Today we’re doing something I secretly love: testing viral cleaning hacks!

Because let’s be honest… some of these hacks look amazing. Some look… fine. And some make me wonder what the internet was thinking!

We’re going to run them through real-life messes (including an oven we haven’t cleaned since we moved in 😬) and figure out what’s worth keeping, what’s not, and what’s a hard pass.  If you want to see what actually worked, keep reading or check out the video here!

Quick safety note before we start

When it comes to things you see online: not everything is true, and not everything is safe.

Before you mix cleaners or try anything “chemical-ish,” make sure you know what you’re doing and you’re not creating something dangerous. (I’m not here to send anyone to urgent care over a TikTok.)

Alright—let’s test these!

Hack #1: Dishwasher tab + boiling water for oven glass

Claim: Drop a dishwasher tab in boiling water, dip a sponge/rag in the mixture, and the grime on the inside of your oven glass will basically melt away.

Our test: We used our perfect test subject—our second oven downstairs, which we haven’t cleaned in four years. We don’t use it a ton, but the grease inside the door is caked on.

What we did:

• Put a dishwasher tab in a glass dish

• Poured boiling water over it (watching it dissolve is… honestly satisfying)

• Dipped in a sponge, microfiber cloth, and magic eraser

• Taped off half the glass so we could compare “tab side” vs “no tab side”

Verdict: Meh.
I was expecting a dramatic difference. There wasn’t one.

• Sponge: basically nothing

• Microfiber: not much

• Magic eraser: did a little more… but still not “wow”

• Compared to plain water? We didn’t notice a big difference

Bottom line: This hack isn’t dangerous, and it probably won’t hurt your oven glass… but it also doesn’t do much. The only thing it truly delivered was a satisfying tab-dissolving moment.

If your oven is really messy, your options are basically:

1. Scrub forever (with or without the tab)

2. Use real oven cleaner (effective, but harsh)

3. Leave it messy and move on with your life 😅

Related: There’s another version where people scrub the glass directly with an unwrapped dishwasher tab. We tried to find those and couldn’t—multiple stores, no luck. Even if you find them, I’m skeptical it’ll be magical. It’s more “mildly abrasive scrubbing” than a cleaning miracle.

Hack #2: Dryer sheets for dusty baseboards

Claim #1: Dryer sheets lift dust well.
Claim #2: They leave a coating that repels dust so your baseboards stay cleaner longer.

What happened: I couldn’t really test the “dust repelling” part (because that would take time), and honestly… my upstairs baseboards weren’t even dusty enough to be a satisfying test.

So we tested it on:

• baseboards (light dust)

• a bathroom door near a vent (a true dust magnet with crevices)

Verdict: It works… but it’s not special.
The dryer sheet did remove dust. It wasn’t hard. It didn’t feel risky (I used scent-free).

But here’s the thing:

• A feather duster worked just as well and faster

• A microfiber cloth worked just as well and got into crevices

• You’d need a lot of dryer sheets to do a big area

Bottom line: Fine, but unnecessary. If you love the idea, go for it. But you’re not missing out if you stick with microfiber + a duster.

Hack #3: Dawn + vinegar “miracle cleaner”

If you’ve been on CleanTok for more than 17 seconds, you’ve seen this one.

Claim: Dawn cuts grease, vinegar tackles buildup/hard water… together they clean everything.

I went into this skeptical for two reasons:

1. I wondered if mixing them would weaken them

2. I assumed it was overhyped because it’s everywhere

What we used:

• 1 part Dawn

• 1 part vinegar

• No water

• Mixed in a spray bottle (bonus tip: reuse a good spray bottle from another product—you’re not imagining it, most “new” spray bottles are terrible)

Where we tested it:

• Glass shower door with soap scum/hard water spots

• Vinegar alone vs the mixture

• Oven door glass (again)

• Inside car windshield film

Verdict: Surprisingly amazing.
It worked extremely well on the shower door—better than vinegar alone, and better than I expected in general.

On the oven door? Still no miracle (because baked-on grease is its own beast).
On the car windshield? So good. That weird film came off really nicely.

Bottom line: This one is a keeper.
Only downside: the vinegar smell lingers longer than I want it to. The Dawn smell? Great. Vinegar? Not my favorite.

Some people warm the vinegar first. We didn’t, and we didn’t feel like we needed to.

Hack #4: Ice cubes + lemon for garbage disposal smell

Claim: Cleans the disposal, sharpens the blades, and makes it smell fresh.

I wasn’t worried about ice. Lemons made me pause—especially the peel.

