The 6 Weirdest Cleaning Hacks (and Products) That TikTokers Swear By

Before you start using the battery-powered elbow grease, make sure you’re using the right attachment for the job. “You need to be careful of how stiff the brush is and how powerful the drill is, as you can easily scratch your surfaces and do more harm than good,” McAllister explains. “Always always do a test spot first in an inconspicuous area.”

3. Stripping pillows in the bathtub

You should wash your pillows every now and then, but there are some things—namely body oil, excess detergent, and fabric softener—that your washing machine might not be able to get out. That’s why Costello recommends stripping (in other words, soaking) your pillows in the bathtub for a day.

She advises filling the tub with extra-hot water, then pouring in a quarter cup of baking soda, a quarter cup of borax, and two cups of liquid laundry detergent. Submerge the pillows in the mixture for up to 24 hours, then run the pillows through the washer without detergent. After a cycle through the dryer, they’re good to go. “The water of those pillows was so filthy,” Costello says of her test round of the method. (Her before and after shot might make you cringe.)

4. Scrubbing away grime with “The Pink Stuff”

Not to be confused with the TikTok famous “Pink Sauce” that can be found at your local Dollar Tree, The Pink Stuff is an all-purpose cleaning paste that scrubs off dirt, grime, and grease. It’s widely celebrated to the tune of more than 140,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, and it turns out the hype is real. The Pink Stuff is excellent at cleaning chrome and glass (like shower doors and bathroom faucets) and can make an oven sparkle. Costello says she wouldn’t use it as an everyday cleaner, but rather save it for more heavy duty jobs.

5. Cleaning bathroom fixtures with parchment paper

These viral videos are telling the truth: You can swipe your faucets and other metallic fixtures with crumpled parchment paper for an impressive shine. “This works surprisingly well,” insists McAllister, who’s used the coated paper on bathroom fixtures. It eliminates hard water stains with a streak-free finish, and at a fraction of the cost of traditional cleaning products.

6. Letting “Angry Mama” loose on your microwave

Many CleanTokers swear by Angry Mama, an adorable $7 microwave cleaner in the shape of, well, a surly little lady. You fill the plastic doll with vinegar and water (and a few drops of lemon juice if you’d like), then turn on the microwave for seven minutes. After a two-minute cool down period, you can easily wipe gunk off the walls of your microwave, thanks to it being loosened up by Angry Mama’s steam.

Costello warns that “she does emit a lot of steam through her head and it does get hot.” So she recommends not overdoing it on the vinegar, either, to prevent your kitchen from smelling like the stuff all afternoon.