
I'm a cleaning expert, everyone is using this cheap viral product but there's three surfaces it should never touch
Experts come up with amazing tips using ingredients you normally find in your cupboard or fridge to get the
work
done cheaper.
2
Cleaning hacks are a godsend for many households
2
Using anything acidic on some surfaces could ruin your home
But one pro says a popular viral cleaning recommendation could be ruining your
home
.
Joseph Passalacqua, CEO of
Despite its growing popularity on social media platforms like TikTok, he says some surfaces can be permanently damaged by the acidic substance.
And he said it could cost householders thousands to repair.
READ MORE IN FABULOUS
Joseph said: "Natural stone surfaces like marble, granite, and quartzite should never come into contact with white vinegar.
"The acidity eats away at the calcium carbonate in these materials, permanently etching the surface."
The cleaning expert says stone surfaces are damaged by acidic solutions, restoration often requires professional intervention, which can cost hundreds or even thousands.
He added: "Many homeowners think vinegar is safe because it's natural, but so is lemon juice, and both will destroy a marble countertop just as quickly as any harsh chemical.
Most read in Fabulous
For stone surfaces, the expert recommends pH-neutral cleaners specifically formulated for the material.
And while many cleaning videos suggest vinegar for stainless steel surfaces - like draining boards or hobs - Joseph says this is a big no.
Inside filthiest house cleaned up by Kim Woodburn on How Clean Is Your House?
The cleaning guru said: "Vinegar can cause pitting on the surface of stainless steel over time.
"If you must use it, always dilute the solution with
water
to minimise damage."
The expert pointed out that repeated use of vinegar on stainless steel dishwashers and oven tops can also lead to a dull finish and eventually permanent spots that cannot be buffed out.
He said stainless steel should be cleaned with mild dish
soap
and
water
or dedicated stainless steel cleaners.
The third category of household surfaced to keep vinegar away from is anything with electronic components, the expert says.
He explained: "Spraying vinegar directly on screens or electronic interfaces can make touch screens less responsive and damage internal components.
"Many people spray vinegar directly on their TV screens or computer monitors thinking it's safer than commercial cleaners, but they're actually risking permanent damage to expensive equipment."
He recommends using specialised cleaners designed specifically for electronics as well as microfibre cloths.
But where can you use vinegar safely?
The cleaning expert explained that vinegar's popularity stems from its effectiveness on many other surfaces and its low cost compared to commercial cleaners.
Joseph explained: "Vinegar works wonderfully on glass, ceramic tile with sealed grout and porcelain fixtures. It's also excellent for removing mineral deposits from showerheads.
"Just keep it away from those three key surface types."
"The rule of thumb is simple. If something is porous, sensitive, or high-end, verify that vinegar is safe before applying it. When in doubt, test in an inconspicuous area first or simply use something else."

