TikTokers are pouring bleach down their clogged sink drains, but a professional cleaner says it's a
- TikTokers are pouring bleach down their sink drains to clean them, but a pro-cleaner disapproves.
- Cleaner Bailey Carson warns that bleach can react to leftover chemicals in the drain and create toxic fumes.
- Carson said to use dish soap and boiling water or baking soda and vinegar to safely clean the drain.
A TikToker is racking up millions of views with a video that shows how they unclog their drain with bleach and dish soap.
In the video posted in September, user Vanesa Amaro (known on TikTok as @vaneamaro91) showed their millions of followers how they poured "quite a bit" of dish soap and bleach down their kitchen sink drain to clean it. Then they turn on the hot water and the garbage disposal to rinse the drain and give the sink drain a bit of a scrub with a brush. Amaro warns viewers in the video not to mix vinegar and bleach.
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The video had nearly 2 million views and 250,000 likes as of Friday, and it seems many TikTok users have also tried the hack for themselves.
"Literally just got up and cleaned mine," one TikToker commented, "thank you for the reminder. It's one of those chores that gets overlooked because I don't see the mess."
"Omg, thank you girl," wrote another, "I just cleaned my sink after this. Thanks again!"
Other TikTok videos highlighting similar drain-cleaning hacks using bleach have also racked up views on TikTok.
But pouring bleach down your drains is actually pretty dangerous, professional cleaner Bailey Carson told Insider, and the TikTok trend could be causing more harm than good.
A professional cleaner said pouring bleach down the sink is dangerous
"Do not try this at home!" Carson said of the cleaning hack.
Carson said pouring bleach directly down the drain can be dangerous, as there may be chemicals remaining in the drain that, when mixed with bleach, would cause a chemical reaction that creates toxic fumes.
Mixing bleach with dish soap in particular is dangerous, Carson said, because dish soap tends to have ammonia in it, which can release toxic chloramine gas when mixed with bleach.
"While it may not be enough to be lethal, it's best to avoid that risk," Carson said of pouring bleach down the drain, "especially if you forget to ventilate the area you're cleaning."
Instead, Carson recommends simply using a few squirts of dish detergent then following it up with boiling water to melt away any fat and grease clogs.
Carson also recommends using baking soda and vinegar to unclog a drain safely.
Amaro didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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