Why Everyone Is Putting Toilet Paper In The Fridge

Well, it's more of a hack than a challenge. But it's something a lot of people are doing, because it's kind of brilliant. And it involves that lifelong problem we all live with - refrigerator odors. As long as I can remember, boxes of baking soda have been the go to solution for absorbing nasty odors from the fridge or freezer. And, truth be told, I have never really seen a big change by doing that.  But it's something my mother and her mother before her swore by. So, much like the family fruitcake at Christmas, I just kind of went along with the family tradition without asking questions.

Wiping is what it's good at, after all. Thank you. I'll be here all week. Wordplay aside, a video that's rapidly spreading across TikTok and beyond shows someone putting a roll of toilet paper in the refrigerator. The video, posted by an account with the handle smartfoxlifehacks, claims that the unwrapped toilet paper can absorb unpleasant odors. And suggest replacing the roll every 2-3 weeks. The video narrator also claims this is a hack from the hotel industry. Who knew?

When scouring the internet for a consensus on which solution is best for refrigerator odors, baking soda still wins. Because the cost of using toilet paper, which has to be changed every 2-3 weeks, is more than using baking soda. A box of Arm & Hammer usually has to be changed about every 3 months. Thank you, Parade, for breaking that down into flushable pieces (I'll stop now, I promise).

So, here's an idea...if you have a really smelly fridge, maybe try both? Why do I feel like someone is about to start making baking-soda toilet paper now?

-Wendy Rush, 96.3KKLZ

It seems there is a national day for everything. And our dirty clothes are no exception. It falls on the same date as tax day. Is it because we run to do this chore to give our brains a break from entering all those W-2s? Hey, whatever is going to get our clothes clean, right?

According to nationaldaycalendar.com, National Laundry Day is actually a day to encourage people to take a good look at their laundry habits. Furthermore, it pushes us to pass on good habits to our kids. I'd settle for kids knowing how to do laundry at all these days. I'm looking at you, mid-20s guy who still lives with your mom.

I can think of two reasons: First, it's boring. Who wants to sit there doing the same mundane motion for at least ten minutes? And, if you have a kid who just refuses to flip their clothes right side out before throwing it in the hamper, it's even longer. There's a reason "laundry list" is said to describe something long and tedious.

Second, it feels kind of self-defeating. It's the same illogical punch to our brain that making the bed is. The clothes will get dirty again. There's no end. That makes it hard to justify spending precious energy on.

And back in the day before the invention of the washing machine, washing clothes could at least be counted as exercise. Scrubbing those threads on a washboard was not easy. I bet those gals had some pretty decent biceps doing that. These days, there's not much incentive to do laundry. You know, minus the whole looking-respectable-in-public thing.

But there are ways to make laundry a little less wearisome. And even, dare I say, enjoyable. - Wendy Rush

Get a portable hanging rack and hangers waiting next to your dryer. So when those shirts come out still warm and unwrinkled, they go directly on a hanger. This prevents you from having to iron as much, gives you a place to keep the hangers ready to use, and cuts your folding time in half. Because half of the laundry is already done when you dump it out on the bed to fold.

My little one suuuuuucks at this. She is ALWAYS throwing her clothes in the hamper inside out, which doubles my folding time. Teach your kids (and get into the habit yourself) to take a second to put the clothes right side out before they go into the wash. You'll be SO grateful when laundry day comes around.

Some people will separate their whites and colors, which is also good. I tend to only wash linens and underwear in hot water. I don't know, something about the germs. But however you need to separate your laundry before you put them into the washer, do it when they come off. Have separate hampers for separate loads and you don't have to do that work on laundry day.

Set aside a special show, audiobook or music to listen to while you are folding. Or use the time to catch up with a friend or family member on the phone. If you look forward to your folding time, it won't seem so much like a chore.

My daughter HATES laundry with a passion. So when it's time for her to fold her clothes, she'll do anything to avoid it. The complaining gets less frequent when I make a game out of it. Either we'll give ourselves equal piles of clothes and race to get them put away. Or we'll put on music and say we have four or five songs to get the whole thing done. Either way, it's fun and we're done before we know it. Give it a try!

Wash your loads of clothes in an order that makes it less cumbersome when it comes time to fold. I'll sandwich a load of towels between two loads of regular clothes. That way I get a bit of a break between loads because the towels are quick to do. It really does make a difference.

If you or your kids have a uniform for work or school, or if there is a particular pair of jeans or leggings you wear more often than others, if them their own hamper. Call it the "attention whore" hamper, or something that makes you smile. You know that load of clothes is going to need washing more often than others. And you'll have it in one place instead of having to dig through their hamper for their uniform 20 minutes before the bell rings.

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