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Nobody likes a cleaning hack better than me, but some cleaning hacks have me scratching my head wondering how on earth it works and why people even attempt to use them.
So I’ve scoured the internet to find the stupidest, craziest, and just plain ridiculous cleaning hacks that don’t work (well some work but they are so absurd I had to include them)!
Table of Contents
Cleaning Hacks That Don’t Work Or Are Just Plain Ridiculous
1. Place A Dryer Sheet In The Air Vents and Make Your Home Smell Great
OMG! When I saw this one, my first thought was, “what idiot thought this was a good idea?” I mean seriously, there are far better ways to get your home to smell good like burning an all natural soy candle or diffusing your favorite essential oils.
Using a dryer sheet in this fashion is foolish because you’re blocking the air duct vent and that’s not a very good idea when you’re talking about your heating system.
2. Put A Lemon Wedge In Your Dishwasher for Cleaner Dishes
Ok, well let’s think about this for a minute. A couple of lemon wedges will certainly make your dishwasher smell nice, but it won’t do anything to get your dishes cleaner.
Your dishwasher uses on average 3 – 5 gallons of water per load and up to 15 gallons on older models. Do you really think a couple of slices of lemon will do a better job under the siege of water than your detergent?
You’re just wasting a good lemon.
3. Remove An Ink Stain on Fabric with Hair Spray
Ya maybe if you lived in 1960’s when hairspray still contained alcohol, the essential ingredient. Most hairsprays don’t contain alcohol any longer, and so this hack no longer works and could be terrible for your fabric.
If you need to get ink out of fabric, there are more effective ways that won’t ruin your clothing.
Read: The Secrets of Getting Your Laundry from Hamper to Hanger
4. Combine Baking Soda and Vinegar for An All Purpose Cleaner
Yes, it’s true that baking soda and vinegar are great cleaners, but not when you combine them. Pretty much you cancel out their benefits by mixing them together due to some sciency reason, and you just end up creating salt water which doesn’t clean anything.
You get fooled into believing there’s some magic when combining these ingredients because it bubbles up and foams, but other than getting your slow drain moving again, skip this mixture and stick with your favorite cleaners for all-purpose jobs.
5. Remove a Burn Mark From Clothing with Corn Starch
When you burn your clothes, it’s like burnt, and no amount of cornstarch is going to restore it to its original beauty. You can try a little detergent, rubbed in the burn and launder right away. It MIGHT remove the scorch and it might not.
6. Soak A Magic Eraser In The Toilet To Remove Stains
Seriously? Does anyone really believe this? If you do, please send me a message right away so I can set you straight on how to get your toilet clean the correct way.
Ok, all kidding aside, the beauty of the magic eraser is in the formulation of the sponge. It has all these tiny micro-scrubbers which make them magical. They can do a lot, but just sitting in the bowl won’t magically make the stains disappear.
Now, depending on what type of stain it is, try picking up the sponge and scrubbing the bowl. It might actually work, and the stains will be removed.
Read: Spring Cleaning Your Bathroom
7. Baking Soda As A Tub Scrubber
Create a paste made up of equal parts baking soda and cream of tartar and a little lemon juice. Let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse. That’s the essence of the hack.
Well, this technique works, but here’s why I hate it. Who has 30 minutes to waste waiting for this concoction to work? Not me and I bet you don’t either.
8. Use A Coffee Filter To Clean Dust From TV/Computer Screens
Ok, again this technically works, but why would you waste the time to go and grab a coffee filter to dust with when you probably have your Swiffer handy or another dusting tool? Seems like a waste of a perfectly good coffee filter.
9. Use Mouthwash To Clean Your Washing Machine
I think this one ranks as the craziest and most ridiculous of them all.
Newsflash people, your mouth is nothing like your washing machine and the amount of mouthwash you would have to use to make any significant dent in the bacteria level is amusing.
You need bleach to clean your machine. You can do it one of two ways, run an empty load with bleach or run a white load with bleach. Both will clean and disinfect your machine.
Read: 3 Must-Do Strategies for Successful Spring Cleaning
10. Rub A Thin Layer of Car Wax On Your Stove Top To Make Cleaning Easier
First, why would you put car wax, a super heavy duty formulated product near a flame? Most if not all of these waxes are combustible, so that’s problem number one.
Second, why would you want that anywhere near your food?
If you want to make clean up easier, clean up the grease and food spills immediately to prevent them from getting burned on your stove top.
11. Newspaper as Refrigerator Odor Absorber
Sure, I love to have my organic fruits and veggies on top of dirty, newspaper ink. Seriously why would you line your refrigerator with filthy newspaper?
Grab a box of Arm & Hammer baking soda next time you’re in the grocery store. Works like a charm.
Read: The Best Way To Clean Your Refrigerator
12. Dryer Sheet as Scum Buster
Supposedly, you wet the used dry sheet and use it to remove soap scum from shower doors. I figured that maybe this would work so I gave it a try and I’m here to tell you it was a colossal waste of time.
The best way to remove soap scum easily and quickly is with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Takes far less time than the method listed and lots less effort.
Conclusion
There are lots of cleaning hacks out there, you’re sure to find thousands on the internet, but that doesn’t mean they all work or are worth your time and effort. Stick with the tried and true methods of cleaning is always your best bet!
Want to know the Habits of People Who Always Have A Clean Home?
