Problem Pinterest Pins

Okay, I confess that I love Pinterest. It's my newest addiction - so much cheaper than EBay! However, like everyone else I've run across more than my share of Pins that simply didn't work, no matter how many times I tried them. There are also Pins that have hidden downsides like horrible odors, potential health risks or expensive ingredients. I've even started a Pinterest Board that I call "Pins that Really Didn't Work".

Here are a few that just didn't live up to their hype.

1) Sharpie Decorated Mugs

Sharpie inks aren't safe for food consumption so if you decorate a mug or plate with a Sharpie you shouldn't drink or eat from it. Also, while many Pins suggest that you bake these items to make the marker permanent it still isn't truly dishwasher safe and will fade after repeated washing.

If you want to decorate dishware that you can use, invest in a few Pebeo Porcelain markers.

2) Glow Stick Lanterns

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, right? First, its hard to get the glow chemicals out of the glow sticks and into the water. Second, when you do anything you accidentally get the chemicals on (like your fingers) will glow - fortunately the chemicals in glow sticks aren't toxic. There may be bits of fine broken glass in the liquid. Third, at least for me, it just doesn't mix with water well.

You can get a similar effect by simply activating a glow stick and submerging it in a bottle of water. The water will slightly magnify the glow. Just don't expect these to light a campsite at night.

3) Glow Paint "Firefly Jar"

The inspiration - I now think there is a light under the jars

This image is lovely! No wonder I wanted to try it. I even followed it back to the original post since I've seen several variations on it. I followed the instructions exactly.

I spent about an hour painstakingly dotting little dabs of glow in the dark paint around the interiors of two jars. I even used 2 different types of glow in the dark paint. I left my jars sitting under a 150 watt lamp for 12 hours.

Danielle and I ran outside with them hopefully at 9 PM. Nothing. Nada. They don't really glow.

Ours - taken with a long exposure and enhanced in Photoshop

The glow stickers we picked up at Dollar Tree were simpler to use and worked much, much better.

4) Mountain Dew Glow Lantern
I'm not sure why this one keeps resurfacing. Ask yourself, why would any soda make hydrogen peroxide and baking soda glow? Why Mountain Dew, not Sprite? This is a hoax, folks. Check Snopes if you don't believe me.

Oh, adding Starburst candies to Mountain Dew doesn't create a glow, either. If you read these pins one of the ingredients is a glow stick!

5) DIY Cleaners

DIY Dry Laundry Soap (small batch)

Lots of these are wonderful. They are simple to create, save money and work well. I now make my own laundry soap and dishwasher tablets. However, you'd better learn to like the smell of vinegar because it is  primary ingredient in most of these cleaners. Sometimes I wonder if Pinterest is surreptitiously sponsored by Dawn Dish Liquid and Heinz White Vinegar.

Cleaners that didn't work as well as reported (at least for me) include:

• Spray on Shower & Tub Cleaner - vinegar combined with an equal amount of Dawn dish washing liquid. The instructions were,"Wait an hour and then simply wipe clean with a towel." I still had to get on my hands and knees and scrub. Maybe my shower was unusually gross?
• Felted Wool Dryer Balls - Yes, these work. However, they require 100% wool which isn't cheap. You can make a dryer ball for free from things you have on hand. Wadded up aluminum foil, old tennis balls, bumpy dog toys, or mismatched socks rolled into a ball work equally well. Three or four will keep your laundry moving around and reduce your drying time.

6) DIY Gel Air Fresheners 

Am I the only one who remembers petri dishes from High School science classes?!? Please, please don't make these. While the ingredients are more natural than those found in commercially available gel air fresheners you are basically creating the perfect home for microbial growth when you make these using gelatin. If you read some of the blogs about these they comment that they lose their scent after a few days and begin to grow mold and bacteria after a week...

If you need an air freshener and want to make your own, use essential oils to scent a dry material like baking soda or kosher salt. Better yet, open your windows for a few hours and let some fresh air in.

7) Use Hot Vinegar to Clean Paintbrushes
Another use for vinegar - the darling of Pinterest posts.  I've seen Pins claiming as many as 1,600 uses for it around the house.

This comes from a credible source,This Old House. However, I microwaved white vinegar and submerged the bristles of several gunked up paintbrushes in it overnight. Not much happened. A little paint flaked off, but even after scrubbing them in hot water and soap they were still a mess. It didn't remove interior paint, chalkboard paint or acrylic craft paint from my brushes. Maybe my paintbrushes were beyond hope.

This was AFTER soaking for hours in hot vinegar then washing 

8) Vinegar & Listerine Foot Soak
This one was all over Pinterest and Facebook so I tried it.

This will leave your feet minty fresh. It will NOT remove callouses. Instead, soak your feet for 10 minutes in warm water then use a pumice stone to soften feet and remove dead skin.

However, vinegar & Listerine may help cure mild athlete's foot and toe nail fungus, so it's not a bad foot soak - just not a miracle cure for callouses & dead skin.

9) Hydrogen Peroxide & Baking Soda to Whiten Teeth

Yes, unlike using these ingredients with Mountain Dew to make a lantern, this works. However, it should be used with care. Baking soda is abrasive and can scrub the enamel right off your teeth. Lemon juice is another good tooth whitener, but the harsh acids can also erode the enamel on your teeth. And enamel doesn't grow back.

10) Glow in the Dark Bubbles
Apparently Pinners can't get enough of things that glow. This suggests that you break open a glow stick (see potential problems in #2) and stir the chemicals into bubble solution. Okay, that should make the solution glow. However, just like commercially available glow bubble solutions the bubbles don't noticeably glow. Disappointing. Maybe someone should suggest they add some vinegar? or baking soda & hydrogen peroxide?