Current:Home > NewsMixing cleaning products can create chemical warfare gas: The Cleantok hacks to avoid -CapitalCourse
Mixing cleaning products can create chemical warfare gas: The Cleantok hacks to avoid
TrendPulse Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-08 22:58:20
- 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! (8)
Related
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- US man alleged to be white supremacist leader extradited from Romania on riot, conspiracy charges
- Read the Trump indictment text charging him with 4 counts related to the 2020 election and Jan. 6
- 2024 Ford Mustang goes back to the '80s in salute to a hero from Detroit’s darkest days
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- British man convicted of killing his ailing wife out of love is freed from prison in Cyprus
- What to know about new Apple iPhone 15: Expected release date, features, and more
- Iran’s Revolutionary Guard runs drill on disputed islands as US military presence in region grows
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Benefit Cosmetics 2 for 1 Deal: Get Natural-Looking, Full Eyebrows With This Volumizing Tinted Gel
Ranking
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Beyoncé Pays Tribute to O’Shae Sibley Who Was Fatally Stabbed While Dancing to Her Music
- How You Can Stay in Gwyneth Paltrow’s Montecito Guest House
- Trump hit with sweeping indictment in alleged effort to overturn 2020 election
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Uber is soaring. Could it become a trillion-dollar stock?
- An accomplice to convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh’s financial misdeeds gets seven years in prison
- Florida set to execute inmate James Phillip Barnes in nurse’s 1988 hammer killing
Recommendation
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
Black bear, cub killed after man attacked while opening garage door in Idaho
Bed Bath & Beyond returns as online only home furnishings brand
Mideast countries that are already struggling fear price hikes after Russia exits grain deal
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
Framber Valdez throws 16th no-hitter in Astros history in 2-0 victory over Guardians
Amateur baseball mascot charged with joining Capitol riot in red face paint and Trump hat
Environmentalists sue to stop Utah potash mine that produces sought-after crop fertilizer