Five cleaning hacks that are big on TikTok this spring
(Picture: ES Composite)The sun’s lingering a little longer, evenings are getting lighter and everyone’s feeling that bit brighter. Spring is well and truly here– and so the seasonal deep clean begins.
But why do we have this strange desire to clean our homes before spring has sprung? In many cultures and religions, it’s a ritualistic way of ‘shaking the house’ to signify renewal and anticipation of the new season.
More practically, before the introduction of central heating, spring cleaning was a way of clearing up winter’s mess, literally. In the early 1800s, homes were covered in soot from fireplaces and lamps lit with kerosene and so needed a scrubbing when warmer weather came.
While we don’t have to worry about those particular pollutants as much, deep cleaning the house is still a laborious task — and often overwhelming if you don’t know where to start.
TikTok can help you with that.
The social media platform isn’t just about dancing, lip-syncing and generally showing-up Boomers. In fact there’s a whole genre of videos on the site, dedicated to cleaning, scrubbing, buffing and wiping. Welcome to #cleantok, which has 33 billion views and counting.
TikTok has made the most unusual of cleaning hacks normal, helpful even (see: 160 million views for #toiletcleaning). But be careful, once you start, you’ll soon lose hours of your life watching people clean their sinks with smiley-faced Scrub Daddy sponges.
It’s worth bearing in mind that, while many of these hacks are impressive, they’re not all squeaky clean. Some experts have expressed concern at TikTok tips being unnecessarily wasteful and (in some cases) downright dangerous. See: mixing bleach-based products with ammonia-based products – the results can be fatal.
So it’s best to take some of these tips with a pinch of salt (and bicarbonate soda perhaps?). Scroll on to soak up five of TikTok’s favourites.
@everything_tidy
New to the world of ‘cleantok’?
This 16-second intro video’s packed full of starter hacks, from using a laundered sock to dust the sideboard through to a toothpaste trick for stainless steel. No wonder it’s on 1.2 million views and counting — one to bookmark.
@cleanwith_kayleigh
Banish bad sink odours with this trick. Just pop a dishwasher tablet in the plughole and pour boiling water on top. That’s it. That’s the hack. Simple and oh-so effective (although this one is most definitely sits in the wasteful category, so save for emergency use only).
@lynsey_queenofclean
As This Morning’s resident Clean Queen, Lynsey can teach Gen Z a home hack or two – including the many impressive ways shaving foam can be used around the home. Spoiler: try buffing up your bathroom mirror with it.
@tanyahomeinspo
Tanya’s TikTok is full of great tips but one of her most popular home hacks? How to freshen up your carpet, using cleantok’s Holy Grail: baking soda (plus a few drops of your favourite essential oil).
@mistica.aa
There’s something inherently satisfying about seeing tile grout transformed back to the colour it’s supposed to be. The secret weapon? Toilet bowl cleaner. Now, to stop spending hours scrolling TikTok and actually start applying these hacks IRL…
