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

Melanie Gnau
Melanie GnauContributor
Melanie, a proud Isleta Pueblo tribal member, chronicles her life (like that time she lived in an Airstream), her dog, her chickens, and her work as a sustainability and small-spaces content creator and coach on her blog, A Small Life. There, she also shares tons of inspiration for readers looking for small home and alternative dwelling ideas.
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published Jun 25, 2022
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My TikTok “For You” page understands me well — and it knows that I love a good cleaning hack. So when I saw this viral cleaning hack for 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 with a brand new pair to 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. 

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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 hack technically worked, 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. 

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Cleaning