If you’ve clicked on this article, chances are that you’ve been on #CleanTok – a side of TikTok where users from across the globe share their favourite cleaning hacks.
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Often these hacks are promoted as saving you time and money, and will often offer up an easier way of doing the cleaning chores you hate doing.
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But if we only peel back the layers of these aesthetically pleasing cleaning videos, there’s a whole lot more that you need to consider when replicating these techniques and using these tools and products in your own home.
Cleaning expert Daniel Dougal from Godfreys suggests that before trying anything new cleaning-wise that you have seen in a viral cleaning video, you should exercise due diligence.
“In a video, you don’t really know what [cleaning products] they are mixing together so you need to do your research first,” Daniel recommends.
“Google the properties you are mixing and if you type in ‘mixing bleach and vinegar together what happens’, Google is very good at explaining the ‘No No’ behind that,” he laughs.
“A lot of cleaning [bottles] have very good instructions about what their chemicals are, but if in doubt, there are a lot of experts you can call and make sure.”
“Bleach with anything to be honest is quite dangerous because bleach itself is quite a hazardous chemical on its own. Putting chemicals on the wrong surface can also cause some serious damage.”
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Whilst mixing chemicals based on a TikTok video isn’t recommended by Daniel, he does have a few hacks from #CleanTok that he would recommend to others.
“If you spill nail polish on your carpet, don’t do anything until it dries and you can actually peel it off and then use acetone to remove the last few bits,” Daniel suggests.
“[Another] one that I quite like is: If you’ve ever spilled candle wax on the floor, put something frozen (frozen corn is the best) to soften it up again allowing you to use a knife to remove it off the surface.”
According to Daniel, thanks to social media platforms such as TikTok, there has been a huge upward trend in using “natural” cleaning solutions.
“People are wanting to go away from chemical cleaning products and try more natural [solutions] and that’s why CleanTok has had such a massive impact because most of them are using natural non-intrusive ways of trying to tackle a problem.”
“They are a lot more health conscious now, a lot more conscious of their homes and the cleaning chemicals they use in your homes.”
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An easy swap is the age-old white vinegar which can be used by itself or with other natural ingredients such as lemon or bicarbonate soda.
“[White vinegar] is tried and tested and very popular because it’s great for cleaning on multiple surfaces and is tough on stains.”
As for his final words of advice, Daniel keeps it simple: “Don’t feel pressured to live up to these cleaning videos. They might be exciting and fun to watch but just because it’s a hack doesn’t mean it’s the right way to do it, there are products and cleaning tools that do it better.”
“On TikTok in particular, there’s a lot of risks people take just to get views. So do your research, look at the comments, and google the technique and products used.”
Shop cleaning solutions from Godfreys here.
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