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At the risk of being the bearer of bad news, some tried-and-true methods shouldn’t always be tried and they aren’t always true! In fact, sometimes there’s a very good reason for leaving “the old way of doing things” behind.
For instance, I recently learned that some of the cleaning tips and tricks touted by my parents and grandparents (and even professionals in the hospitality industry) not only don’t work, but can actually make messes worse. In today’s blog post, we’ll be exploring seven of the most pervasive cleaning myths that aren’t nearly as effective as they claim to be!
7 Cleaning Myths That Waste Your Time & Effort
Myth #1: Newspaper Gives Glass A Streak-Free Shine
While it used to be true that cleaning your windows with bunched-up newspaper would leave behind a streak-free shine, times have changed. Today’s newspaper is much thinner than it used to be, meaning it disintegrates far quicker and will likely leave you with a wet, pulpy mess. Buff your mirrors and glass with a microfiber cloth instead.
Myth #2: Tea Bags Can Deodorize Stinky Shoes
Dry tea bags may be absorbent enough to improve the odor of stinky shoes, but they’re far from the most effective option. Save your tea bags for making tea, and remove the odor with one of these effective hacks for stinky shoes instead!
Myth #3: Cleaning Solutions Work Instantly
While I often say that many of my favorite store-bought and DIY cleaning solutions work like magic, sometimes that magic takes time! Most cleaning solutions work best when you give them little bit of time to work. Wiping away solutions too early will make little difference to the stain or mess, making it a huge waste of product.
Myth #4: Sprinkling Salt On A Stain Will Remove It
Treating a stain with salt won’t help remove it — in fact, it might actually make it worse! Salt can set certain stains and make them impossibly difficult to remove.
Instead, blot the stain to remove as much of the staining substance as you can, then rinse the area under cool water. If water alone doesn’t remove the stain entirely, my DIY stain remover spray should take care of the rest of it!
Myth #5: String Mops Wipe Up More Dirt
Some people tout the string mop as the most effective type of mop for cleaning up dirty floors, but that’s not exactly the case. While string mops are very absorbent and great at mopping up big spills, they’re not the most effective at picking up dirt and grime. If you really want to make sure you’re not leaving anything behind on the floor, skip the string mop and opt for a mop with a microfiber cleaning pad instead.
Myth #6: Air Fresheners Clean The Air
Don’t let your nose fool you! Products that advertise their “fresh” or “clean” scent don’t necessarily remove more dirt or kill more germs. In fact, most of the time these scents aren’t doing anything but filling the space with a synthetic scent.
If you’re looking for a natural scent that can truly help freshen up your space, try an essential oil diffuser instead —many essential oils have air purifying properties. You might also consider investing in some air purifying house plants too!
Myth #7: Putting Vinegar On A Cutting Board Prevents Onion Tears
I really wanted this one to not be a myth, because I hate tearing up while cutting onions as much as the next person! But unfortunately, the only difference this trick made when I tried it was that I had more of a mess to clean up afterward (after I was done drying all my onion tears, of course). Instead, try these tear-free onion cutting tricks that do actually work!
Do you have a favorite cleaning tip that actually saves you time and effort?
