TikTok has gone from strength to strength over the past few years with Brits scrolling through endless videos of cooking recipes, comedy and dance routines.
Thousands of Brits are even turning to the social media channel for tips and life hacks including home decoration.
Many turn to TikTok to look for ‘hacks’ that help us save time on our housework and DIY projects.
However, many of these videos can be misleading and it’s important to remember that some suggestions could also be dangerous.
To help differentiate between the helpful and harmful, MattressNextDay has dissected the credibility of seven popular TikTok DIY and housework hacks.
Painted floor tiles go patchy and can become a health hazard
Whilst painted floor tiles may look pretty, the paint is often not durable enough to handle the natural wear and tear of being walked on. This will make it patchy, and potentially creating chips that people could trip over. You are likely to have to replace the entire floor.
Mixing cleaning products together can cause chemical burns. On TikTok, many cleaning influencers suggest that you mix certain cleaning products together to intensify the cleaning power, however, this is dangerous:
- Bleach + vinegar = chlorine gas (causes coughing, breathing problems, and burning watery eyes)
- Bleach + ammonia = chloramine (causes coughing, breathing problems, and burning watery eyes)
- Bleach + rubbing alcohol = chloroform (shortness of breath, irritation of nose and throat. Acute inhalation can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness and drowsiness)
Laundry stripping can cause permanent dye loss on your bedsheets
Laundry stripping is the method that involves soaking your bedding in Borax, Arm and Hammer baking soda and laundry powder to remove stubborn dirt.
However, these strong chemicals can cause permanent dye loss on your sheets and make them harder.
Painting your kitchen worktops can harbour germs that can contaminate your food
A lot of worktops are made from laminate meaning that the paint won’t bond to the surface as it is designed to be impervious. Minor bumps will cause chips that bacteria can get into, where you are prepping food.
Using an air freshener to clean your radiator can result in a fire
Another TikTok ‘hack’ features someone spraying a Fabulousa air freshener inside their radiators, pushing the dust out to clean it whilst the fresh, clean smell lingers. However, the label on the bottle states that you should ‘keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames’ which applies to radiators and can, in the worst-case scenario, cause a fire.
Using a drill to clean your bathtub could damage it
A big trend on TikTok features attaching a sponge or cleaning utensil to your drill, lathering it in a cleaning product and turning it on to dig deep into the crevices of grout, bathtubs and more.
However, the strong force could chip or damage your bath or grouting, or not holding it properly could result in an injury to yourself.
Ironing your sheets whilst they’re on the bed can burn you or your mattress
Mrs Hinch fans made this a popular hack; however, you should never iron your sheets whilst they’re on the bed as heat can permanently damage memory foam and latex mattresses – or you as it’s not a totally flat surface to iron on so you could fall. Instead, you should use a crease release spray or some watered down fabric softener whilst your sheets are on the bed.
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