Experts warn against “harmful” TikTok cleaning product overload trend

Experts have warned users about the potential consequences of trying the viral cleaning ‘product overload’ trend on TikTok, saying that it could be “harmful” to human health and wildlife.

There’s a community for just about everything on TikTok, whether that’s for fashion, cooking, art, or pretty much any hobby you can think of.

The cleaning community is thriving on TikTok, with thousands of accounts dedicated solely to sharing satisfying videos of them cleaning areas around their house, which can often end up garnering millions of views.

One cleaning trend in particular that has been popular on the platform for a while now has been dubbed ‘product overload.’ This essentially involves people cleaning one particular area such as their sink or toilet with multiple cleaning products at once. The products used are often brightly colored, and commenters can even request certain color combinations.

The clips have garnered millions of likes and views, however, some experts are warning that the trend could actually be dangerous.

DC-based marine resilience specialist Dr. Deborah Brosnan told Insider that the compounds mixed in these videos could disrupt marine life, particularly chlorine-based bleach, as purifying systems in waterways can’t fully extract the bleach.

She went on to say: “When dumped in water, chlorine in bleach reacts with other chemicals and causes the formation of dioxins which are harmful to human health and wildlife. Studies indicate that they contribute to the lowering of bird and fish populations.”

Campaign manager at Unblocktober Richard Leigh called the trend “alarming” and “dangerous.” He added: “The amount of product used in a single one of these videos is more than many households would be using over six months.”

Pharmacist at Medino Digital Pharmacy in London Giulia Guerrini also warned users about the dangers of mixing chemicals together, saying: “Many cleaning products include already-toxic chemicals that, when mixed, can be lethal when ingested or inhaled. Mixing cleaning products is something that you should never, ever, ever do, no matter how ‘pretty’ or ‘mesmerizing’ it looks.”

This is by no means the only cleaning trend to take social media by storm in recent years. In 2020, users were going viral with their videos showing them cleaning their fabrics with a method known as ‘laundry stripping.’