‘Style over safety’: Viral ‘cleantok’ trend posing danger with household chemicals, experts say

BOSTON — Safety experts are issuing a warning about a popular social media trend that involves household chemicals found in many of our homes.

From cleaning tips to home organization, #Cleantok might appear harmless.

The plethora of cleaning videos on TikTok and other social media platforms are racking up billions of views.

Millions of videos with the hashtag #CleanTok portray decluttering, organizational, and cleaning trends that might make your home look nice.

However, some of the inspirational aesthetics are bringing potential serious health risks to families.

“What they’re really doing, though, is putting style over safety,” said Brian Sansoni, senior vice president of the American Cleaning Institute.

Sansoni said parents are unintentionally creating the danger by storing laundry pods in decorative containers.

“You should always keep laundry pods, all your cleaning products in their original containers, which are meant to be child resistant,” he said.

He said that trendy presentation can make the laundry pods more appealing and accessible to kids.

The American Cleaning Institute looked at social media trends over a four-year period and found more than 800,000 mentions or displays of laundry packets being placed in clear jars.

“This is something where the liquid in that package is under pressure. So as soon as they bite into it, it honestly just comes shooting out of the package,” said Michelle Preston, with the Massachusetts & Rhode Island Poison Center at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Preston said there are other dangerous examples of mixing household cleaning products that cause toxic vapors in your home.

“It’s a lot of people who, unfortunately, just don’t know the risk. They mix the products together,” she explained. “They think it’s going to be okay, and then there is an immediate chemical reaction.”

That includes the #ToiletOverload trend that involves mixing powders and colorful liquids in the toilet bowl.

Another risky fad is the #productoverload trend that involves dousing a combination of cleaning products in toilets, sinks and bathtubs before they get flushed, scrubbed or rinsed.

“Mixing things that may have bleach or another product that may have acid or ammonia that can actually make a toxic gas, a toxic vapor,” said Preston.

The unintended consequence of mixing chemicals proved deadly at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Burlington back in 2019.

A restaurant employee cleaned the kitchen floor with the acidic cleaning agent “Scale Kleen” and didn’t know the chlorine and bleach-based cleaner “Super 8″ had spilled on the floor earlier.

The accidental mixing created toxic fumes that led to the death of manager Ryan Baldera and sent 13 others to the hospital.

The National Capital Poison Center warns:

-Mixing bleach with an acidic cleaner releases a chlorine gas, which was used as a chemical warfare agent in World War I

-Mixing bleach and ammonia makes chloramine gas, which causes coughing

“I think there’s an air of safety to these things because they’re sold at the store,” added Preston. “It really knocks you back. It’s just that strong.”

An excessive amount of mixed chemicals can also clog or even damage pipes that they pass through.

According to the American Cleaning Institute, accidental exposures to household cleaning products is the second leading cause of calls to poison control centers across the country.

41% of those calls are placed for children under 5 years old.

If you have small children at home, it’s a good idea to add the number for poison control to your contacts: 1-800-222-1222.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2025 Cox Media Group