Let’s talk about stinky fridges and what to do about ‘em. Who hasn’t opened the door and been hit by a “Holy cow, somethin’s dead in here!” experience? Here’s what science says: Aside from strong-smelling foods like seafood and some cheeses, a refrigerator typically picks up odors from spoiled or decaying food, which emits gases like ammonia, sulfur compounds and amines.

Also, even fresh fruits and vegetables emit odors. As they continue to metabolize after harvest, they release gases like ethylene and organic acids.

Spills and unclean surfaces also create strong smells in a refrigerator. The culprit, though, is usually that storage container filled with weeks-old leftovers hiding in the back of the fridge. (Anything containing broccoli is the worst. Ask me how I know…)

All this leads me to my point—baking soda. I don’t want to shake your world, but lots of scientific research shows it’s not that great at eliminating odors. I know, I know, we all keep an opened box in the back of the fridge. But honestly, we’re better served by giving the fridge a good scrub with soapy water and a little baking soda!

Baking soda does have its place, just not as a deodorizer. Instead, it’s the perfect gentle abrasive that effectively breaks down stains, spills, and sticky messes (without damaging the surfaces of the fridge interior).

For odor issues, you’ll get more bang for your buck if you use your baking soda on your carpet to reduce that eye-wateringly strong urine smell from your dog’s potty mistake. Alkaline baking soda will help neutralize this noxious odor, especially if the baking soda physically absorbs some of the urine.

But for fridge odors? Nahh. In a nutshell, here’s the deal: baking soda (which is relatively basic on the pH scale), can work by neutralizing, or minimizing, acidic odors—SORT OF. While it might help reduce some fridge odors, food scientists concur that there’s little direct research on its effectiveness. They also concur that the best practice is to consistently dispose of any foods with strong or offensive smells (there’s that broccoli again) and clean the refrigerator on a regular basis.