11 cleaning hacks you should avoid

You know the old rule, if it's too good to be true then it probably is? That goes double for some cleaning hacks you can find on the internet. Here are some tips that you shouldn't try at home.

While some YouTube videos tell you to vacuum in short, back and forth strokes, that technique is wrong. Throw out everything you've learned. Here's how to vacuum the right way.

Vinegar is great for cleaning a multitude of things, like your knives or your coffee maker. Keep vinegar away from certain items, though. For example, it can damage the rubber seals of your appliances. Here are 10 things you shouldn't clean with vinegar. 

While we're on the topic of vinegar, never mix vinegar and bleach to make some kind of super cleaner. The mixture creates toxic chlorine gas that could make you sick. 

It's a common misconception that every time you wash a load of whites you need to add bleach. Always check the labels of the items you are about to wash. You'll be amazed at how many items shouldn't be washed with bleach. 

Are there just a bunch of symbols on the label? Look for a symbol that looks like a triangle with an X over it. That means bleach is a big no-no.

There are tons of hacks on the internet on how to fix the scratches on your devices. For the love of everything that's techie, do not rub your screen with abrasive things like powdered cleanser. They'll just make the problem worse. Here are some more hits and misses when it comes to fixing scratches. 

What is it with horrible scratch repair advice? There's a video going around the internet that says all you need to do is polish your glasses with toothpaste to remove scratches. Do not try this! Toothpaste can remove special finishes on lenses and can even make scratches worse.

Coconut oil has taken over as one of the go-to hacks of the year, but it doesn't work on everything. For example, I've seen a lot of posts about how it can get stains out of furniture. 

Let's make one thing clear: it's an oil. Oils stain fabrics. Just to be 100 percent, I tried a few of the furniture cleaning hacks and the furniture ended up even more stained. Not cool. 

Here are coconut oil cleaning tips that actually do work.

A very popular carpet cleaning tip is to dab stains with hydrogen peroxide. While very diluted hydrogen peroxide may be okay in a cleaning solution, full strength or a solution with more than 6 percent can bleach your carpet. 

While it may seem like a good idea to pop a cast iron skillet in the dishwasher, don't. The detergent can strip the non-stick surface and lead to rust. Is this warning too late? You can reseason your cast iron with these steps.

I can't believe I'm writing this, but I have seen several blogs advising people to put fresh nail polish on old nail polish to remove it from floors and tables. The theory is, the new nail polish will soften the dry polish so it can be wiped away. All this hack is really going to do is give you a bigger mess to clean up.

Air drying your clothes is a great way to save electricity and help the environment. Just make sure not to do it indoors. Drying indoors can lead to excess humidity, which can cause the growth of dust mites and mold.