YouTube is full of cleaning and organizing inspiration. Here are my top picks.
Credit: Aurikatariina/YouTube
While I was working on a post about the best cleaning influencers to follow on Instagram in the wake of the news that TikTok is going to become unavailable in the U.S. at the end of this week, I noticed something: Some of the most popular creators in the space aren’t making mini videos on Reels; instead, they’re operating over on YouTube, where they have more options for presenting their tips and inspiration. Here are some of the best ones you can follow now.
Midwest Magic Cleaning
I love Midwest Magic Cleaning videos because they’re completely attainable. You’re not watching someone in a palatial home use the most expensive vacuum on the market, but rather a down-to-earth guy who takes turns being inspirational and relatable while teaching you cleaning basics and doing a little home reno. Also—and this is important—the videos are funny.
Aurikatariina
You’ve probably seen Aurikatariina’s videos crossposted on Facebook or X, but she’s worth a follow on her own because she cleans other people’s homes for free. While your house may not be at the level of disrepair the ones she deals with are, you can pick up a lot of great tips from her. She cleans with a positive attitude and a lot of empathy, which I find inspiring when I watch her joyfully clear away trash and share her preferred products. When she uses a product, she even puts a little graphic of exactly what it looks like in its packaging on screen, so you know precisely what to buy for similar results.
This Crazy Life
Another channel full of relatable content is This Crazy Life, where the creator, Amanda, gives a realistic look at how she cleans the home she shares with her family, including three young sons. She offers a variety of content types, from testing out “viral hacks” to showcasing how she refreshes different rooms around her house on a budget. Personally, I’m tired of unrelatable influencers (at least in the cleaning space) and enjoy seeing how real people with normal lives and jobs navigate staying organized on top of their other responsibilities, so these videos are great.
Clean My Space
On Clean My Space, you can find the answer to any cleaning question. Seriously, this channel has it all. Where other cleaning channels focus on the satisfying clips of creators wiping down grimy sinks or transforming rooms, this one functions kind of like a how-to guide, with dedicated videos for everything from cleaning a glass stove to making your own cleaning solutions.
The best organizing channels on YouTube
I also love watching videos of people organizing, not just cleaning, their homes; for me, that’s where real inspiration comes in. It’s satisfying to see someone wipe away some grime, but in most cases, I already know how to do that. Seeing how someone organizes their stuff, however, can give me all kinds of new ideas.
iOrganize
iOrganize is my favorite organizer on the internet—not really a category of influencer I ever thought I’d have a “favorite” of before I started writing about cleaning and organizing, but here we are. On the channel, Christen Fackler offers direct, no-nonsense advise on how to rethink the way you organize your home. The clips are filmed simply and all the focus is on the tips, which is refreshing and gets straight to the point.
The Carla Project
Another genre I enjoy involves one organizer going into other people’s homes and teaching them how to declutter and organize. That’s what happens over on The Carla Project, where you get to see a bunch of different living spaces and can find clips that align with your exact needs, from “small kitchens” to “crowded closets.” The creator, Carla, also shows how she’s getting on in her own personal organizing and decorating projects.
The Secret Slob
The Secret Slob uses and demonstrates the FlyLady cleaning method, so you know she knows what she’s talking about, since that’s one of the best organizing techniques out there. Steph, the creator, gives gentle guidance on how to get started with a cleaning technique, how to prioritize peace through cleaning, and how to stick with a habit. She shares before-and-afters as well as lessons she’s learned while working through the FlyLady system, all in a way that feels accessible.
Lindsey Ellefson
Features Editor
Lindsey Ellefson is Lifehacker’s Features Editor. She currently covers study and productivity hacks, as well as household and digital decluttering, and oversees the freelancers on the sex and relationships beat. She spent most of her pre-Lifehacker career covering media and politics for outlets like Us Weekly, CNN, The Daily Dot, Mashable, Glamour, and InStyle. In recent years, her freelancing has focused on drug use and the overdose crisis, with pieces appearing in Vanity Fair, WIRED, The New Republic, The Daily Beast, and more. Her story for BuzzFeed News won the 2022 American Journalism Online award for Best Debunking of Fake News.
In addition to her journalism, Lindsey is a student at the NYU School of Global Public Health, where she is working toward her Master of Public Health and conducting research on media bias in reporting on substance use with the Opioid Policy Institute’s Reporting on Addiction initiative. She is also a Schwinn-certified spin class teacher. She won a 2023 Dunkin’ Donuts contest that earned her a year of free coffee. Lindsey lives in New York, NY.
