BLEACH, PRAY, LOVE... KEEPING IT CLEAN WITH CANADA’S QUEEN OF CLEAN & HER #CLEANINGARMY!
Calgary ’s GoCleanCo CEO Sarah McAllister chats with Angela Sara West about her career highlights, her winning formula for success, cutting the clutter and making cleaning a family affair, and how Martha Stewart is her muse. They also talk Taylor Swift, top cleaning tips and hacks, cutting-edge cleaning trends and gadgets, straight from the Queen of Clean herself!
Falling short on the cleaning this holiday season? Looking to transform your home AND life? Look no further than Alberta’s celebrity cleaner Sarah McAllister - the founder, director, and CEO of sought-after cleaning company GoCleanCo who boasts close to 2.5 MILLION followers on her Instagram alone!
From mess to success, Sarah is a highly influential figure in the cleaning world. The superstar sanitizer flourishes on sharing practical cleaning tips’n’tricks with her copious loyal followers, who affectionally call themselves the #CleaningArmy.
“My overarching feeling has consistently been gratitude,” she tells me. “I feel so lucky to have the audience I have because I love sharing my learnings with everyone, but I also learn so much from them... I get thousands of questions every day, with new scenarios for me to solve and explore, and I feel so grateful to be able to impart my learnings.”
STRESS-FREE DEEP CLEANING
Rolling up her sleeves and dishing out some tough ‘cleaning’ love, the mentor and massive influencer is a huge hit due to her fun and sassy sense of humor and real-life posts, motivating millions not only to clean, but also boasting business advice, along with home design, décor and fashion tips, too.
Make all that sighing, huffing and puffing as you ‘anger clean’ a thing of the past with Sarah’s genius stress-busting methods, and get your grimy surfaces positively gleaming with this experienced dirt-busting expert’s advice. You’ll be cleaning like a pro before you know it!
Not sure where to begin? “Don’t panic or NOT start because you are overwhelmed,” stalwart Sarah advises. “If it takes a while to do it all, so what? You are doing this deep clean for YOU.”
FRESH IN A FLASH
With an approach emphasizing ‘thorough’ cleaning, Sarah shows you how to turn your home into a comfortable and inviting space. Creating calm, clean abodes one room at a time, the viral Instagrammer will teach you how to keep your space sparkling, immaculate, and feeling fresh in a flash.
From organizing and decluttering, to scouring and scrubbing, deep cleaning everything from your faucet and that “disgusting” forgotten area under your fridge, to hard-to-reach spots and clothing, right through to your furnishings, for this squeaky-clean sterilizer it’s all about creating a space that’s not only maximized and uniquely yours plus a place to relax, but also your dreamiest, tidiest, cleanest-ever home.
A LOYAL FOLLOWING
After decades of working in the home industry, this popular cleaning educator has a plan and solution for every scenario. Regularly engaging with her faithful #cleaningarmy followers, she shares her expertise with her millions of affianced followers, regularly feeding them with insightful and invaluable content in her much-anticipated posts.
Featuring deep-cleaning hacks, as well as showing and shaming the “filthy grime” in many of the homes she cleans, Sarah showcases the shiny polished results after putting in some serious elbow grease into each unsavoury space.
LOCKDOWN SUCCESS – CREATING CALM, CLEAN HOMES
The cleaning boss’s business boomed during the pandemic, seeing empire-building Sarah become an overnight Instagram sensation.
As covid hit, she cottoned on to how cleaning could give people from far and wide not just a sense of pride, but also a sense of control in an uncertain world.
With tips’n’tricks a-go-go up her rolled-up sleeves, she became THE go-to source for all things clean. Creating calm, clean homes one room at a time, her revered room-by-room system guarantees a spotless and shipshape home. “This will also clear your headspace and once you start and finish with one room, it has a domino effect throughout your entire home,” she expounds.
A TEEN KEEPING IT CLEAN
A true rags-to-riches story, long-term hustler Sarah started out at just 13 years-old. “I’ve always loved cleaning,” she says. “And a lot of people don’t know how to properly clean!”
Disinfecting with bleach, advocating proper deep-clean cleaning and showing us HOW to clean properly right from the get-go (and always referring to the CDC guidelines) she’s the go-to for advice on how to get your house glossy and in order so it looks like new.
SWEEPING HER PATH TO SUCCESS
Now in her 40s, serial entrepreneur Sarah has built several successful, female-led forward-thinking businesses since she was just that young teen.
