You can find misinformation just about anywhere you go online, even within the realm of household tips and tricks. I’ve personally seen plenty of home cleaning hacks getting shared around the web that I know don’t actually work.
To help separate helpful advice from misinformation, I decided to do a little “myth-busting” in this post. Below, you’ll find 7 viral cleaning hacks that don’t deliver on their promises, along with explanations that will help you understand why.
Related: 7 Cleaning Myths You Should Stop Wasting Time On
I’ve also included a few alternatives for cleaning hacks that I know do work, so you can get the job done and get on with your day! :-)
7 Popular Cleaning Hacks That Don’t Actually Work
1. Putting A Magic Eraser In Your Toilet To Remove Stains
Magic erasers are a great tool for cleaning tasks that require scrubbing, wiping, or “erasing” dirt and grime. The melamine foam acts like a superfine sandpaper to remove tough messes. But they need your elbow grease to work, which is why placing a magic eraser in your toilet tank or bowl overnight won’t do anything to help clean it!
If you’re interested in learning more about magic eraser cleaning hacks that do work, check out my post on the topic below!
Related: 23 Magic Eraser Tricks To Make Dirt Disappear
2. “Coca-Cola Is The Best Toilet Bowl Cleaner”
Can you clean your toilet bowl with Coke? Technically yes, you can. But should you? No! Most carbonated sodas contain citric and phosphoric acids, which can help dissolve rusty deposits and some other stains. However, pouring a bunch of soda into your toilet will do nothing to kill bacteria, and it will leave behind a sticky residue you’ll have to clean up afterwards.
So you can use soda every once in a while as a stain treatment, but for regular cleanings, stick with more traditional toilet bowl cleaners.
3. “More Detergent Means Cleaner Laundry”
More is not always better when it comes to doing laundry. Using more detergent than necessary makes it impossible for your washer to rinse all the detergent out of your clothes. The lingering detergent trapped in the fabric of your clothes will make them look dull, and they’ll likely attract more dirt too.
To ensure your clothes are getting cleaned and properly rinsed, follow the instructions on your preferred bottle or box of laundry detergent. And be sure to follow any special instructions for cold water loads or HE machines, as applicable.
4. “Hot Water Kills All Germs”
Hot water can kill some bacteria, but it has to be really hot (212°F, in fact!) Since most home water heaters are set to 120°F, the hot water from your faucet isn’t going to do you much good in terms of killing germs and bacteria. Instead, use antibacterial cleaners or hydrogen peroxide to sanitize the surfaces around your home.
5. “Baking Soda And Vinegar Make A Great All-Purpose Cleaner”
This particular cleaning myth is really pervasive! I’ve seen it so many times around the internet at this point that I felt compelled to post about it here. Check out that post at the link below to learn when baking soda and vinegar can make an effective cleaning duo, and when you should leave them on the shelf.
Related: What You Need To Know About Cleaning With Baking Soda And Vinegar
More Ideas You'll Love
6. Putting A Lemon Wedge In Your Dishwasher
While this tip may make your dishes smell fresh and clean, it won’t actually do anything to make them cleaner. The amount of juice in one lemon wedge is just not enough to make a difference in the amount of water that is going through your dishwasher. If your dishwasher detergent isn’t leaving your dishes as clean as you’d like, you may want to try another brand of detergent to see if there’s a better one out there!
If the detergent doesn’t make a difference, it could be that your dishwasher needs a good cleaning. Check out the link below to learn how to keep the inside of your dishwasher clean and running right!
Related: How To Deep Clean Your Hardworking Dishwasher In 3 Easy Steps
7. Cleaning Your Washing Machine With Mouthwash
While it’s true that mouthwash kills germs inside your mouth, it is not the right tool for killing germs in your washing machine. A small amount of mouthwash would get too diluted in a wash cycle to do any good!
You should absolutely clean your washing machine every few months to keep it running well, but skip the mouthwash. Instead, check out the links below to learn how to properly clean your particular kind of washer!
- How To Clean Your Front-Load Washing Machine In 5 Easy Steps
- How To Clean Your Top-Loading Washing Machine
Have you ever tried any cleaning hacks that turned out to be bogus?
