TikTok’s ‘Overload’ Trend Is a Crappy Way to Clean the Toilet
TikTok’s latest ad campaign focuses on how useful the video-sharing app is for learning new tricks, hacks, and skills – and for the most part, it is. When users don’t open TikTok to expand their knowledge, they are usually looking for entertainment or ASMR . For some time now, one of the toilet bowl cleaning trends known as the “overload” method has hit both points of view, providing a supposed hack and some satisfying sensory stimulation. The problem, however, is that this is not the best cleanup strategy, and you shouldn’t be doing it, no matter how pretty it looks.
What is the “overload” trend?
The “Overload” method involves completely filling the toilet with as many cleaning products as possible. This results in rainbow effects and all sorts of bubbles and textures that are oddly pleasing to look at. These videos have been on the rise since at least the start of 2021 and are so popular that YouTube users are making compilations of some of the best overloads.
Once the bowl is completely filled with food — literally filled to the brim with liquids and powders — TikTokker behind the camera scrolls it around, cleans it a bit, and rinses it off, leaving behind nothing but shiny ceramics. last, satisfying move.
What is the problem?
You might think that using 10 or 20 products at the same time will make your toilet 10 or 20 times cleaner than if you just cleaned it with standard products, but in fact it is useless. Sure, it probably smells good and looks cool, but it’s completely unnecessary and potentially harmful to your plumbing.
One expert told the Express , “It can lead to erosion and pipe damage, not to mention flooding, if you fill the toilet to the brim before you flush it.” Yes, you can damage your pipes with all that bleach, baking soda, and colorful cleaning fluid. No beautiful picture is worth the very ugly result of a damaged plumbing system.
In addition, it can be hazardous to your health. In a TikTok Overload review, Express noted that they saw at least one creator say they fell ill after using an entire bottle of Kaboom spray during filming. Good Housekeeping noted that mixing chemicals is a huge no-no for the average person, and poison control centers are already receiving daily calls from people who experience adverse reactions after mixing cleaning products, “often innocently and with less cleaning products.”
How to clean the toilet without much risk?
Depending on what’s going on with your toilet, there are many ways to clean it. You can just buy a cleaning agent from your local pharmacy like a normal person. If you have severe hard water stains, you can use vinegar and baking soda or the other methods outlined here .
If you are determined to enjoy some aesthetic pleasure while cleaning your porcelain throne, you can use mouthwash or Alka-Seltzer. Here is a video on how to do it . It’s not as pretty as dumping a bunch of groceries in there, but it’s much smarter.