Newport mum's cleaning hack videos a hit on TikTok

Laura Williams (cleaning_at83 on TikTok) said that she spent months sitting behind her phone watching other creators' content before getting involved.

"Everyone loves a hack, especially when they make my life and other peoples lives easier," she said.

"I discovered cleantok and I was instantly hooked.

"As a busy wife, part-time working mum of two, there's always something that needs doing in the house, but sometimes finding that motivation to get it done wasn't always there.

"For some reason watching cleaning videos helped me."

@cleaning_at83 Follow to stay 🧼 #cleantok #welcome #fypシ #foryourpage #viral #cleaning #cleaningat83 ♬ original sound - Cleantok Tips + Motivation

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Ms Williams posted her first video during the firebreak lockdown in October 2020.

"I had no idea what I was doing with transitions but somehow I managed to pull it out the bag," she said.

A few months later she had 400 followers. However, she had her sight set higher.

"I was cleaning anyway, so why not film it at the same time," she said.

"My first milestone was gaining 1,000 followers - by April I'd gained 10,000 and it just kept going."

Despite starting to lose motivation during the summer, with hits waning, one of Ms Williams videos went viral - garnering national news coverage.

@cleaning_at83 THIS IS ABSOLUTE GENIUS!!! Credit to @Janet Wilson ❤️ #hack #viral #fyp #cleaningat83 #foryou #lifehack #kitchen ♬ Mission Impossible (Main Theme) - Favorite Movie Songs

"This for me was incredible," she said.

"I went to bed and woke up to thousands of new followers.

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing, they were going up so rapidly I couldn't keep up."

Within a few days Ms Williams' account was sitting at 200,000 followers.

"I was completely overwhelmed by all of the support," she said.

"Unfortunately there was some negativity and still is. People will find anything to nit pick about."

Fast forward several months the account is now sitting at more than 900,000 followers.

"I still feels surreal that I have this huge following and this many people want to watch my videos," Ms Williams said.

"I don't shy away from showing dust, cobwebs, clutter and under the bed that I hasn't been hoovered for a couple of years or a sofa that hasn't been pulled out for months.

"I want people to know it's ok if you haven't put your washing away for a week, or if you haven't dusted your living room for two weeks."

With TikTok now part of her routine, Ms Williams is now looking forward to creating more content.

"Anything is possible if you put the effort in," she said.

"I'm excited to see where this journey takes me in 2022."