A toilet cleaning hack that has done the rounds of social media has come under scrutiny by experts – who have urgently warned the public that one particular product should never be used for this job
As you scroll through social media, you undoubtedly come across a few life hacks that content creators claim will be life-changing – and sometimes they really are.
Cleaning and organising experts posting on the internet have often, without doubt, saved people a serious amount of time and effort with some of the hacks they have posted, enabling people to keep their homes pristine, often with far less effort than you might expect. However, that doesn’t mean you should take every cleaning hack you see posted on social media as gospel; not everything you see in your feeds is created equally.
Every so often, hacks using totally inappropriate items or cleaning products do the rounds, and no matter how many people in the comments swear by them – experts can’t quite believe the methods, and would never recommend them. One hack, in particular, has come under scrutiny by plumbing experts recently which has seen the experts urgently warn the public not to try this one at home.
It reportedly all began with a simple Facebook post, per Edinburgh News, with one social media user writing in the group Mums Who Clean explained how she cleans her toilet at home: washing up liquid. The woman explained that she had been putting “a big squeeze” of washing up liquid into her toilet tank “and every flush is fresh, clean smelling bubbles and the toilet always looks clean.”
She added that she does this “three days a week” and had been doing so “for years” with no issues arising. However, an expert speaking to News.com.au – Peter Daly, CEO of Master Plumbers – explained that this hack simply is not worth trying out, because any product that is not specifically designed to be used in your loo’s system could easily end up damaging it – or the health of the water supply itself.
“Master Plumbers advises that it’s safest to use cleaning products specifically designed for flush toilets. People living in outside built-up areas who are using septic tanks (rather than sewers) should ensure the product used is compatible with septic systems,” he warned.
Generally, whenever you find a cleaning hack online that looks as if it will work well in your home, you should always do a little bit of research before trying it out, just to double-check that it won’t end up doing more harm than good – damage to your toilet system could be costly to fix down the road if you use the wrong kind of product.
Do you have a story to tell? Email: emma.mackenzie@reachplc.com
