I Tried This Viral TikTok Cleaning Hack for Electric Clippers — and I Absolutely Wouldn’t Recommend It

My TikTok “For You” page understands me well — and it knows that I love a goodcleaning hack. So when I saw thisviral cleaning hackfor electric clippers, I knew I had to try it. While the hack looks easy enough (honestly, it really does!) I was a bit skeptical. Like many of the commenters, I too thought that the “dirt and hair” from the video was just oil leaking from the clippers.

Since my partner misplaced his old clippers, I had just the opportunity to try this hack out witha brand new pairto truly test and see if it worked. The video doesn’t state what disinfectant to use, so the first thing I did was visit my local beauty supply store. The clerk recommended Barbicide, a commonly used bright blue solution used at salons and barber shops.

When I got home, I poured a small amount of Barbicide into a bowl, turned on the brand-new clippers, and dipped them in. To my surprise, no oil leaked out. Next, I convinced my partner to give his beard a good trim. He cut off a few inches and made a huge mess. This was the one time I was happy about seeing so much hair in the sink. I changed out the solution, turned the clippers on, and dipped them into the blue liquid.

Surprisingly, it worked. A significant amount of hair came out of the clippers. But, when I took the clippers apart to see if the hack had pulled out all of the hair from the machine, I could see that there was still hair and solution inside it.

Would I recommend this hack? No, definitely not. I think a good old-fashioned cleaning according to the manufacturer’s directions is just as easy and effective. And honestly, this seems like it could easily ruin the motor quickly and in a worst-case scenario, give you an electric shock.It’s just too risky.If you want to try this for yourself, I urge you to read the directions of your clippers and proceed with caution.

While this hacktechnicallyworked, I’ll be sticking with the old tried-and-true method of using a brush to clean the hair out of clippers and continue being skeptical of any hacks that might seem a little too easy to be true.