Current:Home > NewsMixing cleaning products can create chemical warfare gas: The Cleantok hacks to avoid -ChatGPT
Mixing cleaning products can create chemical warfare gas: The Cleantok hacks to avoid
View
Date:2025-04-22 23:24:48
- 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! (336)
Related
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- King Charles III winds up his France state visit with a trip to Bordeaux to focus on climate issues
- YouTube CEO defends decision to demonetize Russell Brand's channel amid sexual assault allegations
- Judge to hear arguments for summary judgment in NY AG's $250M lawsuit against Trump
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- It's a love story, baby just say yes: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, the couple we need
- 5 ways Deion Sanders' Colorado team can shock Oregon and move to 4-0
- Spain’s World Cup winners return to action after sexism scandal with 3-2 win in Sweden
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Gun violence is the ultimate ‘superstorm,’ President Biden says as he announces new federal effort
Ranking
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- CDC recommends RSV vaccine in late pregnancy to protect newborns
- Nevada Republicans brace for confusion as party eyes election rules that may favor Trump
- US breaking pros want to preserve Black roots, original style of hip-hop dance form at Olympics
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- What’s streaming now: Doja Cat, ‘Sex Education,’ ‘Spy Kids,’ ‘The Super Models’ and ‘Superpower’
- 10-year-old boy driving with 11-year-old sister pulled over 4 hours from Florida home
- Amazon to run ads with Prime Video shows — unless you pay more
Recommendation
Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
State Rep. Tedder wins Democratic nomination for open South Carolina Senate seat by 11 votes
Labor unions say they will end strike actions at Chevron’s three LNG plants in Australia
Both parties rally supporters as voting begins in Virginia’s closely watched legislative elections
At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
Pennsylvania jail where Danelo Cavalcante escaped will spend millions on security improvements
Vatican shares investigation into child abuse allegations against an Australian bishop with police
Canada-India relations strain over killing of Sikh separatist leader