Buzz
TikTok’s recent campaign highlights the app’s role in teaching new tips, hacks, and skills—and it largely succeeds. While many users turn to TikTok for education, others seek entertainment or ASMR content. Recently, a toilet-cleaning trend called the 'overload' method has gained traction, offering both a supposed cleaning hack and visually satisfying sensory appeal. However, despite its aesthetic appeal, this method is ineffective and not recommended.
Understanding the 'Overload' Trend
The 'Overload' method involves saturating your toilet bowl with an excessive amount of cleaning products, creating vibrant rainbow effects, bubbles, and textures that are oddly mesmerizing. These videos have been popular since early 2021, with YouTubers even compiling the most impressive examples into highlight reels.
Once the toilet bowl is overflowing with an assortment of liquids and powders, the TikTok creator stirs the mixture, scrubs briefly, and flushes it all down, culminating in a visually satisfying reveal of a gleaming ceramic surface.
What’s Wrong with This Approach?
While it might seem logical that using 10 or 20 cleaning products simultaneously would make your toilet significantly cleaner, the reality is far from it. Although the process may produce pleasant scents and eye-catching visuals, it’s entirely unnecessary and could harm your plumbing system.
An expert told Express, “This practice can lead to pipe erosion, damage, and even flooding if the toilet is filled to the brim before flushing.” Excessive use of bleach, baking soda, and colorful cleaning agents can wreak havoc on your pipes, making the aesthetic appeal far from worth the potential plumbing disaster.
Additionally, this trend poses health risks. Express highlighted a case where a TikTok creator fell ill after using an entire bottle of Kaboom spray during filming. Good Housekeeping emphasized that mixing chemicals is highly dangerous, with poison control centers frequently handling cases of adverse reactions caused by combining cleaning products, often unintentionally and with fewer substances involved.
Effective Tools for Cleaning Your Toilet
For a clean toilet, stick to one reliable product and proven cleaning techniques. Here are some excellent choices that are safe, won’t harm your plumbing, and are budget-friendly.
Try 30 automatic toilet cleaning tablets ($27.99) that work with every flush, requiring minimal effort on your part.
You can’t go wrong with classic Lysol toilet-cleaning gel ($2.67), as long as you use it correctly and independently.
If you’re seeking a satisfying alternative to toilet overloading, consider the Clorox ToiletWand ($11.98), which comes with disposable heads for easy cleanup.
If the vibrant colors or novelty of overloading appealed to you, why not try unique toilet brushes? This one ($21.99) resembles a potted plant when stored, this one ($18.99) is shaped like a giant cherry, and, for something unconventional, here’s one modeled after former president Donald Trump ($15.99).
How to Clean a Toilet Safely and Effectively
The best cleaning method depends on your toilet’s condition. You can use standard cleaners like the ones mentioned above. For stubborn hard water stains, consider using vinegar and baking soda or other methods detailed here.
If you’re determined to add a touch of visual appeal while cleaning your toilet, consider using mouthwash or Alka-Seltzer. Here’s a video demonstrating the process. While it may not be as dazzling as pouring multiple products into the bowl, it’s a far more practical and sensible approach.