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The Irish Sun
a day ago
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The Irish Sun
2 days ago
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Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Sarah Harte: The Gen Z stare is real, and we've all seen it
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In the middle of an interview, facing down a superior blank stare, you wonder if you have hit your head, or have they? Am I that boring (possible), or are the questions off (again, possible)? These interviewees shared another commonality. When you approach them before the interview to shake their hand and say you look forward to interviewing them (standard protocol before an interview), they regard you as if you were unhinged. You fleetingly wonder if you have food in your teeth. Afterwards, these interviewees do not thank you. They float off back to their lives as if you are roadkill. At this point, I move from being nonplussed to wanting to shake them so hard that their teeth rattle in their heads. No longer socially acceptable, I know, to voice these thoughts. Content creators and influencers are currently debating online what's behind this dead stare. Various causes are being cited, including social anxiety, excessive use of technology leading to reduced face-to-face time and therefore impaired conversational skills, the impact of covid, a new type of stranger danger taken to its limits and normal adolescent and twenties bolshiness. All these reasons sound plausible. But what about a culture of entitlement? One Gen Z content creator explained that her peers dole out the stare instead of a verbal response because they feel they may not "owe" somebody a conversation. I find the use of the word "owe" telling. Some of the characters I've met over the last year came across as entitled bots who badly needed direction on the obligations of being a functioning young adult. More generally, I have discussed new workplace behaviours with various friends who are employers or senior managers in different walks of life, ranging from blue-chip corporate echelons to small businesses. The broad consensus is that there is a lack of understanding of how to behave in a professional context, and a marked interest in what works best for Gen Z employees. To take just one example, a refusal to take messages or calls outside of strictly defined working hours. So, if you forget to ask your junior employee a question before 6pm because your head is over a document, it will have to wait until the next day. Two minutes past six is too late, loser. You see the two ticks, and you know they've read the message, but tumbleweed. Any attempt to circumvent this watershed is viewed as a significant infringement of the employee's rights and liberty to live their best life. And if you query it directly, you could end up in the hot seat for bullying, so you grit your ageing teeth. There is no question that we can learn from Gen Z. Clear work-life boundaries are not a Gen X strength. Stick us down a coal mine and we will prostrate ourselves at your feet. Yet might the dead-eyed stare and the reluctance to take the call two minutes after 6pm tip over into the territory of viewing the world and your employer as there to serve you? Let's presume the experts are correct and social development has gone haywire due to what happened during the pandemic and young people being hypnotised by devices (devices we gave them) because much evidence supports this thesis. Is it not time for us to offer some guidance on expectations in the professional and social spheres to younger generations? Parenting Nobody is suggesting that a respectful working environment isn't preferable, but there is a balance to be struck, and the pressing question for me is what produces this entitlement? Could a parenting trend be in the dock for producing a certain type of employee? Gentle parenting centres, critics believe, around never saying no to your child because, as advocates would have it, 'adultism' is a structural discrimination that results in children being marginalised with their needs sidelined. Of course, children's rights are important. There is a growing, much-needed awareness in the legal sphere that children are separate entities with rights and voices. Yet, the idea that you should not say no to your child is bonkers. It will have consequences not only for the child and the adult they become, but also for society as a whole. A London friend shared an amusing story with me about an intergenerational family lunch she attended. The five-year-old nephew bit his three-year-old first cousin. The grandfather of both children told the five-year-old in no uncertain terms that biting was bad and that he was a bold boy. The parents of the biter took this very badly. They didn't commiserate with the victim; instead, they asked the biter how he felt and if he was okay. This was a laborious process. The parents of the biter ended up leaving in high dudgeon because nobody else agreed with them. Side note: Everyone was thrilled that they left and went on to have an enjoyable day. I wonder what happens to the biter in the long run, and more importantly, what happens to us when he leaves his cosy burrow where he reigns as a Pasha. When he graduates from biting his younger relatives in years to come, will he be doling out the dead stare? Will he be refusing to answer a work query at two minutes past six because he is the most important person in the universe? Team Human The voices of adults don't matter more than those of children, but young people need guidance and boundaries that make them feel more secure and help them navigate life. It's also what the wider society and the economy need; human beings who grasp that they are slotting into a bigger picture, although hopefully not as mindlessly as we did. Part of this is learning to understand that while at a given moment you may wish that your boss or the person you're serving would fall off a cliff, you need to maintain a minimum level of social grace and self-regulate. This needs to be taught with respectful but plain speaking. There's a quid pro quo for being paid. And there are hierarchies, explicit and implicit, at work. Best to figure this one out early. We're all part of Team Human. A valuable lesson in our increasingly individualised society is that collaboration and the collective good are worth something both inside and outside of work. A dead-eyed stare doesn't cut it. I've read other journalists suggesting that Gen Z don't have specific characteristics, and suggesting so is lazy stereotyping. But this is clearly untrue if you're an employer who is dealing with this behaviour on the frontline. When the recession arrives, as it always does, lessons will be learned. Competition for jobs may end up resting on the social skills Gen Z has dispensed with. Best to get ahead of the pack now, and start learning how to make eye contact and small talk. Read More