New cleaners: never mix vinegar and baking soda for tough kitchen grease

Look, I'm a newbie in the cleaning game, just started my side hustle doing residential deep cleans after watching those Melissa Maker videos on YouTube. Last week I tried that popular hack mixing vinegar and baking soda on a client's stubborn oven grease buildup, thinking it'd fizz away like magic. Instead, it just made a watery mess that didn't cut the grime at all, and I had to scrub twice as long with my O-Cedar mop and Method all-purpose spray. Out here in Arizona the heat makes everything stickier, so I wasted a whole hour on what should've been 20 minutes. PSA to all you rookies: stick to individual uses, vinegar for descaling and baking soda for scrubbing, or you'll end up pissed and behind schedule. Saw the same warning in a thread on r/CleaningTips too. Someone in the Cleaning Business Owners Facebook group mentioned it screwed their first job bad.

god, i remember trying that crap early on, turned a simple bathroom clean into a three-hour disaster.

warning: that mix neutralizes both, leaves you with salt water and no cleaning power.

screw these homeowners pushing DIY hacks on us.

i feel you, man, first few jobs i believed all the tiktok nonsense.

had a similar mess with a client's marble counter, scratched the hell out of it.

we're all getting screwed by these viral tips.

big time, clients expect miracles now.

try mean green for grease, cuts it in half the time.

yeah, or clr for buildup, no mixing needed.

that happened to me too, felt like an idiot.

ugh, same boat, learned the hard way.

baking soda paste alone works wonders on ovens.

definitely, let it sit 30 min then wipe.

i commiserate, my first year was full of these fails.

hang in there, we all start somewhere.

clients hate when we redo for free.

true, but now i charge extra for 'hacks'.

smart, documentation saves your ass.

don't mix chemicals ever, risk of fumes too.

yep, had a dizzy spell once from bad combo.

agreed, safety first in tight spaces.

ventilate and test small areas always.

these hacks are ruining good cleaners.

Shark Tank cleaners are overrated, stick to basics.

vinegar solo is king for glass, no debate.

watched a melissa maker vid, she calls out this myth.

never underestimate simple hot water and elbow grease.