When even the medical profession tells you not to use antibacterial detergents (they make the bacteria stronger, thus harder and harder to kill), those of us who have sought alternative ways to clean have to sit up and take notice! If you’re interested in killing bacteria, learn how to properly use real essential oils and real soap to help that process. There are a number of essential oils that have anti-microbial actions.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When I moved into this apartment, of course I cleaned the bathroom (it was clean but still…). I lifted the top of the tank and the water looked like pond scum. The downstairs bath was fine but the upstairs was ewwww. Couldn’t figure out how to clean the water (I rent so I’m not fooling around with anything!) so I cut a piece of Magic Eraser, tied a string around it and dropped it in the tank. A couple of days later, I checked and the water was spotless. I’m pretty careful using them but since this wasn’t anything the landlord would see or that would hurt anything, I gave it a try. No scum anymore!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A plumber told me that putting vinegar , baking soda and hot water in a drain will not clear a clog.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Your plumber is right. I’ve used it myself but it only freshens up the top of the drain. It never reaches the clog nor will it dissolve whatever the clog is. Whether is grease, soap buildup or hair, it’s never going to reach it since the clog is probably down near the trap. It’s not strong enough to cut thru anything. It’s good for cleaning real silverware when used with aluminum foil but I can’t think of another reason to use it. I’ve tried on discolored pans (since I still can’t get used to cooking on a gas stove) and it did nothing.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When I went to visit my mother several yearsvsho, my husband poured Coca-Cola into our BRAND NEW toilets – right after we finished remodeling they kitchen and bathrooms.
It etched the porcelain so badly, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to get them to look clean.
I should’ve killed him.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I used to think most cleaning hacks were bogus until I found OGT. I tried several bathtub hacks that didn’t do anything. Then I found the OGT warm vinegar and blue dawn trick and out works better than even bleaching my tub!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have serious hard water here at home and see the effects of it in the kitchen, bathroom & even our washing machine. After getting frustrated by the clouded residue on cups, plastic food containers, my beloved expensive pots & pans, utensils and even the door of my dishwasher I scoured the internet for homemade solutions. While maybe 2 solutions brightened my dishwasher in some spots nothing was working for everything else, so I decided to give in & start looking for pre-made alternatives. I’m so glad I did. Lemi-Shine is absolutely fabulous for hard water issues. For our cups, plastic food containers & some of our coming utensils I did have to wash them 2-3 times initially to break down the stains but now everything looks brand new. And Lemi Shine has a plethora of products. I use their dishwasher booster every other time I run my dishwasher. They also have an awesome washing machine cleaner that comes with wipes that also contain citric acid so you can clean parts of your washer that a cycle doesn’t. I will be honest & say one product of theirs I do not like is their garbage disposal cleaner. Their old “receipe” was much more effective than what is out today. But everything else I have tried of theirs is great. And yes I realize that if I got a water softener my hard water issues may go away but I rent and our landlord just isn’t interested in installing one. Hope this helps other. Jillie, I really appreciate and enjoy your blog. Your tips are great!! Thanks for you & your staff’s hard work! Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you so much Jessica!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yup! Here in Central Texas where I live, the water is super hard too. I add Lemi Shine to each dishwasher load. Of course, I make sure the dishwasher is completely full first. We also use their version of rinse aid.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Lemi Shine dishwasher additive is a fabulous product for hard water. The active ingredient is citric acid. Buy citric acid powder in bulk on Amazon or locally, it is far cheaper and works exactly the same. Put 1/2 teaspoon in the main wash dispenser cup with every load.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.While vinegar may be a good cleaning agent, it is acidic and over time can damage granite and marble counter tops. Using the dawn and alcohol solution has been great to use for these areas.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When attempting to use less bleach in my laundry, I read on a few blogs that lemon juice combined with lemon essential oil and a few other ingredients is a good bleach substitute. After trying this for a few months, I found the concoction seemed to have little to no effect on my whites. They yellow as usual with repeated washing. I’m back using bleach.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I make a safe bleach alternative that is just as good as bleach at keeping whites white. It is 12 cups of water, 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide and 1 tbs lemon juice or 30 drops of lemon essential oil.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Have you tried borax instead? Does a fantastic job on my whites.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just fill up the bleach dispenser with hydrogen peroxide. My guys socks are actually cleaner and whiter than they ever were with bleach.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I tried the ‘magic eraser for toilet cleaning tip’, a few days ago,before reading your article. Even though I couldn’t imagine how it could possibly work. (I’m nothing if not optimistic,especially where non labour intensive tips are concerned !) Of course it didn’t have any effect on the hard water marks. But,aren’t they brilliant for so many other cleaning jobs?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you for all your tips. Keep up the good work !