Professional cleaner’s warning over common cleaning product

A professional cleaner has gone viral after revealing an important fact about a popular disinfectant product used in homes.

It’s safe to say in the last 18 months we’ve all become rather, ahem, fond of our cleaning products.

But a professional cleaner from Melbourne has said there is a crucial detail in a common disinfectant product that most people aren’t aware of – but should be.

Kacie from The Big Clean Co posted a video to TikTok explaining how bleach only had a very short shelf life.

RELATED: Towel trick that speeds up drying process

A professional cleaner from Melbourne has revealed why you need to follow the expiry date on bleach bottles. Picture: TikTok/thebigcleanco.

“If bleach is your holy grail when it comes to disinfecting, this is for you: read the expiry date,” she said.

“It’s never that far away and on that date what you’re left with is sodium hydroxide, which is caustic soda, you know that nasty stuff you clean your drains with.”

According to the American Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, sodium hydroxide can cause burns to the skin and eyes as well as cause temporary hair loss, depending on how strong it is.

RELATED: Man accidentally cleans wrong house 

Kacie said it was also important to read the label about how to use bleach. Picture: TikTok/thebigcleanco.

It can also be useless when it comes to cleaning, with chemist Brian S. Leigh telling Insider bleach becomes ineffective at disinfecting about a year after you purchase it.

Even before bleach expires “make sure you read the label”, Kacie also advised, as it needed between five to 15 minutes on different surfaces to work.

The video has been viewed more than 56,000 times, with some saying they had “no idea” bleach had such a short shelf life.

Kacie said disinfectant sprays needed to be left on surfaces like toilets for several minutes to work. Picture: TikTok/thebigcleanco.

“Thank you! Many people don’t know about dilutions, contact time, shelf life etc,” one person wrote.

It’s not the only “hard truth” Kacie has given when it comes to cleaning, also revealing in another video most “clean freak” people weren’t using disinfectant sprays properly.

“Just because you’re using a disinfectant spray does not mean you’re disinfecting anything – you need to read the labels,” she said.

“These supermarket sprays need to be left on a surface for 10 whole minutes to kill any germs.”