Why are people putting toilet paper in the fridge?
(WYTV/NEXSTAR) — While most people are debating whether or not peanut butter goes in the refrigerator, some are stuffing their Frigidaires with Charmin. That's right, it's a TikTok "hack" that you probably never saw coming: toilet paper in the fridge.
Followers of the trend claim a roll of toilet paper will absorb smelly odors inside fridges. It's meant to work the same way as most people use an open box of baking soda for fridge smells.
It may sound like some silly new TikTok trick but the idea actually first appeared in 2015. Now, it's popping up on social media again.
"Put a toilet paper in your fridge in a corner where it fits and then just leave it there," says TikToker SmartFoxLifeHacks in a video. "It is important that you replace the roll about every three weeks. For reasons of hygiene, you should also only put a roll in your fridge straight from the packaging and not put it near your toilet!"
So you may be wondering: does it work?
Somewhat, but only temporarily. The tried-and-true baking soda method remains the number one solution for most households (not to mention baking soda is a lot cheaper than toilet paper). Los Angeles Times once reported, "More refrigerators are likely to have baking soda than working light bulbs."
And because there's no end to the amount of "hacks" you can find on TikTok, yet another video recommends adding a baking soda-water mixture onto a toilet roll and then placing the roll in your fridge. Sounds potentially messy.
Regardless of how you use baking soda, be aware: after deodorizing a fridge with baking soda, don't use the contents for baking — it's contaminated.
Other things that work include activated charcoal and vanilla extract. Soak a cotton ball in vanilla and place it in the refrigerator — it'll smell like a bakery.
Some refrigerators today also have ultraviolet light filters to handle odors.
One more suggestion: crumpled newspaper and crushed charcoal. You'll have to replace the newspaper every day for about a week.