The Cleaning Pros of TikTok Will Fix Your Disgusting Life

It comes as no surprise when content made by teens and beautiful people gets engagement, but one of the most endearing things about TikTok is the everyday excellence of unsung professionals. I have been absorbed by pool cleaners sucking up inches of algae and Chesapeake watermen pulling in the catch of the day. There’s a certain satisfaction in watching something get done the right way, whether or not it pertains to you. But if you are looking for something that combines competence and practicality, the cleaning ladies of TikTok will actually change your life.

This is not a celebration of cleaning Tok at large, which contains many subsets including the grotesque #productoverload and equally gross but less wasteful laundry stripping trends. I’m talking about professional house cleaners like @allisonscleanin, @tidycademypro, @sparkleandglowcleaning, and @vanesamaro91, the last of whom is probably the most successful one of all with over 4 million followers.

These women do not clean like most of us. They have a top-down vision of what needs to be done and how to accomplish it that far exceeds my own ambition and drive. And I am rapt. When was the last time you cleaned under the cooking range or between the oven doors? Did you know Fabuloso is pH neutral? Do you know why that matters?

Sure, I know how to clean, but it rarely happens without fraught emotions and procrastination. Meanwhile, Allison skips into every client's house armed with her caddy, a Shark vacuum, and her favorite dollar tree scrub brush, and apparently loves it. It’s almost infectious.

Perhaps it is my own tenure in the service industry that makes me happy to see these domestic workers find a platform for their skilled advice in this era of celebrity-branded cleaning products. But the best part of this corner of TikTok is that, at some point, this information will come in handy, which makes watching these videos an investment in your skillset rather than a total waste of time. Here are some highlights off the top of my head:

• Clean your walls with water and fabric softener using a paint roller
• You are probably using too much toilet bowl cleaner
• Mop with hot water and powdered tide
• Dawn dish soap can be used to clean almost anything

Will I ever pull out the plastic grate underneath the fridge in order to clean the accumulated dust and grime? Only time will tell. But thanks to professional cleaning TikTok, at least I know I’m supposed to.