The 20 second clip, posted by the bestofcleaners account says “I thought I was mopping my floors all this time, I was wrong,” before showing how the creator cleans their wooden floor
A viral cleaning hack video has caused controversy online with many commenters questioning if the poster, a cleaning Tiktok channel, knows what they are doing.
The 20 second clip, posted by the bestofcleaners account says “I thought I was mopping my floors all this time, I was wrong,” before showing how the creator cleans their wooden floor. The secret recipe they swear by for clean floors is dishwasher detergent, dish soap, hot water and a splash of Lysol cleaner.
The clip, which has been watched more than 16 million times, shows the ingredients added to a mop bucket which is then filled with hot water before cutting to a scene of the wooden floor being mopped and then three buckets of grimy water are poured into a bath. However the post, which has more than 374,000 likes, has attracted a mixed reception among viewers with one criticism standing out among all the others.
While some critique the cleaning style, with several posts claiming that the author should be mopping with the grain of the wooden floor rather than across it, by far the most criticism was reserved for how they disposed of the grimy brown waste water after they mopped. Many commenters had a problem with the Tiktoker pouring the gross brown floor water into their bath, rather than down the toiler – especially as there was a loofah sponge for washing with right next to the plug hole.
“Please use the toilet to dump dirty water,” a comment from Michelle begged. While Breged said: “I pour mine outside but hey everyone diff I guess”. Another user said: “I dump my dirty water down the toilet . I don’t want to clean my tub,” while a fourth chimed in: “You put that dirty water in the bath, not in the toilet? Why?”
Meanwhile a fifth simply said: “Move the loofah..” Another added: “So we gonna act like the loofah not right there getting dirty okay.” But there is another risk in the video. Mixing commonly used cleaning products can sometimes produce harmful fumes and even cause chemical burns on contact with skin.
Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) issued a warning about doing exactly this after they attended an incident where cleaning chemicals were mixed resulting in dangerous gas being expelled. The incident, which occurred in January (2024) in Yate near Bristol, saw the mixing of two common cleaning substances; caustic soda and bleach. Whilst both are useful cleaning agents, when mixed they released heat and harmful toxic gas which led to one person being taken to hospital.
“People often think that cleaning products will be twice as effective when mixed together but cleaning product cocktails can be a risky mix,” said Chris Bengey, Station Manager and HazMat lead at AF&RS. “Even when they’re safe alone, mixing commonly used cleaning products can sometimes produce harmful fumes and even cause chemical burns on contact with skin. We urge you to read and follow the instructions on products and always use them as they are intended to be used.”