“I’ve always had a huge appetite to grow and learn, so from a young age I started building different companies to see where I could take them.
FROM NANNY & DOG WALKER TO QUEEN OF CLEAN!
Before she began GoCleanCo, the clean queen owned a dog-walking company. A former yoga teacher, too, Sarah has also served as a waitress and a bartender. “I honestly think everyone needs to work in the service industry at some point in their lives because you learn so much,” she explains.
“Even about running a business, your personality and your tips are a direct reflection of how well you did at the end of your shift. I was also a nanny for years and worked at a hair salon washing hair and selling products. I truly love sharing things that I love with people, and I found out there that I have a knack for sales.”
Spotting a gap in the market for no-strings-attached deep cleans when spick-and-span Sarah realized more people needed their houses cleaned than their dogs walked, in November 2018, armed with her mom’s top cleaning methods, she started GoCleanCo, focusing on deep cleans alongside building her company ’s reputation online.
Not sure where to begin? “Don’t panic or NOT start because you are overwhelmed,” stalwart Sarah advises. “If it takes a while to do it all, so what? You are doing this deep clean for YOU.”
FRESH IN A FLASH
With an approach emphasizing ‘thorough’ cleaning, Sarah shows you how to turn your home into a comfortable and inviting space. Creating calm, clean abodes one room at a time, the viral Instagrammer will teach you how to keep your space sparkling, immaculate, and feeling fresh in a flash.
From organizing and decluttering, to scouring and scrubbing, deep cleaning everything from your faucet and that “disgusting” forgotten area under your fridge, to hard-to-reach spots and clothing, right through to your furnishings, for this squeaky-clean sterilizer it’s all about creating a space that’s not only maximized and uniquely yours plus a place to relax, but also your dreamiest, tidiest, cleanest-ever home.
A LOYAL FOLLOWING
After decades of working in the home industry, this popular cleaning educator has a plan and solution for every scenario. Regularly engaging with her faithful #cleaningarmy followers, she shares her expertise with her millions of affianced followers, regularly feeding them with insightful and invaluable content in her much-anticipated posts. Featuring deep-cleaning hacks, as well as showing and shaming the “filthy grime” in many of the homes she cleans, Sarah showcases the shiny polished results after putting in some serious elbow grease into each unsavoury space.
LOCKDOWN SUCCESS – CREATING CALM, CLEAN HOMES
The cleaning boss’s business boomed during the pandemic, seeing empire-building Sarah become an overnight Instagram sensation. As covid hit, she cottoned on to how cleaning could give people from far and wide not just a sense of pride, but also a sense of control in an uncertain world. With tips’n’tricks a-go-go up her rolled-up sleeves, she became THE go-to source for all things clean. Creating calm, clean homes one room at a time, her revered room-by-room system guarantees a spotless and shipshape home. “This will also clear your head-space and once you start and finish with one room, it has a domino effect throughout your entire home,” she expounds.
A TEEN KEEPING IT CLEAN
A true rags-to-riches story, long-term hustler Sarah started out at just 13 years-old. “I’ve always loved cleaning,” she says. “And a lot of people don’t know how to properly clean!” Disinfecting with bleach, advocating proper deep-clean cleaning and showing us HOW to clean properly right from the get-go (and always referring to the CDC guidelines) she’s the go-to for advice on how to get your house glossy and in order so it looks like new.
SWEEPING HER PATH TO SUCCESS
Now in her 40s, serial entrepreneur Sarah has built several successful, female-led forward-thinking businesses since she was just that young teen. “I’ve always had a huge appetite to grow and learn, so from a young age I started building different companies to see where I could take them.
FROM NANNY & DOG WALKER TO QUEEN OF CLEAN!
Before she began GoCleanCo, the clean queen owned a dog-walking company. A former yoga teacher, too, Sarah has also served as a waitress and a bartender. “I honestly think everyone needs to work in the service industry at some point in their lives because you learn so much,” she explains.
“Even about running a business, your personality and your tips are a direct reflection of how well you did at the end of your shift. I was also a nanny for years and worked at a hair salon washing hair and selling products. I truly love sharing things that I love with people, and I found out there that I have a knack for sales.”
Spotting a gap in the market for no-strings-attached deep cleans when spick-and-span Sarah realized more people needed their houses cleaned than their dogs walked, in November 2018, armed with her mom’s top cleaning methods, she started GoCleanCo, focusing on deep cleans alongside building her company ’s reputation online.
