A TV show cleaner who worked on How Clean Is Your House from 2002 until 2009 has lifted the lid on his experience tidying some of the nation’s messiest homes.
Jason, from Plymouth, appeared with his sister and mum where he helped tidy and organise people’s residences which featured on the popular Channel 4 programme.
Speaking exclusively to Zingo Bingo, Jason recalled how he was approached for the job, and described how long it took to typically clean one house for one episode.
He also revealed the worst house he has ever had to tackle, and what it was really like working behind the scenes with expert hosts Kim Woodburn and Aggie Mackenzie.
Speaking to Zingo Bingo, former TV cleaner Jason Andrews said:
How did you get into cleaning?
“Cleaning changed my life. I was agoraphobic from the age of 11 until 21. I then realised I needed life skills. I took a Saturday cleaning job, and that started to integrate me back into society. I'd been cleaning around holiday parks, and later I set up a little business with my sister and mum, just to see how it goes. The first cleaning contract we got was with Deborah Meaden from Dragon's Den. She owned a holiday park in Cornwall. That’s what changed our lives.”
How did you get the job on How Clean Is Your House?
“Someone knew someone who’d heard of us working on this holiday park. The show had already started before we were employed as TV cleaners. They have been using local cleaners in each of the different areas they visited in the first series. But, they found that a lot of the individuals were not turning up on time.
“There was one really bad situation where no one turned up whatsoever. In the end, Kim and Aggie cleaned that house themselves, and it was so bad that Channel 4 didn't even air it. They wanted them to test us in a house in Cornwall. We were examined how we integrated with the team, the cables, the lights, the runners. It was a really challenging and busy environment. It worked well, and they then offered us every single house that they had for us to clean. We travelled around the country with them, from Cornwall all the way up to Glasgow. We joined from series two all the way until it ended in series 7, 2009.”
How long did it take to typically film one episode?
“How it was filmed, it was broken down into 3 stages. One, clear the house, two, clean the house, three, get ready for the reveal at the end. Each stage took about two days. Once the house is properly tidied and emptied, that's where we can really target it with all the cleaning products that we use to clean it. It never was lemons, vinegar, and bicarbonate soda.
“It was very hard-hitting, hard, strong bleach because you just couldn't clean it without bleach or stuff that was really on an industrial scale. The next two days would be fluffing it up and putting cushions in the right place and putting out plants. You’re making the reveal look nice. There was a trick we used on camera to make everything glow, and it was baby oil. We covered everything in baby oil as it shines under a light.”
Did working in the houses ever get easier for you?
“It got very repetitive, because I just felt like the first few series everything felt different. But as the show progressed, I felt like the producers needed to constantly try and find dirtier and dirtier homes to get that shock factor. It was just one maggot ridden fridge after another.”
Do you think the show should come back?
“I do think it should come back. But I wish it would focus more on cleaning, because I've got my own experiences of how cleaning has changed my life. I wouldn't be where I am now. I think if it was a more modern show nowadays, I think it would be a bit more about well-being and focusing on cleanliness and motivation rather than just, “There you go, your house is clean, get on with it.’”
