[bbergey]

For those that may not be familiar, when hunting deer in the US it is a good idea to use a spray that helps reduce human odor.  There are several commercial products on the market and when you break it down by ounce, it is very expensive.

There is a homemade version that I have used the past season and I am confident it is much more effective - mainly because it is so cheap you are willing to use more of it over the expensive commercial types.

Here's a list of the ingredients:
Homemade Scent Killer Recipe

-    1 used/clean plastic milk jug
-    1 large mixing bowl
-    16 oz. (2 cups) Peroxide (3%)
-    16 oz. (2 cups) Distilled Water
-    ¼ cup baking soda
-    1 oz. unscented shampoo (Hunter’s shampoo)
-    1 spray bottle

Mix the peroxide, distilled water, baking soda, and shampoo in a large mixing bowl until baking soda dissolves, then pour the mixture into the milk jug and let sit. After letting the milk jug sit for a few days, pour some into the spray bottle and use as needed.
Pressure will build up in the milk jug. Make sure you do not tighten the cap all the way allowing the pressure to escape.

If you're interested, you can read more about it and some testing done on: http://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/article/the-best-way-to-inhibit-your-scent/

Based on my success with it, I have friends that are asking me to bottle it for them to use.

So, on the hunting forums there is a debate on why you would mix a liquid oxident like hydrogen peroxide with baking soda.  Do you think there is any value in adding the baking soda or can that be eliminated from the formula?  (a lot of times the soda will reconstitute on the bottom of the spray bottle until shaken up again).  Or, would the baking soda and distilled water be a better route to go?

The spray does leave white specks on my clothing, but as of yet, I have not had any issues w/ the hydrogen peroxide bleaching them.

The scent free shampoo is intended to help the formula "hold together".  Again, is there a benefit to this?

The next question I have is regarding after the bottling.  There is a lot of pressure in the plastic spray container after it is stored in there for just a short time Sometimes to the point where the solution will "spit" out of the sprayer on its own.  Do you know of anything that will help reduce that pressure?  I mix the formula up and let sit in a milk jug away from light in a cool place for 3 days before bottling.  I fill a 24 oz bottle about 16 oz full.

I greatly appreciate any advice or input.

Thank you!

[curiouscat]

 Do you know of anything that will help reduce that pressure?

A Vent?

[billnotgatez]

you might try a brewers airlock for venting

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/homebrewing-equipment/fermentation-equipment/stopper-and-airlocks.html

you might want to experiment leaving out various chemicals and seeing the effect on a colored piece of cloth (expendable)

If I were to guess (SWAGMAR)
The hydrogen peroxide and baking soda just help the shampoo to be applied to the clothing.
Maybe the baking soda stops the bleaching action of the hydrogen peroxide, but I have not proof and time to look up an answer

[Arkcon]

I'm taking a wild guess here, but I'm betting this formula was meant to be used immediately after mixing.  The baking soda will neutralize organic acids.  Large, somewhat volatile, fatty acids are often associated with animal scents, but once they are neutralized, they are salts, and tend to stay in water solution, instead of becoming airborne.  Hydrogen peroxide will destroy organic material, again leaving something that doesn't have a scent.  Both make the skin environment hostile to skin microbes, who are responsible for some of the human scent -- microbes decompose the oils in or skin into smaller scented molecules.  Thing is, hydrogen peroxide is unstable, and breaks down into water and oxygen, when it reacts with some organic material or even just over time alone.  Its stabilized with a trace of phosphoric acid, but the baking soda destroys that acid too, so the peroxide can't stick around.  You can mix this up any time, and it should work fine.  But storing it for a few hours, and expecting it to work as fresh, isn't realistic.  And you can forget about it lasting over 3 days.

[claw]

So would the hydrogen be stabilized longer with just a phosphoric acid and no baking soda?