“Each company built off the last - what worked and what didn’t. I learned a lot of lessons, but I truly have always been open to try anything that seemed like an interesting opportunity. I tried to use any earnings to build my businesses and save for investments in high-return opportunities, like real estate.”
And GoCleanGo proved SO successful, Sarah pulled the plug on the dog walking in 2020.
EMPOWERING US AT HOME & IN LIFE
With each of her businesses Sarah says her goal is to educate people so they feel empowered both at home and in life, which became particularly crucial during the pandemic.
In March of 2020, when covid hit, the top ship shaper was forced to put her in-person lleaning services on pause, so she started posting Instagram stories on how to deep clean and disinfect. With the whole world keen to clean and become ‘germ free’, Sarah showed us how to clean as per CDC standards - from making your own disinfectant to scouring hard surfaces.
As global panic for disinfecting everything from groceries to avidly sterilizing our mail swept the world, she says she put out “some really great content at the perfect moment in time”.
GOCLEANCO TO THE RESCUE!
As the entire planet became bitten by the cleaning bug, things went BOOM for GoCleanCo, seeing Sarah became a social media sensation practically overnight. “It blew up so fast!” says the eminent cleaning educator, who swiftly amassed millions of followers on her Insta account @GoCleanCo. “The pandemic gave me the runway to share because there was a captive audience of people who wanted to know how to REALLY clean, and the ‘home’ became even more important since we were all stuck there...”
“I don’t think it was solely people wanting to learn how to clean because they were scared, but also since people were at home, they were spending time doing the projects that they avoided – including organizing, cleaning out closets and cabinets,” says the cleaning lifesaver.
“I also think the meaning of the home changed – it became a safer space, so people were investing in ensuring they felt good in it.” The world was looking for digestible content where they could learn without feeling overwhelmed, and the renowned influencer’s focus on transparency and honesty saw Sarah speaking upfront with her faithful followers about what works and what doesn’t. “I try to break it down really simply and put a little twist of humour on it.” And it’s a teaching style that works... The connected GoCleanCo audience has continued to grow since the pandemic, proving people really do care about their abodes - not just about how their residence looks, but also how they FEEL at home.
Overnight cleaning sensation Sarah was set to stay...
“I love my daughter more than anything in the world and I do all of this for her. She is truly becoming an amazing young woman and the values and example I set for her are starting to show up in her daily decisions as she grows up, and it makes me so proud. I can only hope that when she is older, she understands that everything I have pushed so hard for was for her.”
CLEANING SECRETS
With her admirable passion for teaching people to do things right from the very first time, she’s not afraid to give away her cleaning secrets. A tactic which, she believes, gives back positively big time. Freely taking people to task for their dirty baseboards and not double-mopping, Sarah admits her manner is “not always gentle about people being slobs,” and that if they simply pick up that mop and get deep cleaning, they’ll “feel so much better for it!”
KEEPING IT CLEAN THRU’ COVID AND BEYOND...
Scrubbing, soaking and squeegeeing away, did she ever think she would one day find fame? “I pinch myself every day,” she discloses. “To be able to make a career out of my love language (cleaning is 100% an act of service for the people around you and for yourself) and my passion is truly amazing. I have so much fun because I also love creating the content. I laugh through all the different scenarios and get so much joy out of teaching and sharing with the community.”
BLEACH, PRAY, LOVE
In creating clean and orderly homes, the top-to-bottom cleaner uses the brilliant mantra “Bleach, pray, love.” Turning grimy homes into sparkling abodes she’s sent us racing to buy products such as powdered Tide, bleach, Bar Keepers Friend and Blue Dawn dish soap. Struggling with motivation? Sarah and her hard-working dream cleaning team are here to give you a gentle little push to help you get started...
WINNING FORMULA
With cleaning wisdom in spades, Sarah and her Calgary-based cleaning company team GoCleanCo are always booked to capacity, turning even the grubbiest of homes into a sparkling shining dazzling spotless domicile.
After decades of working in the home industry, Sarah has a plan for every scenario, and the brands with which she works are trusted and globally recognized. Straightening up people’s homes - and lives - on Instagram, too, has changed the trajectory of her ever-growing company. She may be fully booked, but her social platforms are brimming with free advice and education to get you going.
