There was once a time when cleaning was purely for behind closed doors. It was something we did in our own homes without any ceremony or fuss. Perhaps we would be in our most worn out clothing too with whatever was left over in our cleaning cupboard.
But those times are changing.
Social media now arguably has an impact on every aspect of our lives — socially, professionally, and psychologically. Now it is having an impact on our cleaning too.
A new cleaning craze is sweeping social media. Platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube especially are all getting in on the act. The cleaners depicted may be far more glamorous than we are used to seeing.
Some of them are now referred to as ‘cleaning gurus’ or, in one case, The Queen of Clean.
Whether we aspire to this level of control over our cleaning, or would be happier to leave it to a professional, there is no denying that cleaning is undergoing a glamorous renaissance.
Below, we take a look at some of the ways that social media is impacting cleaning and whether it is a positive influence, a meaningless distraction, or somewhere in between…
Pinterest is a largely visual form of social media that allows users to collate online ‘vision boards’ and mood boards — a series of images on a particular topic, theme, or colour scheme. It is especially popular for fashion, food and interior design and has a predominantly female user base.
Cleaning on Pinterest is now big business. Especially popular images — called “pins” — include decluttered or minimalistic homes, and immaculate cleaning. Others are organised shelves and cupboards, and handy step-by-step lists for how to create the same. Sometimes, the pins can depict enviable home lifestyle features, such as swimming pools that people can enjoy on hot days, and outdoor kitchens – like those by kitchendesigncentersc.com, for example – where you can host guests and hold lively social events.
Pinterest has been influencing our cleaning habits by showing interiors to aspire to, and levels of organisation that keep our homes running like a well-oiled machine. But a common criticism — for Instagram too — is that its depictions are unrealistic.
Believe it or not, social media platform Instagram now boasts a number of Cleaning Stars. Accounts such as @thesecretcleaner have amassed more than 10,000 followers, just by posting images of their favourite cleaning products and how they use them.
Other burgeoning cleaning stars like Mrs Hinch and Queen of Clean are also hugely popular, found by their followers through searching such hashtags as #cleanwithme or #cleaningobsessed.
Instagram allows users to post images, short videos, live sessions, and comments and is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. It currently has approximately 1 billion users worldwide!
YouTube
YouTube is the world’s favourite social media platform for video. It is famous for its trends like funny cat videos, makeup tutorials, product reviews and other viral videos.
But cleaning is making a huge impact here too. YouTube features thousands of How To tutorials on the topic of cleaning, helping to empower viewers to clean effectively and thoroughly at home. This can include laundry tips, cleaning ‘hacks’, repair videos and more.
But the influence of cleaning videos goes beyond simply practical. It seems to have an aesthetic or even therapeutic purpose too. ‘Clean With Me’ videos have amassed thousands of views, and consist of watching the subject simply clean, clear, and organise their space in real time.
There are even specific Clean With Me videos, such as bathroom, bedroom, home office, kitchen, or refrigerator editions. Fans of the videos claim they not only find these enjoyable and satisfying to watch — sometimes they are inspired to clean along too!
You are also less likely to forget to do something that you see every day!
The Impact Of Social Media On Cleaning
Social media can have a negative reputation for being unrealistic, distracting, and even harmful to self-esteem due to constant comparison to others. In terms of the cleaning craze, there are often flawless and immaculate homes portrayed that many busy people can only aspire to.
However, in an article published by the BBC, fans of the cleaning craze argued that it made an otherwise boring chore fun, and also helped combat any loneliness or isolation felt while doing work around the house.
Other people find that with the demands of their work, home, and social life, they are short on time and can only achieve the very best results with professional cleaners — like one of our friendly professionals.
Whether we have achieved something with our own elbow grease, or hired a professional to take back control of our free time, we can still easily make our homes beautiful, practical, and Instagrammable!
About Kleen and Fresh
Kleen and Fresh is a carpet and upholstery cleaning business which services Milton Keynes,
Bletchley, Bedford, Loughton, Newport Pagnell and the surrounding areas. A family business
dedicated to providing the highest quality service, Kleen and Fresh will restore your home
environment back to its best condition.
This article was produced by New Frontiers Marketing.