Current:Home > NewsMixing cleaning products can create chemical warfare gas: The Cleantok hacks to avoid -Ascend Wealth Education
Mixing cleaning products can create chemical warfare gas: The Cleantok hacks to avoid
View
Date:2025-04-26 07:54:05
- 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! (83)
Related
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- Rumer Willis Shares Photo of Bruce Willis Holding First Grandchild
- This doctor wants to prescribe a cure for homelessness
- Beyoncé's Renaissance tour is Ticketmaster's next big test. Fans are already stressed
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Titanic Submersible Disappearance: “Underwater Noises” Heard Amid Massive Search
- Following the U.S., Australia says it will remove Chinese-made surveillance cameras
- Missing 15-foot python named Big Mama found safe and returned to owners
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- MyPillow is auctioning equipment after a sales slump. Mike Lindell blames cancel culture.
Ranking
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Inside Clean Energy: Here’s How Covid-19 Is Affecting The Biggest Source of Clean Energy Jobs
- How the pandemic changed the rules of personal finance
- The Rate of Global Warming During Next 25 Years Could Be Double What it Was in the Previous 50, a Renowned Climate Scientist Warns
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- An Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights seeks to make flying feel more humane
- Warming Trends: Climate Clues Deep in the Ocean, Robotic Bee Hives and Greenland’s Big Melt
- Everything You Need To Know About That $3 Magic Shaving Powder You’re Seeing All Over TikTok
Recommendation
'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
You Can't Help Falling in Love With Jacob Elordi as Elvis in Priscilla Biopic Poster
Despite billions to get off coal, why is Indonesia still building new coal plants?
Paravel Travel Must-Haves Are What Everyone’s Buying for Summer Getaways
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Sarah Jessica Parker Breaks Silence on Kim Cattrall's “Sentimental” And Just Like That Cameo
A century of fire suppression is worsening wildfires and hurting forests
Warming Trends: Indoor Air Safer From Wildfire Smoke, a Fish Darts off the Endangered List and Dragonflies Showing the Heat in the UK