Most people are used to relying on chemical-based cleaning products for all their cleaning needs. But these products are often unnecessary, as one TikToker just showed us.
The scoop
Bartender Mic (@micpicklee) made a big discovery. She found out she could clean the bar's plexiglass better with vodka than with Windex.
"I just discovered that vodka cleans plexiglass perfectly?" she says in her clip. "This is the vodka side, and this is the Windex side. You can clearly tell the difference." True to her word, the vodka side is perfectly clear, while the other side appears cloudy and smudged.
@micpicklee Is this what being an adult is like? #plexiglass #UpTheBeat #restaurantlife #bartender #serverlife #cleaning #vodka ♬ original sound - Mic🖤
How it's helping
Commercial cleaning products, such as Windex, result in thousands of chemicals being washed into streams and rivers, where some end up entering the food chain. In addition, they release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, which can lead to health problems such as asthma. So, even though the cleaning products smell nice, you really don't want to be breathing them in.
Finding alternative methods of cleaning that don't involve commercial products — such as the vodka hack, this microwave cleaning hack, or this toilet cleaning hack — can be a great way to lessen your exposure to these chemicals and save money at the same time.
In addition, creating your own cleaning solutions at home allows you to buy fewer plastic products. Almost every cleaning product on the market comes in plastic packaging, and these plastic bottles and containers rarely end up getting recycled, whether or not we put them in the correct bin.
According to a report from Greenpeace, less than 5% of the plastic in the U.S. ends up getting recycled, even after it is sent to a recycling facility. The rest ends up sitting in landfills, where it slowly poisons the surrounding soil and waterways.
And, as Mic demonstrated, the hacks might just work even better than commercial products anyway.
What everyone's saying
The commenters on Mic's TikTok were amazed by how well the vodka worked as a cleaning product.
"The ammonia in Windex actually damages plexiglass, leaving it looking cloudy," one commenter writes. "Alcohol (rubbing or drinking) works great."
"You don't even know that you just changed my life," another adds.
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