The Rise of the ‘Cleanfluencers’: My Perspective

Cleaning supplies are flying off the shelves after being recommended on Instagram, and whether it’s #FreshupFriday or a #Hinching moment, cleaning is taking social media by storm.

In fact, a recent academic study took a deep dive into the current rise of ‘cleanfluencers’ – aka cleaning influencers like Mrs Hinch – and the cultural forces driving this trend to glamorise the daily clean.

But here’s what cleanfluencers are missing: the spiritual effect that clearing their spaces has on their lives.

We’re glamorising domestic work and it’s big business. But there’s a deeper reason behind the cleanfluencer’s meteoric rise, and it’s more to do with energy and spiritual connection than bleach and Zoflora.

Listen, I own a cleaning business. I should be all over this stuff.

Right?

Well, not quite.

Let’s stop for a moment and look at a few things.

Firstly, I’m all for people enjoying their cleaning, and I LOVE that there’s such a movement around it.

I also know that so many people are experiencing the benefits of my CLEAR Method, without necessarily knowing why.


What I’m not keen on is:

1. The promotion of ALL the products, all the time.
   
   Listen, we don’t need all the things to clean and CLEAR. The very minimum works: a microfibre towel with water goes a long way, let me tell you.
   

2. Forgetting sustainability.
   
   Here you have an issue that the cleanfluencer corner of the world seems to have forgotten.  Let’s be mindful of how much plastic we’re using, and just how many chemicals we’re putting in our homes. Reduce, reuse, recycle – remember that? We need to.
   

3. The overconsumption of cleaning products.
   
   Buying more leads to overconsumption of ‘stuff’, and cupboards full of cleaning products that may or may not be used. But they’re what the latest Instagram cleanfluencer has convinced us to buy.
   

4. The danger of cleaning anxiety and OCD.
   
   Following other people’s lives on social media is a minefield, full stop. If you’re already experiencing overwhelm, anxiety, fatigue and wheel spinning in your daily life, adding the pressure of comparison puts extra strain on you. For anyone with a tendency to mask mental health challenges with external behaviours, this can also be a slippery slope to more anxiety, and even OCD. Be mindful.
   

5. Buying cupboards full of The Pink Stuff and Zoflora won’t give you a cleanfluencer’s life or a big house.
   
   Whatever you’re seeing on social media isn’t real life in full range – remember that. It’s often easier to avoid issues going on in your own world by aspiring to someone else’s life.
   

6. We’re glamorising domestic work, predominantly for females.
   
   We’ve come a long way since the 1950s. I won’t say too much on this, but be aware that glamorising women doing housework adds pressure back on that we worked so hard to lose and CLEAR.

Carolyn x