The Laundry Product You'll Want To Clean Excess Hairspray In The Bathroom

Hairspray is a staple in many people's bathrooms, but it has one downside. While it can help keep every hair perfectly in place, that same rigid formula likes to cement itself onto your bathroom surfaces. And much like with your hair in a windstorm, it doesn't like to budge no matter how hard you try to move it. That's because it is formulated with special water-proof polymers that are designed to keep your hair in place even when humidity is present. But that feature also means it's not so simple to wash off your bathroom surfaces. But one unexpected laundry staple can help you with that: fabric softener.

Are you wondering why you should use a laundry product instead of something from your cleaning pantry? Sometimes hairspray can be hard to budge with regular cleaning products. All-purpose cleaner doesn't eat away at the stickiness like you need them to, resulting in lots of muscle work and wasted product. But if you mix a one-to-one ratio of fabric softener to water, you will be able to dissolve it without much effort. Here's how.

To pull off this fabric softener bathroom cleaning hack, all you will need is fabric softener liquid, water, and a spray bottle. You can either make just enough for your cleaning session or get a designated spray bottle for a mixture you can keep on hand for the entire month. To create the mix, you can either do one part fabric softener to one part warm water or one part fabric softener to two parts warm water. It all depends on how sticky your hairspray is and how much buildup you have. If you have a ton and haven't cleaned in a few weeks, then you might be better off with the one-to-one ratio. Pour it into your spray bottle, and shake well before each use to ensure the ingredients mix well.

Once your bottle is ready, spray it onto your surfaces — from the sink ledge to the toilet seat — and wipe it clean. Use a microfiber cloth and circular motions to avoid creating streaks.

So why does fabric softener dissolve hairspray, but regular cleaning products won't? It's not that your softener is harsher — after all, that wouldn't be good for your laundry. Instead, the way it's formulated helps break down the sticky properties of hairspray.

The surfactants, which are softeners' main ingredients, loosens the hairspray molecules and help them come off easier. These surfactants are what stick to fabrics and make them feel softer and more pliable. These agents can also work on hairspray residue, making it more flexible and easier to remove from surfaces. Surfactants also reduce the surface tension between two substances — in this case, it would be the hairspray and the softener. This creates a lubricating effect on the hairspray film, which can help loosen and remove it. That means you won't need to use any elbow grease. Just simply spritz on some softener, give it a minute to penetrate, and wipe it clean with a damp cloth.