A CLEANING expert has revealed why hanging kitchen cloths over your taps is not the best of ideas.
If you’re a cleaning fan like us, or Mrs Hinch, you probably have numerous cloths to use to keep your home sparkling clean and dust-free.
You may also chuck the microfibre cloth directly onto the kitchen taps to dry it after giving the surfaces a good wipe – but according to one expert, this is a big no-no.
Taking to TikTok, the pro, only known as Charlotte (@homecleanswithcharlotte), enlightened social media users on what really can happen to the taps when they’re covered with the damp cloth.
”I see many clients hanging cloths over taps and I will always tell them why they should stop,” she said in a recent video.
The guru explained that she’s ”seen so many damaged taps” – and it’s all because of the ”bleachy cloths left hanging on them”.
”I personally never use bleach in my own home, as it’s an unnecessary product. However, I know so many of you are obsessed with the product.”
Charlotte warned that although the cleaning item may be all the rage in many households, especially as it’s purse-friendly, ”bleach is very much corrosive to many surfaces, metals especially”.
”Just because you haven’t seen damage, it doesn’t mean damage isn’t caused over time.
”Other products can also cause damage, so it is a good idea to store cloths away from surfaces or pop them straight in the wash after you’ve used them.”
Some cleaning products that can be corrosive to metal include hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and Dettol washing machine cleaner.
Charlotte went on: ”You should be swapping out your cleaning cloth every day anyway, so there is no need to leave them hanging over your tap.”
What’s more, the Northamptonshire-based whizz warned, you cannot fix the damage.
”It’s corroded – eaten away – the metal, so the tap needs replacing.”
Dozens of fellow cleaning fans flocked to comments to thank the guru for sharing the information.
One wrote: ”Nope, put it in washing machine bring out dry clean cloth every time.”
We use them to keep our homes dust-free and sparkling clean - but do you REALLY need to replace kitchen cloths on a daily basis?
According to UNL Food, ”the USDA recommends kitchen towels should be changed frequently and a common recommendation is to change them daily”.
However, it does depend on how often you use the towel and what it is used for in the kitchen.
”For example, if a kitchen towel was used to clean up raw meat, poultry, or seafood juices, then it should go immediately into the laundry and a clean one should be used.”
Another chimed in: ”No, never! I hate it when anyone else does it.”
”No mine go straight in wash my pet hate is wet dish cloths flannels cleaning cloths hanging around after used,” a third wrote.
Meanwhile, someone else shared how they keep the cloths smelling fabulous with an easy trick.
”They smell. What i do every night before bed is put my dish cloth in the sink with boiling hot water some laundry soap and cap of javex, all clean for the next day.”
