Journalist tested cleaning a shower with a potato: results were disappointing

The internet is full of unusual cleaning tips, but one stood out for its sheer oddity: cleaning a shower with a potato. Homes & Gardens journalist Ottilie Blackhall decided to find out whether this was a useful trick or just plain nonsense, and shared her experience with readers.

Oxalic acid as the alleged cleaner

The theory behind this viral trick is based on a chemical compound found in potatoes. It's oxalic acid, which is claimed to help remove and loosen stubborn dust, dirt, and limescale. It sounded convincing, so Blackhall decided to give the potato a chance.

One potato, a cleaning cloth, and a soft towel were used for the test. She cut the potato in half with a sharp kitchen knife, then rubbed one half and then the other over the glass shower screen.

First impressions weren't promising

The results didn't impress her at first. When the shower was rubbed with the potato, the glass didn't get cleaner, at least not at first glance. In fact, it looked much worse than before. After that, all that was left was to wait. The timer was set for two minutes, and the potato was left to work its magic, or not, as it turned out.

After the two minutes were up, a wet cloth and water were used to remove the starchy residue. Finally, all that was needed was to dry the glass. A soft microfiber cloth was used for drying, but a regular towel would have worked as well.

Glass left smeared and sticky

She wasn't particularly surprised to see that the shower didn't look sparkling and spotless. Instead, the glass was smeared, sticky, and quite unappealing. Similar to the grapefruit trick for removing limescale, this is another bathroom cleaning hack that won't be tried again.

Instead, she cleaned the shower with a reliable spray specifically formulated for that purpose, once again confirming that tried-and-true products can rarely be replaced by household alternatives.