The Deadly Tik Tok Trend No One’s Warned You About
With 1.2 billion active users worldwide, the power of Tik Tok is impressive, with dance after dance and trend after trend becoming popular and even a part of everyday life.
But it’s not all light-hearted fun.
If you ever find yourself on “cleantok” whilst scrolling through social media, you’ve probably come across the concept of a ‘product overload’.
This dangerous trend involves overloading your toilet or sink with several cleaning products all at once whilst filming.
There are hundreds of incredibly popular channels that are dedicated to this trend, but are they promoting potentially harmful behaviour?
Most cleaning products, even those available in the supermarket, contain several hazardous chemicals such as bleach, ammonia and lysol. While relatively safe when used according to instructions in a well-ventilated room – mixing chemicals together can cause harmful fumes to be released that can lead to serious long-term conditions as well as vomiting, asphyxiation and even death.
Here are a few chemicals best to avoid mixing:
Ammonia and Bleach
When combined, ammonia and bleach release toxic chloramine gas.
Exposure to this harmful gas can lead to irritation in your eyes, nose, throat and lungs and can even lead to death.
Vinegar and Bleach
The acid found in vinegar creates toxic chlorine and chloramine vapours when mixed with bleach.
If inhaled, these harmful gasses can cause chemical burns to your eyes and lungs.
Bleach and Rubbing Alcohol
When combined, these can create chloroform; a toxic chemical that can cause harm to the eyes, skin, liver, kidneys and nervous system.
Bleach and Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Mixing together an acidic-based toilet bowl cleaner with bleach, will release toxic fumes that can cause breathing issues and optical irritation.
Bleach and Lemon Juice
As with vinegar and bleach, lemon juice and bleach can create chlorine gas, causing great distress to your respiratory system if inhaled.
So how can I stay safe whilst cleaning?
- Always follow the specific instructions detailed on the label.
- Only use in a well-ventilated area.
- Wear additional protective equipment if required – such as RPE, gloves or goggles.