11 house-cleaning tricks that don’t actually work

Every one of us has tried at least once in our lives to use a ’genius’ trick we found on the Internet to get rid of a stain on our clothes or clean off old dirt with only the things we have at hand. Some of these tricks do work, but some of them don’t, and who wants to waste time and effort for zero results?

To save you from frustration, the we collected 11 popular life hacks found on the web that have a very, very fat chance of actually working.

A dryer sheet placed in the vent for a pleasant odor

© thekrazycouponlady  

The flow of air goes out of the room and into the vent, not the other way around. Moreover, blocking the air flow is not the best idea — it’s much safer and easier to buy an air freshener.

A lemon wedge in the dishwasher for sparkling dishes

© thekitchn  

Even if you put a whole lemon inside the dishwasher, it won’t affect the cleanliness of your dishes. The large volumes of water flowing within the machine make the citric acid from thelemon just a drop in the ocean. If you want your dishes to shine, it’s best to use a special rinser.

Car wax to protect your stove top from grease stains

© thekrazycouponlady  

Don’t even think about doing this. Ever. Car wax is toxic and sometimes even flammable. Many modern stove cleaners leave a thin film behind that makes future cleanings easier — better use them, or just get rid of stains as soon as they appear.

Baking soda and vinegar as a universal detergent

© livesimply  

This method doesn’t work at all. Soda is alkaline, while vinegar is acidic, and all they do is neutralize each other — the only result we get when mixing them is a solution of water and salt. And many pretty bubbles, of course. These bubbles, by the way, may be able to help you clean some dirt from your sink, but that’s it. You’ll achieve the best results if you use the two substances separately.

Cornstarch as a hot-iron stain remover

© primermagazine  

This will definitely not help you revive your clothes from a burn. However, if you wash the spoiled item with a stain remover right after the incident, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Lemon plus salt to clean a cutting board

© rodalesorganiclife  

Actually, this method will help you get rid of small stains and freshen your board, but it won’t ever help you with burn spots or ingrained stains — even if you add baking soda as some websites recommend.

Mouthwash as a cleaner for the washing machine

© mamaibeba  

Another useless idea. All you need to do to keep your washing machine clean is pour a little bleach into the detergent container once a month and run the machine on the rinse or regular wash mode.

Magic Eraser as a toilet cleaner

© besmart  

This magic sponge is sure to help you get rid of many kinds of stains in your house. But will it be able to remove rust or limescale from a toilet? The answer is no. Better leave it to the special detergents — they exist for a reason.

Hair spray as a stain remover

© wikihow  

If your hair spray contains alcohol, then yes, this trick will help you dispose of an ink blotch perfectly. However, there are very few manufacturers that produce such sprays — it’s actually much easier to take some alcohol and rub it into the stain with a sponge.

Salt solution to preserve the color of your clothes

© funhomethings  

If the fabric is not colored well enough, no ’tried-and-tested’ methods will help you prevent its gradual discoloration with every wash.

Coke as a toilet cleaner

© popsugar  

Whoever thinks of such nonsense?! First of all, many types of stains are resistant to Coke, as are lots of bacteria. Secondly, a can of Coke costs roughly the same as a regular toilet cleaner — and you can use the latter multiple times.