Although it may come as a surprise to many, it turns out that many people relax by watching videos of others…cleaning. Professional “productions” lasting just a few minutes attract audiences of millions. It longs for the soothing sounds of scrubbing the sink, vacuuming or sweeping dust with a special broom. What is the #cleantok phenomenon?

ASMR and ice cubes in the toilet

Tik Tok recorded a record number of video views with one particular hashtag: #cleantok. 150 billion, because we are talking about this number, can be qualified as a phenomenon. What is the reason behind the huge popularity of watching cleaning and organizing videos? There are several reasons.

The first and one of the most important is the influence of ASMR, that is, of the autonomic sensory meridian response.

  • According to the Wikipedia definition, it is “a pleasant tingling sensation on the body associated with rest, relaxation and relaxation”. The sounds of scrubbing the smooth surface of the sink with a sponge, vacuuming, spraying the surface of the kitchen worktop and then wiping it with a cloth can create a pleasant and very relaxing feeling.

The secret lies in the appropriate sensitivity of the microphone and the exclusion of any other sounds. Nothing should interfere with the main cleaning “music”. The sound of children playing in the distance, music or a dog barking are absolutely unacceptable as they disrupt ASMR.

What else contributes to the popularity of #cleantok?

  • Another reason for the huge popularity of videos with the hashtag #cleantok is interesting patents for cleaning and organizing the home.

Not everyone knows that in order for the toilet cleaner not to run down the walls at the bottom so quickly, you need to pour ice cubes into the bowl. This will enhance the descaling effect in the areas below the rim of the bowl.

To refresh the mattress, tiktokers pour baking soda through a strainer. They leave it on for several hours and then thoroughly vacuum the place of their night’s rest. Another interesting patent is acrylic drawers and containers. They can be used to organize any space – from the refrigerator to the space under the sink.

The most organized ladies in the house have a special tool. On it, they generate stickers with signatures to describe the space even better and more accurately. And so that the members of the household know where to put the used things.

Full-time Cleanfluencers

  • All the perfect housewives who devote all their time and energy to preparing, recording, editing and communicating with fans under their cleaning videos have a few things in common.

Although they come from different parts of the US, they are of different ages, have or don’t have pets. Each of them can boast an impressive, huge, beautifully furnished house for one family.

The facility is stunning. Huge living rooms with sofas several meters long, dining rooms, kitchen with an island and atmospheric lighting, several bedrooms and at least two bathrooms. Everything is decorated in neutral beige colors, with soft carpets, aromatherapy candles and plenty of blankets and pillows. They store them carefully every day so that they do not lose their cut and fluffy filling. At times it seems almost surreal that someone lives there. The signs of life that appear at the beginning, such as the scattered papers from the baby treats, the stains of spilled juice and the dirty pans in the sink, feel artificially planted.

In order to get a little closer to the viewers and show them that real family life takes place in this ideal serial villa, web artists are increasingly boldly revealing secrets. They show their faces on video, filming family trips or preparing for a movie night together.

Why do they do it?

They do all this in order not to lose their viewers. Thanks to them, they earn a lot of money and also receive frequent offers to advertise products, of course, for cleaning. Whether it’s laundry vacuum cleaners, a modern paper towel holder with a built-in liquid bottle for wiping table tops, or floor mop sets with a mop tip spin system.

Micah Enriquez, known as makeitwithmicah, who has 2.4 million followers on Instagram alone, gave up her full-time job as a lawyer to present home care. So does Catherine Benson (catbing – 13.1 million followers), who breaks popularity records with her videos of seasonally decorating her property. Do-it-yourself homemaker Rochelle Stewart (operation_niki – 4.4 million followers) has made a fortune by documenting the organization of her huge fridge and living a luxurious life with a collection of handbags from the likes of Dior and Gucci. Cleaning her own house became her only source of income.

Relaxation can turn into compulsion

Experts point to the positive aspects of perfectly cleaned houses:

  • relaxation
  • a sense of fulfillment
  • motivation to act

Videos encouraging people to clean their space are full of comments from enthusiastic users:

“Thanks to you, I finally cleaned and organized my household, thank you!”,

“No one has motivated me like this before. Finally!”,

“Since I have a tidy home, order has also reigned in my head”.

The therapeutic effect of cleaning and tidying the space around you has many benefits. Even if we end up watching #cleantoka, we still benefit from relaxing all our senses.

Unfortunately, too much determination and lack of moderation in trying to have “perfectly tidy home” similar to the videos of cleanfluencers, you can turn into an obsession and the emergence of compulsive behavior.

  • It must be remembered that with a full-time job, children and many other responsibilities, it is practically impossible to make our household look like the videos made to make money.

Let’s be inspired by #cleantoc in moderation. Let’s not forget that a home is not a museum.

The potato salad that conquered TikTok. Surprise your guests with it!