Professional cleaner fact checks popular TikTok ‘hacks’ promoted by ‘cleanfluencers’ – and the VERY dangerous mistake many make
- Cleaning influencers are exploding in popularity on Instagram and TikTok
- But not all the advice is good or safe – professional cleaner Heather Barrigan said
- Below she has unpacked some of her favourite safe hacks found in viral videos
UK clean-queen Heather Barrigan understands the steep rise in ‘cleanfulencing’ on social media – everyone wants to know the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to make their homes sparkle
A professional cleaner has weighed in on some of the most popular home hacks on TikTok highlighting the ones you should follow and those best left online.
UK clean-queen Heather Barrigan understands the steep rise in ‘cleanfulencing’ on social media – everyone wants to know the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to make their homes sparkle.
But not all advice should be followed blindly as many can be damaging to your home and appliances.
The expert said while essential oils have a place in cleaning, overusing them can be toxic and effect your health – especially when used in the fridge or in food preparation areas.
Heather has given the ‘thumbs-up’ to five different hacks from well-know cleaning influencers including Australia’s Mama Mila who likes to keep her fridge smelling good with a DIY spray.
Keeping your fridge fresh with Mama Mila
Mama Mila mixes 1.5 cups lukewarm water with ½ cup white wine vinegar and five drops of essential oil to make her DIY spray.
She then removes all of the shelves from the fridge and cleans with the simple, sweet-smelling solution.
She then places a quarter of a cup of bicarb soda in the fridge to repel odours permanently.
And Heather, along with experts from appliance company Beko say they would only change the temperature of the water.
‘There are a lot of necessary ingredients listed, however we’d advise swapping the warm water with hot water,’ they said, adding the water should not be boiling.
‘Although food produces odour, it also absorbs odours too – so use any scented oils sparingly as too much could be bad for your health.’
Mama Mila’s fridge cleaning and deoderising hacks were given the green light
Soaking your kitchen in fabric softener
In this hack – which aims to improve the smell of your home – TikTok’s ‘mom that loves to clean’ suggests to mix fabric softener with a disinfectant and wash the whole kitchen with it, including food storage places.
And the experts agree, 100 per cent.
‘This one we totally agree with, adding fabric softener to hot water makes your home smell fresh and it’s something you will tend to always have in your home,’ they told FEMAIL.
‘Fabric softener does not contain any harsh chemicals and it will gently lift and remove dirt without damaging surfaces, although may need a wipe with a microfibre cloth afterwards.’
Cleaning stubborn stains on Tupperware
This hack is brought to you by TikTok’s ‘ur typical cleaner’ who says you can remove stains from the plastic containers using paper towel, water and dish soap.
The cleaner places the three components in before shaking the container vigorously ‘until clear’.
The experts say the hack could be useful for light to moderate stains but might not be effective in combatting stubborn stains like ‘last week’s curry’.
‘As an alternative option, you can cover the bottom of the plastic container with baking soda and add warm water until it makes a thick paste.
What should you avoid doing, according to experts?
1 – Always follow the instructions when using chemicals and don’t mix them without checking to see if it is safe. Bleach should never be mixed with anything containing ammonia.
2 – Be careful when using essential oils in the fridge as food can absorb them and they can make you sick
3 – Avoid using acidic cleaners like vinegar on wood, grout or stone unless diluted with water first.
4 – Use hot water to clean your fridge instead of boiling water which could damage it or cool water which might not kill the odour-causing bacteria
‘Then, use a toothbrush to scrub the baking soda into the stains. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before rinsing,’ Heather said.
Newspaper hack to combat fridge odour
The DIY mommy posted this in her very popular page, promising the hack would eliminate foul smells in your fridge.
She suggests once you have cleaned out your fridge you should put balls of paper inside to help absorb the smells.
This paper should be changed every two weeks, according to the mum.
The experts say the method works but is time consuming. They suggest using vinegar or bicarb soda to eliminate smells in the fridge instead.
The DIY Mommy likes to stuff her clean fridge with newspaper she says the paper can keep smells away for two weeks but experts say it is time consuming
Skylar Toth created a viral video encouraging her followers to put coffee grounds in the fridge to eradicate odours
Using coffee grounds as a deodoriser
Skylar Toth created a viral video encouraging her followers to put coffee grounds in the fridge to eradicate odours – instead of going for the newspaper, bicarb soda or DIY spray methods.
And the trick does work, according to the experts, they said placing a layer of oats or baking sodo on an oven tray in the fridge overnight would also do the trick.
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