Over the last decade, DIY projects & life hack videos, blogs, & tutorials have helped millions of people solve everyday problems with easy solutions.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, social media saw a rise in DIY & life hack videos as many people took to social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram, & YouTube to learn or show off quarantine projects.
Amongst the many various DIY projects & life hacks, cleaning & organizing the household was a popular trend in quarantine as there was nowhere else to be or go in a lockdown.
But who knew that one of the most beneficial products for DIY projects and life hacks was already in most people's refrigerators?
Most people recognize or have seen the bright orange Arm & Hammer box sitting in their fridge. It's unclear if most people know that the baking soda product is suitable for crafting, cleaning, baking, & beauty hacks.
"Oh yeah, we used baking soda for many cleaning purposes back home in the Philippines," says Noemi Carmack. The list of items they used baking soda on
Noemi grew up in a household with eight other family members, so resources were minimal for her family. "There were no machines for washing clothes or dishes. Our two hands & arms were the washing machines," she says.
There was no such thing as delivery or eating out as the closest restaurants were miles away from her small town. "We didn't have the luxury of eating out; the closest thing to a restaurant that we had were "food carts/stands" on the side of the roads that sold mainly snack items," Noemi states.
Her family's only option was to cook all three meals daily using the few pots & pans they owned each time they cooked.
"We washed our cookware so many times, and not all the meals we cooked were easy to wash off; using the baking soda was necessary," Carmack says with a little giggle. She continues, "the baking soda had the right amount of texture or graininess to it to get the food off the cookware but not damage it."
"I don't remember how long we would soak the pans with baking soda before we washed them; it was most likely 10-15 mins so we could eat & then immediately wash the pans with our plates & utensils," recounts Noemi.
Thankfully her days of handwashing all dishes & clothing are behind her, but that hasn't stopped Noemi from stocking Arm & Hammer in her fridge years later.
"I honestly can't remember having anything other than Arm & Hammer. It was in that orange box, or we put it in one of those circular jam/jelly jars because it had to fit in the door & the box didn't fit," she says.
Like lip balm brand Chapstick & facial tissues brand Kleenex, the Arm & Hammer brand has become synonymous with baking soda products. The iconic bright orange box with the logo of a muscular arm holding a hammer will be in business & our refrigerators for many years to come.
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