Current:Home > NewsMixing cleaning products can create chemical warfare gas: The Cleantok hacks to avoid -FundTrack
Mixing cleaning products can create chemical warfare gas: The Cleantok hacks to avoid
View
Date:2025-04-15 01:56:03
- Some TikTok cleaning hacks can be dangerous for your health and your belongings.
- Experts say to avoid overloading your toilet with cleaning products, running water through toasters and filling your air fryer with soapy water.
- Other popular CleanTok hacks to approach with caution include couch cleaning with a pot lid microfiber towel and Tide Pods and filling your toilet tank with Fabuloso.
The plethora of cleaning videos on TikTok can be mesmerizing and inspiring, from scrubbing ASMR to novel hacks for #SundayReset.
Some of those hacks can be used for regular spring cleaning, as one professional house cleaner previously told USA TODAY. She has been sprinkling baking soda on upholstery and mattresses to draw out odors for years (and she lets the kids jump on the bed to help!)
But experts say that a few of the #CleanTok trends have gone too far, and can even be dangerous for your health and your belongings.
Here are a few #CleanTok hacks to avoid, according to House Digest experts:
More:We tried these easy cleaning hacks and they're life-changing
Overloading your toilet with cleaning products
Some Tiktokers get creative and artistic with the #ToiletOverload trend, mixing powders and colorful liquids in the toilet bowl.
Mixing cleaning products at all can be dangerous, as the chemical combinations can release harmful gasses.
According to the National Capital Poison Center:
- Mixing bleach and ammonia makes chloramine gas, which causes coughing.
- Mixing bleach with an acidic cleaner releases chlorine gas, which was used as a chemical warfare agent in World War I.
Even if you're wearing a mask, jamming your toilet with chemicals could be bad for your plumbing.
"Flushing an excessive amount of cleaning products down your toilet can result in you having to call a professional plumber to fix the damage caused by it," Joseph Wade, vice president of operations at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing told House Digest. "An excessive amount of chemicals can not only clog but also damage the pipes that they pass through."
Using water to clean your cooking appliances
House Digest said some people have been running water through toasters to clean them. But doing so can damage electrical components, and become a safety hazard, Katie Dills of The Cleaning Authority told House Digest.
Some TikTok videos also suggest filling the cooking compartment of an air fryer with soapy water and turning it on as a self-cleaning method.
"That's just a way to get soapy water into the fan system and destroy your air fryer, said TikToker and House Digest expert and TikToker Carly Castro.
Other popular CleanTok hacks to approach with caution
According to House Digest, these are the other popular CleanTok hacks that homeowners should approach with caution.
- Couch cleaning with a pot lid microfiber towel and Tide Pods. Check to ensure you're using the proper cleaning agent that won't damage the fabric.
- Do not fill your toilet tank with Fabuloso or any other all-purposes cleaners.
veryGood! (55113)
Related
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Boston Red Sox fire chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, 'signals a new direction'
- Kirkland chicken tortilla soup mistakenly labeled gluten-free, USDA warns
- The UAW is barreling toward a strike. Here's what that would look like.
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Dustin Johnson says he would be a part of Ryder Cup team if not for LIV Golf defection
- The US says Egypt’s human rights picture hasn’t improved, but it’s withholding less aid regardless
- Bangladesh is struggling to cope with a record dengue outbreak in which 778 people have died
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Libyan city closed off as searchers look for 10,100 missing after flood deaths rise to 11,300
Ranking
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Italy works to transfer thousands of migrants who reached a tiny island in a day
- College football Week 3 picks: Predictions for Florida-Tennessee and every Top 25 matchup
- He couldn’t see his wedding. But this war-blinded Ukrainian soldier cried with joy at new love
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Mel Tucker made millions while he delayed the Michigan State sexual harassment case
- You Have to CO2 Brie Larson in Lessons In Chemistry Trailer
- Hunter Biden indicted on federal firearms charges in long-running probe weeks after plea deal failed
Recommendation
Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
Brazil’s Supreme Court sentences rioter who stormed capital in January to 17 years in prison
Hurricane Lee on path for New England and Canada with Category 1 storm expected to be large and dangerous
The US says Egypt’s human rights picture hasn’t improved, but it’s withholding less aid regardless
Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
Hurricane Lee on path for New England and Canada with Category 1 storm expected to be large and dangerous
Up First briefing: UAW strike; Birmingham church bombing anniversary; NPR news quiz
Slovakia expels one Russian diplomat, but doesn’t explain why