I’m not exactly sure how these ‘trends’ start but this one is not a good call. If you’re older than 25, then you’ve heard that mixing cleaning products is dangerous. I’ve known it for years. Although, not everyone is aware of the dangers, as a ‘product overload’ cleaning trend is happening on TikTok.

The hashtag #ProductOverload has snagged millions of views on TikTok and its popular in the ‘CleanTok’ corner of the platform. Folks are filming themselves loading up a toilet, tub, or sink with excessive amounts of different cleaning products. According to Good Housekeeping, this can cause a lot of problems.

I’ve always been told not to do this because the wrong mixture can cause explosions! Many healthcare experts are warning folks about the other risks involved. Mixing different cleaning products can cause breathing issues, cause your skin to become irritated, and it can damage pipes and plumbing. One of the obvious issues is waste! Cleaning products aren’t cheap. Pouring an overload of different products into a sink or tub is like throwing money out the window.

If you’re like me and have allergies, this trend can cause a severe headache in addition to breathing issues. When I clean with just Clorox I have to turn the bathroom fan on. That stuff alone jacks up my allergies. I can’t imagine using Clorox and mixing it with other hard core cleaning products.

In the videos on TikTok, you don’t see the folks pouring random cleaning products into a tub or toilet. You can’t tell if they’re wearing masks, or if they’re taken aback by the mix of chemicals. Just thinking about this makes my eyes water.

If you Google ‘can mixing cleaning products cause an explosion’, you’ll see that mixing products like bleach and ammonia can cause toxic vapors and possibly an explosion. I want my house to be clean, but I don’t want it to blow up!

Take heed when seeing these ‘trends’ on TikTok. Not everything ya see on the internet is a good idea.  Just watching this video makes me question the intelligence of the person using all these cleaning products. It seems like they’re just doing it to make pretty colors in the toilet. Maybe they need a coloring book or need to take up tye-dying tee-shirts. Cause this just looks dumb!

TikTok Bathroom Cleaning Hacks: Fact or Fiction?

• @shellslittlehome: ‘blotting the mold out of grout’

  Tip: Use bleach and cotton pads to soak and bloat moldy grout, leave overnight, and watch the mold disappear.

  What the experts say: Although this hack works, we would caution leaving undiluted bleach products on surfaces overnight as could damage your bathroom. Instead, use products made specifically for removing mold and mildew, let them do their job for at least 30 minutes and use a stiff toothbrush to scrub the mold away, and then rinse and repeat as necessary. What’s more, you won’t need to blot the product with cotton, saving both time and resources. Richard Roberts, Director at Sanctuary Bathrooms adds: “Unfortunately, porous shower grout is a favorite place for mold to grow – and a tricky area to clean!

  “Chlorine bleach, white vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide are all effective cleaning agents, but some may be more suitable for your tiles than others. Before you start, ensure what you’re going to use won’t damage your tiles (and bear in mind that bleach products can fade colored grout).”

• @Vicolsfamilyhouse: ‘Fresh smelling toilet water hack’

  Tip: Add lavender-scented fabric softener to the toilet’s water tank, so when it flushes, it smells like lavender.

  Our experts say: Although this leaves a nice scent, fabric softener isn’t designed for sitting in toilet cisterns. Even if it doesn’t clog inside your tank, it may clog further down the drain line with consistent use. What’s more, it’s not eco-friendly. An environmentally conscious alternative would involve mixing white wine vinegar and baking soda in equal parts, then allowing the mix to sit in the toilet basin before scrubbing is an effective way of eliminating toilet odor.

  @vicolsfamilyhouse

  #cleantok#cleaninghack#cleanbathroom #bathroomcheck #cleaning #foryou#housegoals#ocd#cleaningtiktok #bathroomcleaning #fypシ #fall#homegoals

  ♬ i love being with you - elijah who

• @cleaning_at83: ‘Use shaving foam on metal surfaces’

  Tip: Use shaving foam on the metalware in your bathroom.

