3 Cleaning “Hacks” That Won’t Work (And Might Make Things Worse!)

It’s almost impossible to spend five minutes on the internet before you stumble over a cleaning hack. Given that cleaning is an unpleasant task that most of us are more than happy to minimize, it’s no wonder. We can’t resist the idea of saving money, time, and effort that goes into cleaning – and some of these hacks do sound very tempting indeed.

Alas – as is often the way – there’s no such thing as an easy fix in the vast majority of situations. In fact, some of the most commonly mentioned cleaning ‘hacks’ actually pose the risk of making the problem worse. Want to know the biggest offenders that you should be avoiding? Read on…

#1 – Using Soap Nuts As Laundry Detergent

It seems like such a nice idea; soap nuts – a common name for a naturally-found berry that contains saponin; a source of soap – instead of laundry detergent. No chemicals needed here, thank you very much! Just a handful of soap nuts in the wash and clothes are fresh and clean…

… except they won’t be. Due to the way chemicals react with one another, soap nuts will never work. They might clean some surface stains, but in the long term, your clothes are going to be damaged rather than fresh and lovely. Stick with a laundry detergent instead; if you have ecological concerns, then opt for one of the many eco products now available.

#2 – Pour White Wine On A Red Wed Stain

This has always been an odd “old housewives’ tale”. You’ve already had the misfortune of spilling red wine on your carpet, but then you have to throw good wine after bad to try and clear it up? Seems harsh.

Not only is it a waste of wine, but this old trick just isn’t going to work. It might help to neutralize the problem, but that’s a long way away from actually removing the stain. With bad, dried on stains, a carpet cleaning from the likes of www.springfieldmacarpetcleaning.com is going to be far more efficient at actually solving the problem.

#3 – Baking Soda and Vinegar Will Unblock A Drain

This is one where the seeing is enough to convince you. You’ll see it mentioned all over the internet; www.crunchybetty.com is just one example of those claiming that this trick works. And it so looks like it would as well! Combine baking powder and white vinegar and your solution will bubble satisfactorily, so you can easily think it’ll be doing some good for your drain, too.

It won’t. The bubbles you’re seeing is actually a chemical reaction, and it’s a sign of a simple chemical truth: baking soda and vinegar pretty much cancel one another out. For more on the science behind this, www.care2.com have a great overview, but it’s established fact. If you throw these two ingredients together, all you’re doing is creating a pretty expensive bottle of water and a little salt content.

Instead, use commercially available drain unblockers for mild issues. For bigger blocks, your drain might require snaking, which you’re going to need the assistance of a professional for.