UK Home News
5 spring cleaning mistakes that could damage your bathroom
(and even health!)
As spring cleaning season gets underway in the UK, many will turn to social media influencers across Instagram and TikTok for advice and handy tips. With 5.4 million TikTok videos currently using the hashtag #CleanTok, racking up over 150 billion views, we're bombarded with advice and it isn't always easy to know which tips will actually work, which won't, and which could even be dangerous.
Following advice from social media platforms can be risky, especially when cleaning rooms such as the bathroom, which often requires the use of strong chemicals. Human health can be put at risk from toxins, harmful bacteria allowed to multiply, fire hazards created and there could be costly damage to your bathroom suit and cleaning equipment too! That's why expert Angela Evennett, Senior Bathroom Designer at More Bathrooms has weighed in, highlighting 5 viral social media cleaning hacks to avoid this spring.
Angela's 5 viral social media cleaning hacks that should definitely be avoided, include:
-
Never 'overload' your toilet with cleaning products.
-
Don't leave a tube of toothpaste in your toilet tank.
-
Don't use denture tablets for your toilet bowl.
-
Don't keep your toilet brush soaking in toilet cleaner.
-
Essential oils can be dangerous when left in the bathroom.
It's easy. A report found that over a third (36%) of house dwellers try to limit their use of harsh chemicals and that this figure is only predicted to grow - so it is interesting to see that so many people are willing to try these potentially harmful trends.
Warning to avoid these harmful bathroom cleaning trends, according to bathroom expert
Senior Bathroom Designer, Angela Evennett at More Bathrooms, comments:
With spring cleaning season almost upon us, many Brits are going to be looking for new and effective ways to clean their homes. However, some may turn to social media for tips and tricks, which can potentially lead to disastrous results.
Here are 5 TikTok and Instagram bathroom cleaning trends that should definitely be avoided:
-
Never ‘overload’ your toilet with cleaning products
“One of the most popular cleaning videos on TikTok, and also one of the most concerning, is ‘product overload '. This is the process of putting a huge amount of different chemicals in the toilet, all of which have different colours and textures, often used by cleaning creators to create an ‘aesthetic’ toilet cleaning video. However, combining these products is incredibly dangerous because mixing specific types of chemicals found in these products can create toxic gases.
For example, combining bleach and vinegar can create chlorine gas, or mixing bleach and ammonia creates chloramine gases. The side-effects of these include coughing, nausea, shortness of breath, and chest pain.”
2. Don’t leave a tube of toothpaste in your toilet tank
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGdU25gD1/
“A growing trend on Instagram is leaving a tube of toothpaste in your toilet tank for extra freshness. However, placing toothpaste in the tank for a prolonged period of time can change the pH level of your toilet tank, leading to long-term damage of your pipes and rubber degradation. This can lead to leaks, which are expensive to fix.”
3. Don’t use denture tablets for your toilet bowl
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFd4tQtzzvt/?igsh=MXUyYjFyYzhoOHpnaQ==
“Found frequently across both Instagram and Tiktok, using alka-seltzer or denture tablets as a toilet cleaner alternative can help for minor levels of grime in the toilet bowl. However, it only works lightly, and it won’t get rid of huge amounts of bacteria and stains. If you do have a large build-up of grime, you should also use heavy-duty cleaning solutions to aid it along.”
4. Don’t keep your toilet brush soaking in toilet cleaner
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8zMW0TKFzc/igsh=MW5scHhtYTJqYWNjMA==
“Many popular Instagram posts discuss pouring toilet cleaner at the bottom of a toilet brush holder as an effective way of keeping the brush clean in between uses. However, this can actually end up deteriorating the bristles and plastic on the brush, which will in turn reduce the effectiveness of the brush more than help it.”
5. Essential oils can be dangerous when left in the bathroom
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C84kbO2hTGV/?igsh=dXZzMDEwNXc5ejY1
“Putting essential oils at the bottom of a bathroom bin to reduce smells has become more commonplace, especially across videos on TikTok and Instagram. However, they should be used with care as essential oils are incredibly flammable and will also erode the bin’s plastic. Please use them with extreme caution, especially if you light candles when you have a bath!”
Angela Evennett, Senior Bathroom Designer
