It’s hard to tell when exactly this started, but we’ve definitely noticed that the internet has been absolutely awash with life hacks over the last decade.
Unfortunately, this presents a problem for those seeking to make their lives easier because for every hack that’s actually useful , it seems there are a dozen that either don’t work or require more effort than simply doing things the traditional way.
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But while that seems to defeat the purpose of a life hack, there’s usually some solace to be taken in the fact that most of these bad hacks are more often just pointless than actually harmful to us.
However, one woman’s story makes it clear that some of the tips we pick up from strangers on the internet can be more dangerous than they seem.
For years, it seems that some people have been swapping out their dryer sheets with sponges that were soaked in a mixture of water and fabric softener.
As one of this hack’s proponents claimed , this is not only supposed to make clothes softer and smell better when they come out of the dryer, but allegedly benefits the environment in some unspecified way.
And as easy as it is to blame TikTok for this one, Insider reported that it’s been circulating the internet since at least 2014.
But however it came to be, the hack sounded good to one TikTok user named Hailee Clarke.
As she explained in a TikTok uploaded on November 1, her dryer hadn’t caused her any previous problems when she followed the hack’s instructions for the first time.
But after leaving the dryer running overnight, she woke up the following morning to discover that her house had filled with smoke.
As she said, “I’m not really sure what happened, but it was absolutely terrifying.”
When she went down to her laundry room, she found that the smoke was coming from the dryer, which had caught on fire during the night and was still in flames by the time she reached it.
As she put it, “We’re really lucky to be alive, and I just wanted to spread some awareness that, just be careful of the hacks that you try.”
Although it’s unclear how this happened, it is worth noting that liquid fabric softeners often warn users that they can increase the flammability of some materials.
According to Insider, they particularly caution against using them on children’s pajamas, flame-resistant clothing, and “fluffier fabrics.”
And while a representative from the American Cleaning Institute told the outlet that they had never heard of anything like this happening, they affirmed that consumers should only use appliances and laundry additives as intended.
h/t: Insider
