of a pocket. Research shows that activated carbon works better when after completing the pockets they are inserted in a microwave over for 5 seconds. This is all that is needed. Longer time will not make things better and could possibly damage your appliance.

Below are some pictures of a completed and activated Baking Soda pocket.

Hope you enjoy, and keep it clean and fun !

Agent Orange Blossom.

PS: Thank you all for supporting my blog.

A completed Pocket with Baking Soda and Activated Carbon particles
A Baking Soda Pocket in use