Current:Home > NewsMixing cleaning products can create chemical warfare gas: The Cleantok hacks to avoid -CapitalEdge
Mixing cleaning products can create chemical warfare gas: The Cleantok hacks to avoid
View
Date:2025-04-14 18:35:47
- 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! (5218)
Related
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Rachel Zoe and Husband Rodger Berman Break Up, Divorcing After 26 Years of Marriage
- Texas official sentenced to probation for accidentally shooting grandson at Nebraska wedding
- Airbnb allows fans of 'The Vampire Diaries' to experience life in Mystic Falls
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- In Romania, she heard church bells. They tolled for her child, slain in GA school shooting
- SpaceX launches a billionaire to conduct the first private spacewalk
- Teen Mom's Catelynn Lowell Says She's Been Blocked by Daughter Carly's Adoptive Parents
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- Powerball winning numbers for September 9: Jackpot rises to $121 million
Ranking
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Francine gains strength and is expected to be a hurricane when it reaches US Gulf Coast
- Wisconsin Supreme Court to decide whether mobile voting vans can be used in future elections
- Travis Kelce Reacts to Jason Kelce’s ESPN Debut Exactly as a Brother Would
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- A Boeing strike is looking more likely. The union president expects workers to reject contract offer
- Harvey Weinstein rushed from Rikers Island to hospital for emergency heart surgery
- Aaron Rodgers documentary set to stream on Netflix in December
Recommendation
US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
The White Stripes sue Donald Trump for copyright infringement over 'Seven Nation Army'
Why Selena Gomez Didn’t Want to Be Treated Like Herself on Emilia Perez Movie Set
Keurig to pay $1.5M settlement over statements on the recyclability of its K-Cup drink pods
Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
ACLU plans to spend $1.3M in educate Montana voters about state Supreme Court candidates
See Where the Game of Thrones Cast Is Now Before Winter Comes
One Tree Hill’s Jana Kramer Teases Potential Appearance in Sequel Series