One product, 100 uses

IT’S IN the name: baking soda. You use it to make bread and other baked goods rise in the oven. While many people have heard of the multiple uses of baking soda, Arm & Hammer proudly displays in their new label that there are more than 100 uses for it.

It can be used for baking, of course. “You don’t really use a lot. You just use a pinch. But they found out that baking soda is not only used for baking, but there are more than 100 uses,” said Peter Tiope, President of Global Strategic Partners Distribution, Inc. — the exclusive distributor of Arm & Hammer in the Philippines since 2003 — during a luncheon at Jones All Day in BGC, Taguig.

Other uses in the kitchen include using it as a meat tenderizer, and one may also use it to wash fruits and vegetables. “Nowadays, with the harvests, you don’t know if it’s laden with pesticides or whatever chemicals,” he told BusinessWorld. And then one can use it to clean the kitchen sink, and many other things besides.

Mr. Tiope directs us to armandhammer.com for the several tips they have on the website (although the armandhammerarabia.com website is organized better, with the 100 ways displayed prominently). These include tips like using baking soda to clean pots and pans, the coffee maker, bathroom floors; for soaking toothbrushes; and even hair care.

To emphasize the different ways one can use their products, they’ve come out with different variants and packaging. They have a sprinkling canister, but also marked boxes for deodorizing and cleaning — with the fragrance, it’s not for human consumption, of course.

Mr. Tiope personally swears by the toothpaste and the deodorant: “I grew up using a different brand of toothpaste. I had apprehensions about using baking soda for my oral care. I started using Arm & Hammer; it actually cleans.” As for the deodorant and anti-perspirant, he says that other brands feel sticky under his shirt. With the Arm & Hammer product, “It’s as if you’re wearing nothing at all.”

A bit of a clarification: while it’s widely rumored that tycoon Armand Hammer (ancestor of actor Armand Douglas “Armie” Hammer of Call Me By Your Name and The Social Network fame) is the progenitor of the brand, it’s actually owned by Church & Dwight, founded as John Dwight and Company in 1847 — several years before the birth of the senior Mr. Hammer in 1898. The Hammer family actually made its fortune in oil and other industries (though according to straightdope.com, Mr. Hammer had once tried to acquire the company, and even had a seat on the board due to a stock deal).

While there are other brands of baking soda available in the market, Mr. Tiope says these are “actually produced synthetically. It’s not pure. Arm & Hammer baking soda is actually mined in the mountains of Wyoming. That is very natural.” — JLG