To wonder what’s going on with all the sudden cleaning/organising/‘Hinching’ interest?

[Jeezypeepers]

Just that really. I’m in my mid 30’s and up until now most people I know keep a reasonable home; but don’t obsess over it, as far as I know. It’s never even really been something that’s come up in conversation; but now I can’t seem to go near social media without a barrage of posts about how to organise my cleaning!

Another thing about it is that I consider myself a (tentative, as in I lurk on the boards here but am a bit scared to post ) feminist; and I do worry a bit that this sudden cleaning obsession is most definitely aimed at women...I’m not sure what the implications of this are as such, I’m just musing I guess. But mostly I wonder if I’ve missed something, what’s with the new interest in cleaning all of a sudden? Or has it always been there amongst this age bracket and I’m only just noticing it now I’m in it?

I'm a feminist and I really enjoy cleaning my home. I don't really understand "Hinchers", plus it's not "Hinching" it's cleaning.
Great if you enjoy it but I don't understand the obsession and also the hoarding of the different products.

I think it’s about the bloggers gaining attention and earning money. They are idolised by the people who follow their blogs. I have to admit I follow the two main ones because there have been some good cleaning tips on there. What I find really annoying is the posters with amazing houses and flashy kitchens using it as a blatant excuse to post pictures of their homes in order to show off and get complements from a bunch of strangers. They get the comments that they are so desperate for from gullible people saying things like “wow your kitchen looks amazing! Stunning! Etc” It seems that narcissism has no boundaries. It gets quite tiresome and I’m thinking of unfollowing the groups because of it.

I didn’t know who Mrs Hinch was till very recently. I looked at her Instagram but won’t follow because it’s just a sea of grey. Not my style at all. The stories she had up at the time were just all ads for various products. Boring AF IMO. I note she seems to have risen to fame extremely quickly as she was celebrating 1000 followers about a year or so ago (from memory, it was recent anyway) and now sits on 2M.

I’ve always been interested in home organisation but it definitely seems to be trending at the moment. Maybe the Marie Kondo series kicked it off abit.

An Essex girl newlywed who keeps a vase of flowers on her COOKER?
Ok. Sure. Of course.
I can’t wait for her have three under three.

I don’t like the whole Zoflora hype, the smells are artificial plus it’s flammable & seeing people boast about washing oven trays with fabric conditioner is just wrong.

However I started TOMM in July & got OH on board & it has worked in our household in keeping on top of things & decluttering. But we’re not obsessive & my living room currently looks like a tornado has passed through. The house is clean though & I use less products & I do spend less time cleaning so I can see why people are trying it though.

What's TOMM? Sounds interesting.

My 19 he old niece told me all proudly how she'd cleaned her bedroom thoroughly following the advice of the Hinch, I'm a self employed cleaner so she said I'd be proud of her.
Bless
She can't be all bad of she's getting young 'uns to clean.

Oh and zoflora, horrible smelly stuff!

I think it's linked in to the anti plastic thing & the idea of not buying disposable stuff that clusters the house up.

Yes I use TOMM as well. Only three weeks in after decades of being a messy disorganised person who did regular housework. But not consistently!

I’ve got fed up after having the dcs and a stressful job - I needed to take control of something and that was the house. I wasn’t taught a housework routine so went looking for one.

My house doesn’t look like a show home though and never will.

Plus I don’t use Instagram to follow - just head to the (very cluttered and ironically quite disorganised!) blog and find the routines there.

I’m a feminist and a SAHM. I’m into Kondo as I think too much stuff over whelming. I think it is a backlash to post war generation parents and PIL who colected lots of stuff due to economic reasons. I also do an altered version of TOMM. My aim is to make my life simple and reduce the amount of time I spend cleaning.

I don’t have Instagram or really use social media so I don’t understand the appeal of Hinch. Is it about being part of a shared experience?

It's about being part of something, finding a group you belong to, the same as Charlie's Army and similar. There is a lot of mutual validation going on with the followers. Add to that the need to nest in uncertain times and throw in a few good sales women/cleaning gurus and you have it.

The products they show are affordable, justifiable because they are for the home, easily available, there's instant gratification when using them, like with Zoflora. Love it or loathe is, but you can definitely smell it.

It amuses me that zoflora has become a cult item for these people. It's a cheap way to clean your home (but not if you have cats, they don't do well in a zoflora environment) and I've used it for eons years! I follow an OCC participant on Instagram and she's forever going on about 'managing to get her hands on' cleaning items, as if they're some rare handbag or artefact!
Also a feminist, in the truest sense of the word, raising feminist children, with a feminist husband. We all clean/tidy, as part of my feminist principles are not making myself a martyr to a clean house. We all work/go to school, and we all live here and make a mess. I'm not cleaning it all up just because I happen to have a vagina.
I had a quick squint at the Hinch woman and agree with pp - the flowers on the cooker are going to have to go once baby comes!

I think if your a perfectionist by nature, then these groups feed that need. Years ago, I would feel overwhelmed easily and feel judged on my parenting, house keeping skills and general ability to hold everything together. Back then it was Anthea Turner.

I worry about these groups. The sheer amount of chemicals used to clean one sink is really scary.

I followed the Kondo series in a passive-aggressive, “see! this is how you do it properly” educating Dh who has recently become a SAHD.

The groups feed the need to feel safe. Some people feel safer when following and safe in a big group, it gives them the satisfaction of having done the 'right' choice.

I think you are either a follower or you're not.

I do follow her on Instagram purely because I find her amusing and I fancy her husband her dog is really cute.

Keeping my house ordered is purely for my mental health, I'm currently being treated for anxiety and depression. But I follow TOMM too because it's a simple, non obsessive way to keep on top of the house and keep my mind in better health. My husband and son are hideously untidy but he will get on with housework so it's not all down to me.

Well. Mr and Mrs Hinch both work in sales (Mrs Hinch left it but was in sales from the age 16)

So it's just not a phenomenon of a hairdresser happening to take off and being liked. She is
Just selling! And mainly ignoring the ASA by not disclosing items she is affiliated with or paid to advertise!

Trying to put women back into their little boxes.