Cleaning Hacks That Are Wasting Your Time [7 to Avoid]
From using car wax to mouthwash as cleaners, the internet sure has a lot of crazy hacks. Which work and which are just a waste of your time? Find out inside.
Have you ever found yourself spilling a liquid, like cranberry juice, on your carpet?
You frantically Google how to get the stain out before it’s too late. A few weird cleaning hacks catch your eye.
Will these hacks work, or are they a waste of time?
With all the cleaning tricks, it’s hard to know which ones will do the trick and which ones won’t.
Here are seven cleaning hacks to stick clear of, despite what you read!
1. Keeping a Magic Eraser in Your Toilet Overnight Cleans it
Mr. Clean’s Magic Erasers do a fantastic job at getting stains out of the shower or toilet. Scrub away and watch the stains disappear.
You have to admit having a Magic Eraser is mighty convenient! That’s why so many people use them.
You may have heard about the tip of putting it in the toilet overnight. Supposedly, it’s supposed to get rid of those hard-to-reach stains. But placing one in the toilet and letting it sit there won’t do a thing.
If you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, you may forget it’s in there. Imagine the nightmare that would create if your toilet gets clogged. Yikes!
Sorry, but a Magic Eraser won’t “magically” get rid of the stains in your toilet. It’d be super convenient, though, right?
In all reality, it takes elbow grease to get a toilet clean. Plopping the eraser in the bowl won’t do the trick.
P.S. If you’re interested in making DIY eraser sponges for a fraction of the cost, check this out.
2. Sanitizing a Sponge in the Microwave Kills All Germs
You may have heard of the tip to put your sponge in the microwave to get rid of germs. Or, you may have already been doing this because — everyone does.
Yes, microwaving a sponge will kill some of the germs. But the amount of germs it kills is not what you would think. In reality, it only gets rid of around 50% of germs!
That’s better than nothing, but still, you’re better off getting a new sponge. Pulling out another sponge is a lot better than trying to nuke it in the microwave.
Or, instead of using a sponge, use a washable kitchen towel or rag.
3. Hairspray Removes Ink
Back in the day, hairspray was a cool hack to get rid of an ink stain. This was the case because it had a lot of alcohol, aka ethanol, in it. And the ethanol was effective at removing stains!
But today, hairspray doesn’t contain as much alcohol, which is the main reason it won’t work like it used to. It’s much more diluted since it’s not an ingredient that’s good for your hair. You see, it tends to dry out your hair quite a bit.
To get an ink stain out, you’re better off grabbing a bottle of isopropyl alcohol. But be wary that on some surfaces, it may rub off some of the colors.
4. Car Wax Cleans a Cooktop
Grease is a real pain to get off a cooktop, especially if you didn’t clean it up right away. It bakes into the cooktop after a while, and it’s hard to get it off the surface.
You may have heard about the hack that suggests using car wax can cut grease and grime. This is a trick you should bypass because it won’t do anything but cause damage.
Using car wax is not something you want to try because it’s a fire hazard! Steer clear of car wax and use tried and true cooktop cleaners instead.
5. A Lemon Wedge Cleans a Dishwasher
Lemons are excellent at disinfecting things when mixed with a natural cleaner. As long as you’re not doing deep cleaning, lemons make great cleaning aids.
But alone, it’s not going to clean things, such as a dishwasher.
A hack floating around suggests putting a wedge of lemon in the dishwasher will clean it. If that were true, that’d be super convenient!
But putting a wedge of lemon in the dishwasher won’t do the trick. It’s essential to get rid of bacteria in your dishwasher and give it a thorough cleaning. Alone, lemon isn’t going to do that.
6. Hot Water Kills Germs
Hot water is an excellent way to kill bacteria, but it has to be very, very hot for it to do the job. When it’s hot, it makes a suitable sterilizer. Moms use it to sterilize their baby bottles.
Just like heat in the microwave won’t kill all the germs, it’s the same way with hot water. That is if you’re using it for cleaning purposes.
There’s no way you can clean a surface with boiling water. You’ll burn yourself! If you want to tackle cleaning surfaces, you should involve other cleaning agents.
It’s essential to use cleaners that’ll disinfect things, such as hydrogen peroxide. Don’t rely on hot water alone to do the job.
7. Mouthwash Cleans Your Washing Machine
Did you know that mouthwash cleans your washing machine? No, not really, but I got you there for a minute, didn’t I?
Mouthwash is fantastic at getting rid of germs… but only in your mouth!
Mixing mouthwash with laundry detergent isn’t a good idea. It might make your clothes smell minty, but beyond that, it won’t do a thing.
Besides, if you put too much in there, it could create problems like staining your clothes. And that’s not a good scenario.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt about it; there are all sorts of cleaning hacks out there. Some seem believable, but they’re not, whereas others are plain ridiculous.
It’s okay if you’re uncertain of which ones to believe. At times, some cleaning hacks sound pretty convincing!
The next time you’re tempted to try a cleaning trick, I recommend doing your research. To debunk it, it may take some elbow grease to figure out whether it has any validity!
[Author bio]
Caitlin Sinclair is the Business Manager at The Rylan. With over five years of property management experience, she begins and ends each day loving what she does. She finds joy in helping current and future residents and makes The Rylan a place everyone loves to call home.