So I did a safer version:

• Cut lemons in half

• Squeezed juice into the disposal

• Added just a few thin slivers of lemon (not big chunks of peel)

• Ran with ice

Verdict: Great for smell, questionable for everything else.
It made a big difference in odor (and wow… it needed it). When the disposal ran, the lemon scent wafted up and it was genuinely nice.

But:

• I don’t think it “sharpens blades” (I couldn’t find anything credible supporting that)

• “Deep cleaning” is probably overstated

Bottom line: I’d do it again for a quick refresh—especially for smell. Just be smart about how much peel you’re sending down there.

Hack #5: Magic erasers for basically everything

This one wasn’t even a question. I already love them.

Why they work: They’re mildly abrasive—kind of like super fine sandpaper—so even with just water, they lift stuff a rag won’t.

What we used them on:

• Glass stovetop

• Oven door glass (best result of everything we tried… still not effortless)

• Scuff marks on doors (truly magical)

• Old stainless steel trash can (huge improvement)

The important caveat

Do not use these blindly.

Because they can damage surfaces, especially:

• stainless steel (can affect shine)

• natural stone

• delicate finishes

• unsealed grout

• anything you care about looking perfect forever

Always test in an inconspicuous spot first.

Also: they disintegrate. That’s just part of the deal.

Money-saving tip: Buy the generic bulk packs online. The store versions are expensive, and you’ll burn through them faster than you think.

Bottom line: Amazing tool, but use with caution.

Hack #6: Baking soda on carpet stains

Claim: Baking soda lifts stains and odor—just sprinkle and vacuum.

Test stains:

• dried coffee stain

• grape juice stain (still a little damp, but 12–18 hours old)

Verdict: Helps a little… but doesn’t really remove stains.
It absorbed some moisture (especially if used fast), but the stain still looked like a stain.

Then I used my spot cleaner, and it was night-and-day:

• stains came up in about a minute

• no lingering smell

• you couldn’t even tell a spill happened

Bottom line: Baking soda is fine as an emergency “soak up moisture” step, but I would never choose it over a real spot cleaner.

Hack #7: Shaving cream for soap scum + anti-fog

Claim: Cleans soap scum and leaves an anti-fog coating on glass/mirrors.

We definitely used too much (you don’t need much).

Verdict: Works okay… but why would I choose it?
It improved the shower door, but the Dawn + vinegar mix did better with less fuss.

For anti-fog:

• it helped slightly

• but didn’t make anything fog-free

• and honestly, fogging isn’t a big enough problem in my life to warrant coating my bathroom in shaving cream

Bottom line: Not worth it if you already have a better cleaner.

Hack #8: Aluminum foil instead of steel wool for pots

Claim: Crumpled foil scrubs like steel wool.

Verdict: No test (for a very real reason).
I don’t have caked-on pots anymore because I switched to nonstick cookware and I am never going back.

That said:

• If you’re using stainless steel and you’re desperate, it’s probably fine to try

• Do not do this on nonstick cookware (or use steel wool)

• Treat nonstick gently if you want it to last—no metal utensils, avoid highest heat, etc.

Bottom line: Might work as a backup, but it’s not solving a problem most people can’t solve another way.

Hack #9: Toilet bowl cleaner on grout

Claim: Makes grout look brand new.

Huge caveat: I wouldn’t do this.
Especially long-term, it can damage grout, and grout problems are a pain you do not want.

We tried it anyway in a small area for the experiment.

Verdict: Surprisingly… it didn’t even work that well.
I expected bleach toilet bowl cleaner to be dramatic. It wasn’t.

Bottom line: Skip it. Risky and underwhelming.

Hack #10: Steam cleaning (microwave edition)

This one is simple and actually useful.

Microwave method:
Put a bowl of water in the microwave, heat it until it’s boiling and steamy, let it loosen everything, then wipe it down.

Verdict: Yes. Always yes.
I’ve done this many times. It works. You don’t need a fancy microwave steamer gadget either—just a bowl of water.

As for handheld steam cleaners… I bought one years ago and decluttered it. Too many pieces, needed distilled water, and I never had situations where it felt worth the effort.

Bottom line: Steam method for microwave = great. Handheld steam gadgets = depends on your life, but mine didn’t justify it.

Final Thoughts: What I’m Actually Keeping

Here’s what made the cut from today’s tests:

✅ Keepers

• Dawn + vinegar spray (especially for glass and buildup)

• Lemon + ice for garbage disposal smell (smart use)

• Magic erasers (with caution)

• Microwave steam bowl method

🤷‍♀️ Fine, but not necessary

• Dryer sheets on baseboards

• Shaving cream for cleaning

❌ Skip

• Dishwasher tab oven hack (fun to watch, not effective)

• Baking soda “stain remover”

• Toilet bowl cleaner on grout