6 Cleaning Hacks that Don’t Actually Work

By Victoria Robertson on May 26, 2018

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Cleaning is a process; we all know that by now. Whether you’re doing some deep, spring cleaning or just dusting off the counters before your parents stop in for a surprise visit, having a clean dorm room or apartment feels good, but takes time.

So, more often than not, college students will turn to cleaning hacks to accomplish the task. This is a great start, but only if the hacks you’re using are effective and, in most cases, they are not.

To help save you some valuable time (and from an abundance of germs you didn’t know you had), here are six cleaning hacks that don’t actually work.

Photo Via: Pixabay.com

1. Hairspray removes ink

Yes, this hack used to work. No, it doesn’t work nearly as well anymore.

Hairspray used to be nearly entirely comprised of alcohol. Now, however, hairspray isn’t nearly as concentrated in that department, and therefore isn’t as effective in removing ink.

So unless you have some old school hairspray hanging out in your bathroom cabinet, you’re better off looking up other alternatives to your ink solution.

2. Using hot water to kill germs

Despite popular belief, hot water does not kill all germs. In fact, most of the time, hot water doesn’t actually kill more than maybe 40 percent of bacteria, as the water can’t get quite hot enough to kill all of the bacteria.

When you’re looking to truly sanitize something, using hot water isn’t your best bet. For reference, in order to kill germs using water, the water needs to reach a temperature of about 212 degrees Fahrenheit at a minimum, meaning the tap isn’t going to reach the necessary heat.

So before you go wiping down your counters with lukewarm water, make sure you understand it hasn’t been properly sanitized.

3. Using Coca-Cola products to remove stains

Coca-Cola can be used as a cleaning product, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should be using it as a cleaning product. Carbonated beverages can be great for getting rid of build-up that you’re unable to remove otherwise. That being said, sometimes carbonated beverages can create more of a problem than you had to begin with.

For instance, think about how sticky coke products can be. Now imagine that sticky residue on any of your household surfaces; it’s definitely not a fun mess to clean up later on and you’ll likely end up with more bacteria and residue than you began with.

4. The more detergent used, the better

Nobody likes to do laundry, but we all have to do it. When doing laundry, remember that less is more, because overdoing it when it comes to detergent can create far more problems than benefits.

For instance, if you use too much detergent, you’ll end up with leftover residue on your clothes that will require another wash (or ruin the clothes altogether). While you don’t want to skimp too much, it’s not necessary to double the amount of detergent for your laundry, because it’s not going to make it any cleaner than it would’ve been with a single helping of detergent.

5. Preventing color bleeding with salt

Ever spilled wine in your apartment? Or any other colored liquid that will certainly stain?

Many people often say to use salt, because it’ll absorb the liquid. So, the same goes for stopping the color bleeding in your clothes by putting salt in the wash, right? Wrong.

The best way to avoid color bleeding issues in the wash is to do separate loads for whites, colors and darks. That being said, there are other hacks that may work, but throwing that tablespoon of salt into the wash with your clothes isn’t going to cut it.

6. Sponges can be sanitized in the microwave

Nope. Sorry, this is yet another hack that just isn’t going to work for you. Along the same lines of sanitizing your surfaces, the amount of heat necessary to kill the bacteria in your sponge is too high for a quick second or two in the microwave.

In fact, the necessary amount of heat will likely end up with a call to the fire department, because killing bacteria requires a lot more heat than you would think. So if you want to sanitize your sponges, don’t put it in the microwave, because you’ll either start a fire or you won’t be any better off than you were, to begin with.

Yes, we all need to clean. No, it’s not going to be easy. There are hacks out there that do work, but don’t assume that every hack you come across is going to work well; I promise, they don’t.

So rather than utilizing the first hacks you come across when it comes to cleaning, do your research, use some common sense and try not to cut corners, especially when you’re dealing with bacteria and other potentially harmful substances. Faster isn’t always better, especially when it comes to cleaning, so make sure you’re avoiding these six cleaning hacks that don’t actually work.

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