Why we can't look away from hoarder home clean-ups
The popularity of 'extreme cleaning' videos on platforms like TikTok is driven by human curiosity and a psychological desire for order. Experts suggest that viewers find the transformation of hoarded or crime-scene environments satisfying and reassuring.
Why it matters
This trend reflects broader digital consumption habits where viewers seek vicarious control and resolution through short-form content.
Image source, Pocket Rockets Image caption, Victoria Gordon and a colleague kitted out for heavy-duty cleaning
When Victoria Gordon arrives at a client's house, she can be met with huge piles of clothes, stacks of unwashed dishes and badly blocked toilets.
The 44-year-old is not your average cleaner. She specialises in hoarder clearances, crime scene work and other extreme clean-up projects.
She loves her job as an extreme cleaner, but since starting to document her cleaning adventures online, she has found it fascinating how interested other people are in what she does.
The popularity of cleaning videos has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2023, Unilever partnered with TikTok to launch a dedicated CleanTok community after the genre had amassed 78 billion views on the social media platform.
So why are people so captivated by videos of hoarded homes, crime scene cleans and other extreme clear-outs?
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