GENERATIONAL & CLEANING COMMUNITY INFLUENCES
Many of her cleaning tricks came from her mother and grandmother, with Sarah’s acclaimed cleaning systems inspired by her mother’s methods. “I learned to clean from my mom and grandma, and I learned to appreciate all forms of beauty from my sisters” Sarah reveals. “My mom taught us from a very young age, and at just eight I knew that cleaning didn’t just mean ‘tidying’, and that basic cleaning included vacuuming and wiping light switches and baseboards.” And that familial inspiration continues today.
“I’m still influenced by my family, and by my community and the people I engage with on social media. I love learning from other content creators, organizers, cleaners – everyone!”
MARTHA THE MUSE
Renowned for her no-nonsense approach to education and efficiently caring for a home, spotless Sarah’s also hugely inspired by my last famous cover interviewee for Stately magazine - another famous queen of clean. “I look up to Martha Stewart SO much!” Sarah reveals to me. “She started her brand in her 50s and I recite this little fact to myself daily. It’s never too late to try something new...” How did it feel to feature on Martha Stewart’s website? “Again, I constantly have to pinch myself,” says the popular Canadian cleaning educator. “When I was dreaming up this company, I put Martha on every vision board. To be featured on her website, and in the magazine, is one of the many moments that make me so proud and grateful.”
Having gained influencer traction exponentially during the lockdowns, Sarah’s also starred on all her local news websites and featured on TV talk shows and in magazines, including ‘Good Morning America’, Katie Couric’s ‘Wake-Up Call ’, ‘Chatelaine’, ‘CTV News’, and ‘Real Simple’ magazine, among many more. “It’s all so amazing and it’s like I’m living my dream life right now!”
TOP TRENDS
Where does she head for cleaning trends inspo? “Always my followers,” Sarah reveals. “Whenever I ask them what’s been stumping them, what products they ’ve loved/disliked etc. I get a wealth of new inspiration.”
“I just have to pop into my DMs anytime I am looking for ideas, and the questions are oddly specific sometimes, but after I find a solution and share it, thousands of people report back that they have the same pain points and I helped them solve the issue.”
“I think I’ve been successful because I am able to break down different things and make them less intimidating.“
NO BROOMS ALLOWED
With different strokes for different folks, for squeaky clean Sarah, it’s a thorough all or nothing approach. The GoCleanCo style of cleaning means it’s very much a deep deep-cleaning company – no fleeting in-and-out surface cleaners here!
“I can’t leave baseboards dirty, for example”, Sarah divulges. But that’s not all. Digging deep on deep cleaning, I discover brooms are banned in the GoCleanCo Cleaning Army for being “too messy.”
Instead, Sarah and her tidy team vacuum everything first before getting down and dirty with the scrubbing - and yes, that includes vacuuming your dirty bathtub and even your fridge!”
TURNING THE TIDE ON CLEANING
A few of her fave cleaning hacks and products? She says just a teaspoon of Powdered Tide laundry detergent in a bucket of hot water will clean SO many different things. “It’s economical and it works!”
And she doesn’t just use this top Tide product to clean. “I also use it for my daily mounds of laundry.” She says Powdered Tide was originally developed as an all-purpose cleaner, not just a laundry detergent. “My grandma used this to clean everything and so did my mom. When I started the cleaning company, I was spending thousands of dollars on cleaning products, and we kept coming back to Powdered Tide because it truly works. It has surfactants in it, as well as enzymes.”
TIME TO STRIP!
Sarah’s also into laundry ‘stripping’ – soaking items in the bathtub or top-load washing machine “with a large scoop of Tide laundry detergent,” she explains. “It’s Borax and washing soda. SO many people don’t realize that if your water’s hard you should be using a laundry detergent with a softener in it.” Her favorite thing to clean? “Baseboards, because seeing them gleam is beyond rewarding!” And a few of her favorite projects?
“I have cleaned some celebrity and famous influencers’ homes, which is always super fun. But, in the end, it’s the absolutely filthy homes that stick with me the most and while the original state of the home always overwhelms me, they are the most rewarding.
They are the families who need our help the most. We push through even when we want to give up, because trust me, we cry a lot and finish the tough jobs.”
DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS - AIRING DIRTY LAUNDRY
Sorting out many a dirty million-dollar home, and answering abundant cleaning questions online, when I ask the GoClean-Co coach if she’s willing to dish the dirt on famous faces’ mucky mansions, she replies with a wry smile, “That’s not the kind of dirty laundry I air... wink wink!”
