Helpful hint: Newspaper helps absorb fridge odors

FARGO – My mom taught me to keep a box of baking soda in the top portion of the fridge to help absorb odors. That helps, but it’s not as effective for the foods kept on the bottom shelf and in the drawers below, which for me are usually meat, cheese and produce. I read on Huffington Post and Real Simple that newspaper helps absorb odors, which is convenient for me because I work at a newspaper. I brought some home and lined my fridge’s drawers with it, hoping the ink wouldn’t transfer to the white plastic. I could add paper towels over the newspaper to help absorb moisture, but that seemed like too many layers. The next morning, I checked, and the paper had smudged a little, but the only odors I noticed were coming from the ready-to-be-taken-out trash, not the refrigerator.