But do they really work? To discover the science behind the kooky cleaning hacks, we spoke with cleaning expert Dr Primrose Freestone, Associate Professor in Clinical Microbiology from the University of Leicester.
Read on for a full breakdown of how the cleaning magic happens, and whether it's really a good idea to follow these tips.
1. Using dishwasher tablets to clean your washing machine
However, dishwasher tablets and washing machine cleaners do share similarities. They both contain surfactants (which increase the 'wetting capacity' of water by reducing surface tension), detergents and hard water softening chemicals, which remove limescale build-up. Other cleaning agents include various bleaches.
Collectively these chemicals make water more effective at washing away any stains, which can be a mixture of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
2. Denture cleaning tablets get rid of tea stains
Denture cleaning tablets contain cleaning agents, which while designed to remove protein, plaque, tartar or other types of deposits on teeth, will work on stains on other hard surfaces.
The tablets can contain enzymes (such as the protease subtilisin), bleaches (such as sodium carbonate peroxide) and solubilising detergents (such as PEG-180 and sodium lauryl sulphate).
All of these can help remove stains.
3. Laundry detergent blasts through burnt-on marks
Laundry detergents contain hard-water softeners, surfactants, detergents, bleaches, enzymes and other additions specific to laundry cleaning.
Burnt-on food will likely be a mixture of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, which the enzymes will degrade, so a laundry detergent could help with this.
As you're cleaning items intended for food, we recommend washing the items as normal afterwards and rinsing thoroughly to get rid of any traces of detergent that could be left.
4. Bicarbonate of soda gets rid of stains
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Sodium bicarbonate forms a mild alkaline solution in water (around pH 8-8.5) and is a common ingredient in many cleaning products.
Because it is an alkali it can act as a buffer and increase the pH of water. Doing this can affect the charge (positive or negative) of stains, which can help them to dissolve more easily.
Sodium bicarbonate can also work as an abrasive, which could help to mechanically remove oil or food-based stains from surfaces.
5. Homemade wood cleaner using lemon juice and olive oil
Lemon juice contains citric acid which has many properties relevant to cleaning, such as softening hard water or solubilisation of fats. Similar to sodium bicarbonate, it can also affect the charge of stains to aid removal.
Olive oil in the wood cleaner helps improve the appearance of the wood, adding shine. The hydrophobic nature of the oil would also help to remove fat-based stains.
But we caution against using lemon juice or vinegar on everything in your home.
The corrosive nature of them will damage some things over time, including wood furniture and flooring.
6. Ammonia to clean tiles and carpet stains
Firstly, we'd warn against cleaning with ammonia. Ammonia's toxicity means it's not recommended for household use, especially in a concentrated form.
It is a strongly basic and caustic chemical, which makes highly alkaline solutions (pH 11-12) in water. Concentrated ammonia is harmful if direct contact is made with the skin and eyes, and could cause respiratory damage.
As such, it should be used with caution and we recommend you wear gloves, an apron and a mask when handling it.
Ammonia and water mixed can be an effective cleaner. It chemically interacts with oil in stains in a process termed ammonolysis. Oils, which aren't soluble in water, are turned into amine compounds, which are soluble in water.
As a surfactant, ammonia also acts like soap and detergents, dispersing oil into smaller droplets in water which then can be rinsed away. Ammonia solutions are also antimicrobial.
7. Vinegar and citric acid to get rid of hard water marks
Descaling agents are typically acidic compounds that react with the limescale of hard water stains.
Limescale is largely calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. When coming into contact with an acid, these form carbon dioxide gas and water-soluble calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) salts, which can be more easily removed.
All acids will remove limescale and related stains, but the most frequently used are citric acid (found in lemon juice) and acetic acid (found in vinegar) as they are less likely to cause damage to the surface treated.
If hard water is a pain in your home, find out8. Bleach and cotton wool on black mould
Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used to remove colour from a stained fabric or surface.
Most household bleaches are derived from chlorine, which in water forms an acid that is also a powerful oxidizer.
Bleach is used to whiten stained laundry and to disinfect hard surfaces. Bleaches chemically oxidise or reduce natural coloured pigments (chromophores), turning them into colourless compounds.
Bleaches are also strongly antimicrobial, killing bacteria, viruses and fungi - that's why bleach is effective in treating bathroom mildew.
9. Peanut butter to get chewing gum out of carpet
While this cleaning hack seems implausible, the science does back it up. Most chewing gum is made of three parts – resin (the main chewable part of gum), wax (which softens the gum) and elastomer (to add flexibility).
As such, chewing gum is hydrophobic and largely non-soluble in water, so you need to use something with oil instead.
The main ingredient in peanut butter is ground peanuts, but natural oils are released by the nuts, and oils such as palm oil can be added to give it a smoother texture. These oils may be softening the gum, allowing it to be prised off the carpet.
We'd recommend using a neutral-smelling and colourless oil, though, such as mineral oil.
10. Paracetamol to clean an iron soleplate
Using paracetamol to clean burnt-on residue from a hot iron is not a good idea – heating paracetamol causes it to be converted it into 4-aminophenol which, if ingested is toxic to the kidneys and liver. It's also an irritant to the skin, and if the vapour is inhaled, it may cause shortness of breath, wheezing and a cough.
How you clean burnt-on residue off an iron depends on what is burnt on:
lightly burnt-on stainsburnt-on plastic that's confined to a small areaburnt-on residue that's widely distributed or carbonised to blackBefore you start, always turn off and unplug the iron allow it to cool completely. Wearing gloves is also a good idea as some of the cleaning formulations are skin irritants.
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