Baking soda for anti rusting in a safe

[Rude Robert]

Okay, I know this may be a strange question, but if baking soda works in a refrigerator how come it can't work in a gun safe? I am trying to save money and I know you can buy those anti rust things for them or even an electric devise to stop the rusting but what about baking soda?

[Kodemonkey]

I think in the long run, it's cheaper to use desiccant. You can re-use desiccant by recharging it in the oven. Baking soda absorbs odors, but I am not sure how much it absorbs water.

[Rust]

Cheap desiccant alternative is to buy the silica gel or silica crystal cat litter. Several pounds will cost under $10 and can be dried out and reused in a low temp oven. Fill up a couple cans or make up bags of it and stick them in your safe, ammo boxes, whatever.

[The Custard Pirate]

Where did you get the idea baking soda prevents rust in a refrigerator? How is that supposed to prevent rust anyway? I've never had a rust problem in a refrigerator, my current fridge is over 20 years old and my last one was even older. Advertisers claim baking soda will prevent odors in the fridge but don't as far as I know, provide any evidence that the claim is valid. Personally I prefer to clean it once in a while so I have never had an odor problem either. I think you are worrying about a non solution to a non problem. But do try it and let us know how it works out.

[Rude Robert]

I have never heard of desiccant? What is it? How cheap is it. Baking soda is suppose to help with moister so I thought maybe in the safe it may work lol. I have never heard of the desiccant before

[Lancear15]

I use these... Hydrosorbent Silica Gel

They last forever and you can "recharge" them in your oven when they indicate necessary. The small ones are great for ammo cans.

[Kodemonkey]

http://www.amazon.com/Cole-Parmer-Reusable-desiccant-canister/dp/B003NUWSQS

Google is your friend. there should be better pricing out there, but I have used these and they work very well. If you aren't using a gun safe (i.e. an inexpensive sentry safe) those may contribute to your moisture problem as the filler they use to give it a fire rating has moisture in it.

[-R-]

There is a product called "damp rid" that you can get at home depot, bed bath and beyond, etc.

It works great for inside of the safe and a pack of 3 is only 10 bucks.

[Rude Robert]

Okay I looked on the net and I have seen those little packets before but I don't know where to buy. The net didn't say. The safe came with some but not sure how many I'll need so I'll just get a bunch of them and put them in there if I can find them. I actually told my wife yesterday if she came across any of those white packets give them to me lol

[DaveInOroValley]

This is what's in my safe and I never have to worry about redoing the crystals. That and it has a lifetime guarantee:

http://www.midwesthuntersoutlet.com/item.aspx?PID=81729&w=PQ%2BJDyOLrQE%3D

[uzigalil]

I use damprid, found at home depot or the like

[Lancear15]

Okay I looked on the net and I have seen those little packets before but I don't know where to buy. The net didn't say. The safe came with some but not sure how many I'll need so I'll just get a bunch of them and put them in there if I can find them. I actually told my wife yesterday if she came across any of those white packets give them to me lol

They will only last anywhere from one week to a year, depending on... where you live, cubit feet of container they are in, and how often you open the container/safe.

Get the kind that has indication of how saturated they are, or you are just guessing.

One way to know is by weighing them, if you have a small/accurate scale... or you could just get the ones in my link and be GTG

[-R-]

Also FYI. Damp Rid and many other moisture absorbers are nothing more than calcium chloride (also used as "ice melt"). You can buy calcium chloride tablets/pellets at your local pool supply store if you want yo make your own moisture absorbers. Its pretty inexpensive.

[odysseus]

As everyone eluded too: baking soda is for odors, not moisture.

You can find desiccant products everywhere, and damprid is a good one which comes in different forms, some of them refillable. There is even a form of pure silica cat litter which can get you a large bang-for-the-buck absorber - but the granularity of that product is very course and not as refined as something like damprid.

One of the issues of rust inside safes is condensation. One way around that is to get a goldenrod inside the safe to ever so slightly raise the temperature enough above ambient to not allow condensation. Added to this some form of desiccant in the safe for spikes in high moisture/humidity will assure you very good protection.

[VictorFranko]

Baking soda for prohibiting rust in a refrigerator?
Kids these days, sheesh......(Just having fun with you Robert!)

Baking soda is good for absorbing odors in the refrigerator, cleaning the corrosion off battery terminals, as a substitute for toothpaste and smothering small kitchen cooking fires.