To wonder about the fetishisation of cleaning?

[Skelligsfeathers]

Cleaning and housework used to be just that. A necessary evil which most people did but didn't enjoy.
Now however, it seems to be a hobby almost for some people and the standards expected of people's homes seem to be insanely high.
Endless videos on social media of people pouring multiple chemicals into already pristine sinks. Grown adults getting excited about cleaning cloths and different fragrances of disinfectant.
TV shows where people who are obviously ill with OCD are paraded as being somehow morally superior to others because they spend hours every day cleaning already clean houses....

I just don't get it.
Is it all just another way of making money?
Or is it saying something deeper about our society?

I found the biggest issue for me is that it is relentless and in my experience I have had no help. I am naturally messy so I have found that getting rid of stuff that doesn't have a home helps a lot. If it is easy to put away then I put it away straightaway, if it is hard then it piles up.

But I like living in a clean and tidy home. I just wish that my ex and my kids would have pulled their weight so it wasn't always left to me.

Having said that, I grew up in a spotless home and that was also stressful. Living in a show home is not a lot of fun.

I really struggle to do housework. Every day. I have to use wee tricks to motivate myself- favourite podcast when making dinner, dancing tunes on for doing dishes... I try to reframe it in my head as a meditation, deep breathe, smile. You would think that after years of doing this I would enjoy it or cope better? Unfortunately not. Tasks are done every day but I find it so difficult. I do have a long term health condition- if you have weeks where you are unwell and doing the bare minimum, when you are well enough there is a lot to do to catch up! Feels like always chasing my tail.
This thread has been fascinating to see other people's feelings and behaviours. It's interesting to observe others who talk about these quite relentless routines as if they are easy- not to me!
For me I'd love to accept my house clean or less clean and welcome guests regardless. The anxiety, worry and feelings of shame are really unhealthy and sounds like lots of us feel them- either to compel you to clean a lot, or feel crap about yourself that you don't/can't.

@Knittingchamp

I think what it says about our society is that women should aspire to clean their houses - being houseproud is truly aspirational - and if they do they should be very proud.

Surprise surprise, no men are involved in this. Just another 1950's throwback to keep women chained to the kitchen sink if you ask me.

Well, if you'd read the thread, you'd have learnt that:

There are male cleaning influencers.
There's a popular cleaning show on Channel 5 with two male hosts.
The show "Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners" had plenty of male participants who were proud of how clean and tidy they were.
Plenty of us have male relatives who clean and who are exceptionally house proud.

You may not understand why some people enjoy cleaning and having a tidy home, but the fact that you insist on flinging insults at us says more about you than anything else.

@thepeopleversuswork

But I can't understand the Mrs Hinch type of cleaning and home inspiration. The stockpiling in "narnia" cupboards stuffed with loads of different cleaning products. The consumerism and cost of constantly updating the interiors to keep up with every trend. It's almost cult like.

I agree. It's grim. Depressing and Stepword Wifelike.

How is it cult-like to have an interest in interior design?

Why is it wrong to enjoy buying cleaning products, so that you always have the right product available? I'm sure plenty of people have drawers of barely-worn clothes, excess toiletries or make-up, a love of buying stationery, we are all drawn to different things that make us happy.

I hate the sneering, superior tone of this thread. Just reminding women not to like what they like lest others deem it boring, vacuous or cult-like. When actually the only message should be - do you enjoy that? can you afford it? Does it have no negative impact on anyone else? Great. Good for you. Keep doing it then.

@twominutesmore Exactly!!!

I mean I could never get the all grey interior design trend that was/is still popular but I don't judge people who like that (I mean if anything it must be an easy colour to coordinate with, so you can rotate accessories and furniture).

Absolutely agree there is nothing wrong with stocking up on cleaning products and also enjoying buying them in the first place! Plenty of other hobbies have people stocking up and enjoying buying materials in the first place. Two examples that I can think of off the top of my head are: make up and DIY. My sister is mad into makeup, enjoys trying out new products and will stock up in a sale. While, my OH stocks up on materials for projects that he plans on doing in the future.

I hate the sneering, superior tone of this thread. Just reminding women not to like what they like lest others deem it boring, vacuous or cult-like. When actually the only message should be - do you enjoy that? can you afford it? Does it have no negative impact on anyone else? Great. Good for you. Keep doing it then.

Exactly.

MN has a weird thing around cleaning - if you dare to admit you like it or enjoy having a clean home, you're looked down upon and insulted for some reason.

Some people clearly find it easier to boost their own self esteem by putting other people down.

* hate the sneering, superior tone of this thread. Just reminding women not to like what they like lest others deem it boring, vacuous or cult-like. When actually the only message should be - do you enjoy that? can you afford it? Does it have no negative impact on anyone else? Great. Good for you. Keep doing it then.*

Added to which, what are they doing that’s so very profound and meaningful when others are getting stuck in to regularly cleaning

As I say upthread… I suspect simply hours spent scrolling their phones!

