16 cleaning myths that are only making your home dirtier

Insider
Insider
Published in
7 min readApr 24, 2021

--

You may be making your home dirtier by following some of these cleaning myths. Consumer science expert Carolyn Forté helped Insider debunk them.

A feather duster.
Should you clean your home with a feather duster? Photo: Getty Images

By Zoë Ettinger

It takes a lot of effort to keep a home tidy, so there’s nothing worse than doing more harm than good while cleaning.

To help debunk some cleaning myths, Insider consulted Carolyn Forté, a certified consumer science expert and the director of the Home Care & Cleaning Products Lab and the Textiles, Paper and Plastics Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Some of these cleaning myths have come from the past, when cleaning supplies were less advanced than they are today.

“Cleaning myths have a way of perpetuating themselves, especially with today’s social media platforms,” Forté said. “Personally, I don’t think myths will ever go away. People love the idea of myths and believing or debunking them, maybe even more so today. Consumers also have their own little cleaning tips that they love to pass along and love to hear tips from others.”

Take a look at myths that may be leading you to clean your home the wrong way.

“Bleach cleans absolutely everything.”

--

--