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Stop wasting time and money with these common house cleaning myths you see on the internet all the time.

I see these myths all the time on Instagram or TikToK Videos, and they are viral. I CRINGE when I see most of these because some are even dangerous.

Here are the top 8 myths I see when it comes to DIY house cleaning and cleaning the house.

7 House Cleaning Myths You Need To Know

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Below are seven cleaning myths I have collected over the last several months. These are ones I see over and over again on social media that really disturb me! Are there any other myths you would like me to bust? Would you like me to continue this series? Let me know!

Myth 1: Baking­ Soda, Vinegar, and Dish Soap Make a Great Cleaner

This is a video I see almost everyday. People mixing baking soda, vinegar, and dish soap in a bottle for a magical cleaner. Well, it is a myth. The dish soap is great, the vinegar and baking soda are good too. But when you combine baking soda and vinegar in a bottle, it reacts to form a salt. You end up not getting any benefit using them like this.

The only reason this cleaner works for people is the dish soap and water in the DIY mix are working. The vinegar and baking soda are not doing anything for you here. Read our post about mixing baking soda and vinegar to learn more about the reaction.

Myth 2: Baking Soda and Vinegar Clean Drains

Another baking soda, vinegar myth is they clean drains. They will react together creating the carbon dioxide bubbles. This cleans surface build up in drains, but it is not actually cleaning the drain. It also reacts quickly forming a salt, so when it goes down the drain, this is all it is. My plumber told me years ago this was a big problem he was starting to see. You are better off using hot water and dish soap to cut grim in a drain.

Myth 3: Vinegar is a Great All-purpose Cleaner

One of the biggest house cleaning myths is about vinegar. Vinegar is not all-purpose, but it does have specific purposes. It is great for hard water build up, cleaning food surfaces, killing odors, and things like this. Due to its acidic nature, it is not good for any natural stone surface. If you have granite, marble, quartz, or other stone, vinegar is not good. It is also not good for grout. This makes vinegar NOT a good all-purpose cleaner. Many people have been using it for years after seeing DIY cleaners on blogs, and I have had readers come to me saying they have ruined their stone surfaces doing this over the years.

Myth 4: Castile Soap is The Best For DIY Cleaning Recipes

Castile soap is a natural, olive oil based soap which has become really popular over the years. However, it is a oil based soap so it doesn’t do as well in many DIY cleaners. I have had many readers over the years say they have tried castile soap in a few of my recipes, but they didn’t like the results. I recommend they try a regular concentrated dish soap like Dawn (which I prefer), and they are blown away how much better it works! I think castile soap is okay to use for things, but it isn’t the best choice in homemade cleaning solutions due to the composition.

Myth 5: You Can Clean and Disinfect At The Same Time

If you are a long-time reader of Chemistry Cachet, you know this is something I am always teaching. You cannot clean and disinfect at the same time. Even store-bought cleaners explain this on the back if you read the directions. Check out this post on cleaning vs disinfecting to learn how to do both at the right time.

Myth 6: Mopping Your Floors With Detergent or Fabric Softener is Good

Another weird viral cleaning hack I have seen is people using detergent pods to clean floors. This might work okay on stone tile, but for most other surfaces, this is going to leave a residue. Detergent is made specifically for fabrics. Overtime, this will leave residues on things like hardwood or vinyl. It will take away the shine and can even damage the surface. I had a reader email me a few months ago about this. Her wood floors were practically ruined doing this! You might say your floors look so clean after using it, but overtime it will continue to impact the surface.

Myth 7: Mixing Multiple Cleaners Makes Your Toilet Even Cleaner

This house cleaning myth makes me cringe when I see it online! Just last week, I saw another viral cleaning post on Facebook where they were mixing several cleaners inside the toilet to make it clean! This is so dangerous for your lung health, and also just a waste. Either use toilet bowl cleaner, or make your own. Don’t mix store-bought and homemade solutions! Make sure you reader this post on cleaning solutions you should not mix together.

If you have done any of these house cleaning myths, don’t worry! You can stop now and start fresh with real science based cleaning tips from Chemistry Cachet. Check out our cleaning tab here for more great articles.

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