By Rachael Thompson Entertainment 19.04.2023

I Tested 7 Viral TikTok Cleaning Hacks. Here’s What Did and Didn't Work

These tricks have garnered millions of views, but do they even work?

TikTok is brimming with videos that promise to save you time and money. Whether it's cheap eats or organisational tricks, there's so much great content being pushed out on the daily. What has me intrigued though is the cleaning hacks.

I consider myself to be a tidy gal. I appreciate a nice clean space that's organised. I find it makes me less stressed and I feel accomplished when I do a thorough clean on a Sunday. But I'm also human, and sometimes I just can't be bothered. If there's a way I can get things done quicker and more effectively, I'm absolutely going to do it.

Spending an afternoon trialling cleaning hacks might not sound that enjoyable, but au contraire, it was thrilling. And if it really isn't your cup of tea, don't worry, I've done the hard work for you and will now share the TikTok cleaning hacks that did and didn't work for me so you don't have to trial them yourself.

1. Sofa cleaner

This one makes me a little bit nervous as all I can think is that in wetting my sofa it's creating a nice little home for mould to grow. But with over 23 million views and over 600k likes I was INTRIGUED.

All you need is a microfibre cloth, a dishwasher tablet, hot water, and a saucepan lid. Dissolve the microfibre cloth in the hot water and dip the microfibre cloth in the liquid. Squeeze out some of the liquid and wrap the cloth around the saucepan. To clean, simply brush the lid over the sofa.

I'll admit there aren't any stains or marks on my sofa and I wasn't willing to risk spilling anything on it. This trick won’t deep clean obviously as it only removes surface dirt, but it’s quick and easy and I do think it refreshed it a bit.

If you were going to try this one I'd be very aware of using minimal water so your sofa isn't just sitting in liquid...

Verdict: Maybe worth trying if you have marks but it wasn't particularly remarkable.

2. Shower cleaner

This hack is all about consistent, low-maintenance cleaning and aims to have you not deep cleaning your shower as often. Grab a fillable dish brush and add dish soap and vinegar to the vessel and keep it in the shower with you to use once a week.

I personally love this one. I think it keeps your shower consistently quite clean and it's quick.

Verdict: It's a winner and I'll be keeping the brush in the shower to keep using.

3. Hard water stain removal

This hack suggests baking paper removes hard water stains when rubbed over tap fixtures. I tried this on my vanity faucet and it works well! Initially, I was excited by this. But when I thought about it more I realised it's more environmentally friendly to use vinegar on a microfibre cloth to remove water stains. It's still a great hack though.

Verdict: It's great but there are more sustainable options.

4. DIY bath cleaner

Chantel Mila's cleaning mix combines warm white vinegar and dishwashing liquid. She pours the liquid around the surface of the bath, leaves it for 15 minutes and then wipes it down.

Verdict: Say hello to a sparkling tub as this one worked a treat for me.

5. Fixing dull flatware with aluminium foil

Apparently with this one, the aluminium foil reacts with the dishwashing tablet and it will remove tarnish and leave your silverware looking as good as new.

I'm not sure if I did something wrong here... but this didn't really work for me. There was maybe a slight difference but nothing to write home about.

Verdict: A mix of water, aluminium, and baking soda in a bowl would probably work better.

6. Plastic container stain remover

I have one stubborn container that's stained so I was keen to give this one a go. All you need to do is pour some washing liquid into the container, add some warm water along with a few bits of paper towel, and pop the lid on. Then, vigorously shake the container for about a minute and you should have an unstained container.

Verdict: It didn't work for me unfortunately.

7. Microwave grime be-gone

Microwaves can get a bit grubby, especially if you live in a share house. My microwave is generally pretty clean but this hack was definitely helpful in loosening up any little bits of food that were on the interior walls! All you do is fill a bowl with equal parts white vinegar and dish soap, pop it in the microwave, and set it for three minutes. I have also tried this with water and lemon and that works well too.

Verdict: It works great and is super easy!