I clean and tidy because mess makes my anxiety worse. I have 2 young DC so my house is by no means spotless but my aim is for it to be.
It's not that I'm boring or having nothing else to do. I just can't relax in a mess.

Surprise surprise, no men are involved in this. Just another 1950's throwback to keep women chained to the kitchen sink if you ask me

I wouldn’t want to go to a man’s home that wasn’t clean and tidy either, nothing to do with gender.

Someone said it doesn't do anyone any harm...
Actually chucking multiple cleaning products down your sink does everyone harm. The resultant fumes cause breathing issues in the inhabitants of the house and the chemicals themselves damage the environment.
I am really surprised that so many people feel so strongly about this.
Some really interesting points have been made.

I loathe cleaning/housework with a passion. Do the very least I can get away with. Its shitty wifework. Down with the Patriarchy.

@Skelligsfeathers

Someone said it doesn't do anyone any harm... Actually chucking multiple cleaning products down your sink does everyone harm. The resultant fumes cause breathing issues in the inhabitants of the house and the chemicals themselves damage the environment. I am really surprised that so many people feel so strongly about this. Some really interesting points have been made.

Having a clean home and enjoying cleaning doesn't mean you "chuck multiple cleaning products down the sink".

People are just defending themselves. You started a thread to complain about what they enjoy and many posters have flung insults at them - what do you expect them to do?

I wasn't posting about about just having a clean house., I am sorry if you didn't understand that.

But she's talking about the recent social media fetishisation for cleaning, which is a specific thing, separate from people who've always been house proud.

I think a lot of people just get a lot of satisfaction from making something neat and organised and feel a lot less stressed if their environment is clean and tidy. And that’s fine. Nobody’s saying everyone has to be like that. The Instagram accounts, books and TV shows are aimed at people who like that sort of thing; they’re not suggesting it’s some kind of standard that everyone has to meet.

Some people like cooking or DIY or upcycling furniture or gardening or whatever, and there’s a lot of media devoted to being good at those, too, but I don’t think anyone thinks that’s fetishisation. Personally I think the reason people turn their noses up at the cleaning fans is because cleaning is considered ‘domestic’ and (historically) it was women’s work, so is often treated as mindless or silly. But in fact it’s no less valid as an interest or a skill than anything else, and if people love it, fair play to them.

@MrsBerthaRochester

I loathe cleaning/housework with a passion. Do the very least I can get away with. Its shitty wifework. Down with the Patriarchy.

“Shitty wifework” strikes me as internalised misogyny. Just because historically something was ‘women’s work’ doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile or valuable or interesting. Nobody ever describes the domestic tasks that were historically done by men, like DIY or mending a car, as ‘shitty husband work’.

@MurderAtTheBeautyPageant

But she's talking about the recent social media fetishisation for cleaning, which is a specific thing, separate from people who've always been house proud.

But people have always been like that, it's just social media makes us more aware of it.

@Skelligsfeathers

I wasn't posting about about just having a clean house., I am sorry if you didn't understand that.

I do understand that...

But what you're complaining about seeing on social media isn't new, it's just in the past, people couldn't share all this stuff, so it was kept between people on the same street or family or, (at a push) in the same town.

Social media makes everything seem more prevalent than it actually is.

Strangely enough my grannie, who just didn’t do cleaning at all, spent her time doing the ‘shitty husband work’ of DIY and mending cars instead. She was really good at it too. (Not relevant, sorry, just brought it all back.)

They have to be more extreme to get viewers, no one is going to watch someone making a video of running the hoover round once a week and doing light dusting!

Extreme = viewers and viewers = advertising

What sells isn't necessarily what makes sense in real life

Same goes for childcare experts etc. Common sense doesn't always come into it

Just women being pitted against each other nothing changes.

@Skelligsfeathers

Someone said it doesn't do anyone any harm... Actually chucking multiple cleaning products down your sink does everyone harm. The resultant fumes cause breathing issues in the inhabitants of the house and the chemicals themselves damage the environment. I am really surprised that so many people feel so strongly about this. Some really interesting points have been made.

But you didn't start a thread about using environmentally-friendly products or even advocating for using fewer products. You started a thread laughing at people for enjoying cleaning, or enjoying the end result anyway.

I wonder what the result would be if someone started a thread sneering at people for having grubby, disorganised homes.

But people have always been like that, it's just social media makes us more aware of it.

Tipping 10 different cleaning products into a toilet and filming it (and poisoning your lungs) for likes on TikTok.

@MurderAtTheBeautyPageant

But people have always been like that, it's just social media makes us more aware of it.

Tipping 10 different cleaning products into a toilet and filming it (and poisoning your lungs) for likes on TikTok.

But again, what makes money on TikTok isn't what people actually do IRL.

In her OP she talks about cleaning videos on social media. That's the point of her thread.