You may have heard that toothpaste can be used to polish jewellery. Or that vinegar can clean a variety of surfaces. In fact, many common everyday ingredients have been elevated to the status of eco-friendly, “green” cleaning agents that are cheap and effective. But do these cleaning “hacks” really work, or do they do more harm than good?
In line with World Environment Day on Sunday, find out if these 8 common home cleaning myths are true or false:
Ketchup removes burn stains off the back of metallic pots and pans. Stainless steel pots usually have a tough layer of copper, where copper oxide is formed during cooking. The acid in ketchup attacks the copper active base of the pan.
How?
Coating the black surface with a thick layer of ketchup and letting it sit for 30 minutes, then wiping away the stains will do the trick.
Teeth and silver jewellery share more in common than we may have known.
How?
Brushing the silver with toothpaste and a toothbrush the same way we do our teeth will polish it. The silver has to be rinsed and dipped into warm water before it can shine again.
Plants such as ferns and orchids have the ability to catch floating dust on their leaves.
How?
Place in a dusty room, and occasionally wipe the leaves off with a damp cloth.
Related: 5 Ways To Beautify Your Home With Plants
Related: 5 Things House Plants Really Need
Rather than scrubbing the pipes, coffee can cause more clogging if mixed with
debris, accumulating into a thick gunk.
How?
Instead, try combining four teaspoons of baking soda and a cup of vinegar.
The fatty acids in butter and oil dissolve glue quickly and effectively.
How?
Mix olive oil and a pinch of salt in a bowl and rub the olive oil mixture onto sticky areas with a kitchen cloth.
No more embarrassing stains on clothes, sparkling water to the rescue! Carbon dioxide dissolves the colour and tannins from the fabric, although it doesn’t work on fat or oil.
How?
Saturate the stain with soda or sparkling water, then blot it off, without rubbing the area.
Vinegar has the reputation of being able to clean anything, but this ingredient should NOT be used for all surfaces. For instance, natural stone surfaces such as granite and marble, as well as pipes or rubber seals, can be damaged by vinegar.
While the popular method of mixing sweets and fizzy drinks to generate high pressure, which indeed can clear blockages, the pressure generated may be too powerful for the pipe and may end up destroying it.
How?
Pouring hot water from a height is more effective.
READ MORE:
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Text: Jalelah Abu Baker / Straits Times / Additional Reporting: Elizabeth Liew