  Our experts say: Shaving foam is an incredibly popular cleaning hack. The mix of acid, emulsifier, and surfactant seems to work well on metal and glass. While it’s no problem to use it on stainless steel, it may cause long-term issues on metal coatings or plating such as chrome. Buffing clean taps with a dry microfibre cloth works just as well to create a good shine and reduces the need to use aerosol cans, which are sometimes harder to recycle and can end up in landfills.

  Richard adds: “Vinegar can also be used to clean bathroom taps, it’s an effortless and straightforward method. That said, we wouldn’t recommend on gold plated or chrome-plated taps as it can damage the finish.”

  @cleaning_at83

  Fridge clean in prep for Christmas 🧼 #fyp #christmasclean #fridge #cleantok #kitchen #foryou

  ♬ Tell Me Something Good - Ewan McVicar

• @carolina.maccauley: ‘DIY toilet bombs’

  Tip: Make toilet bombs by freezing baking soda, citric acid, and essential oils into little cubes. Drop the toilet bombs into the toilet as and when you please.

  Our experts say: Homemade toilet bombs are a great eco-friendly and low-cost alternative to commercial products. However, these toilet bombs won’t thoroughly clean your toilet so don’t ditch that toilet brush, it’s vital for scrubbing the bowl and cleaning around the rim. Don’t forget you still need to clean the seat and flush the handle.

  Richard adds: “We recommend cleaning the toilet at least once a week, but this is dependent on the number of times it’s used and by how many people. If more people use the same loo, try to clean it 3 – 5 times a week to keep germs at bay.

  @carolina.mccauley

  💐 These little toilet fizzies are really amazing ✨ #cleaninghacks #cleaningtips #homehackswithcarolina #hometips

  ♬ Industry Baby x Enemy by Altegomusic - ALTÉGO

• @lauradebarra: ‘Use half a lemon to scrub the whole bathroom

  Tip: Cut a lemon in half and clean your entire bathroom with it.

  Our experts say: Lemons are an eco-friendly and great light-weight remover of limescale with evident anti-bacterial properties. However, it would take a few lemons to clean a full bathroom. To get the most out of your leftover lemons, make sure they’re not chilled and if you’ve got a whole lemon, roll it along your worktop a few times, pressing on it. This will help you utilize all the juice. Alternatively, you could squeeze it and dispense it from a spray bottle.

  Richard adds: “Lemons obviously have a wonderful scent and do have excellent cleaning properties due to their natural acidity. This acidity will help to remove hard water stains on your bathroom’s metal fixtures.”

  @lauradebarra

  #homeimprovement #homecare #shower #showercleaning #homemaintenance #showerdoors #naturalcleaning #ecocleaning #cleaninghack #limescaleremoval

  ♬ Bad Girls - Donna Summer

• @cleanwithjen ‘DIY cleaning solutions’

  Tip: Make a DIY multi-surface spray using vinegar and dish soap, diluted with water to remove marks on the shower door.

  Our experts say: Add a sprig of rosemary or eucalyptus into the mix to improve the smell of this mixture! Richard adds: “Vinegar makes a great household cleaner as it’s made from acetic acid – an ingredient in store-bought household cleaners – however vinegar is more eco-friendly and a lot cheaper.

  “Vinegar is good for cleaning because it’s acidic which means it’s able to dissolve dirt, grease, grime and kill bacteria, making it perfect for cleaning your bathroom, although we would avoid using it on mirrors, wood/stone flooring, stone/granite countertops or electronic screens.”

  Finally, Richard advises “ When it comes to objects with finishes, some substances can damage things like showers and taps. We would always recommend referring to the cleaning advice provided by manufacturers and trust that over any cleaning hacks you see online, particularly any involving acidic and abrasive substances.”

  @cleanwithjen

  A bathroom clean along…what should I clean next? #cleanwithjen #bathroomcleaning #teachmehowtoclean #bathroomcleaning

  ♬ Forever - Labrinth

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