Think Twice Before Using TikTok's Shaving Cream Hack To Clean Your Sink Drain

TikTok is packed with unexpected cleaning tips, so there's a good chance you've seen the shaving cream hack for cleaning out those grimy sink drains. However, this is one hack we'd advise against. Its user-friendliness (or severe lack thereof) is just one of the reasons why. 

As you've probably seen on TikTok, this hack works by attaching a pipe to your shaving cream and then spraying it into the overflow hole of your sink. Soon enough, the foam should come through the drain — and as many of the videos have shown, it may look pretty nasty. Essentially, the cream will be picking up the grime stuck inside the area you'd never normally clean. And, because shaving cream contains soap, it's not all that outlandish an idea. 

Here's the problem: as anyone who has watched the videos attempting to put the hack to work IRL will know, it's not nearly as easy as popping a nozzle into the overflow hole and pressing. For starters, as evidenced by the YouTube account Clean Freak & Germophobe, good old-fashioned shaving cream isn't particularly easy to insert into the overflow. Far from it, as it's easy to end up with a massive mess on your hands (and the sink, and the rest of the bathroom or kitchen floor). So, why isn't this hack working out for most people? That'd be because what we're seeing in the majority of those gross-yet-satisfying videos isn't shaving cream, at all. 

There's a reason shaving cream is turning into a massive mess when you try to use it for your drains: the stuff you're seeing on TikTok isn't actually using the bathroom staple. Instead, it's a drain foam cleaner, with a nozzle designed specifically to fit on the overflow (or drain itself, if you'd prefer). In other words, if seeing the gunk flowing out in a foam is what you're looking for, instead of reaching for shaving cream, look out for the Herio Drain Foam Cleaner, generally available on Amazon for under $10. Alternatively, Walmart has a similar option for less than $5. 

Mess aside, by using a specifically formulated foam, you'll be able to rest assured that you aren't doing more damage to your drains. After all, even though shaving cream does contain soap, over time, it can cause your drains to clog up. And, that's just from regular use, let alone spraying a can of it directly into the overflow hole.

If the reason you were thinking of trying the so-called shaving cream hack was less about watching the process and more about having it on hand in your bathroom, you can clear up clogs using another household staple. Pop two Alka-Seltzer tablets down the sink in question's drain, top off with a cup of vinegar, then follow with boiling water. Not nearly as fun to watch, but it'll certainly work in a pinch.