DIRT DEVILS
Dishing the dirt on the filthiest things she finds in people’s homes however, Sarah does reveal our dishwasher filters are filthy grubby fiends when it comes to keeping things clean. “We find some pretty gross stuff!”
“In many dishwashers, it’s like a swamp sludge slime... Why would you wash your dishes in there?!! Clean the dishwasher filter often, especially if your water’s really hard.”
Alongside sanitizing your dishwasher and scrubbing baseboards, Sarah also counsels cleaning the seals of our washing machines.
LABEL RULES
Keeping the wheels and cogs turning on inherited items and family treasures, too, she also loves showing people how to revive much-loved heirlooms and more, using her scientific knowledge of enzymes etc. and which formulas work while others don’t. While with words of wisdom and warnings aplenty when it comes to general cleaning, she also advocates avoiding overbleaching and to ALWAYS read the label on clothing and other items, such as bedsheets. When it comes to decoding those baffling symbols on laundry labels, she says it only takes shrinking a wool or cashmere sweater the once to discover labels really DO matter. So, never fail to follow those cleaning instructions!
BEST BRANDS
Sarah believes that honesty is the best policy when it comes to collaborating. She says she’s particularly picky about sponsorships. “They must be authentic and on brand, and need to focus on our niche,” she stresses. “My followers trust me SO much that I will only back some-thing I believe in.”
Boasting sponsorships with her preferred brands, such as cleaning products company Mr.Clean and home goods retailer Canadian Tire, Sarah’s tried-and-tested methods have also landed GoCleanCo big collaborations with other big brands including lifestyle biz Jillian Harris. And you can check out Sarah’s carefully curated list of must-have cleaning products, along with home & lifestyle, beauty & fashion, items for our furry friends, camping and more must-buys from Amazon and LTK at www.housework.com
“I pinch myself every day, to be able to make a career out of my love language and my passion is truly amazing.”
SUCCESS SECRETS – NO COMPETITION!
The secret to Sarah’s phenomenal success? “I really don’t think about anyone in the space as competition. I think there is room for everyone, and I want to cheer on the different people who are creating content and sharing with their audience. I’ll always be a hype girl for the community because if one of us wins, we all win.”
“I think I’ve been successful because I am able to break down different things and make them less intimidating.” Also, hopefully because I’m fun and funny :) I like to infuse some personality and sass into my content because, come on... isn’t everything easier when you can laugh at yourself? Most of us have been in the same mess at some point and now we can laugh about it together!”
ANOTHER ONE FIGHTS THE DUST...
The highlights of her illustrious career? “Every new follower, but especially the milestone follows,” Sarah spills. Exciting encounters with famous faces have also been up there. “Meeting some of my favorite celebrities and influencers, and also meeting people in real life who follow me! I am always so surprised about just how much people care about what I have built...”
Being a top Amazon seller is also among her high points. “And signing with WME, giving me new opportunities.” This savvy signing gave Sarah some big publicity opps. CNN came calling and things blew up even more, cementing sassy Sarah as not just some flash-in-the-pan Internet sensation but as an established trustworthy name.
Following photoshoots at home and star turns on TV, she felt ready to roll with her new-found fame and staying power. Not forgetting another sought-after highlight. “Having the success that has allowed me to take my daughter to Taylor Swift concerts!”
CLEANING SATISFACTION
The most rewarding aspect of houseproud Sarah’s work? “There’s a moment at the end of each day where I know I’ve motivated so many people to clean their homes without physically being there with them, and it makes me feel so, so good!” She reveals. “My community ’s incredibly supportive and my biggest cheerleaders... They ’re so open with sharing their stories with me about how I have helped them change their lives. At the end of
the day, this is why I do this job.”
EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CLEANING
The leading lady behind cleaning hacks, tips, motivation and sassy commentary is also all about empowerment. How can we feel empowered at home by keeping it clean and, consequently, empowered in life?
“I think the best way to be empowered is to set yourself up to succeed. So don’t overwhelm yourself by setting unrealistic goals,” Sarah advises.
LIFE LESSONS
This in-the-know clean-up queen doesn’t describe herself as a “clean freak ” by nature, admitting she’s “clean but not tidy.” “I think you have to meet yourself where you are. I live my own lessons - I don’t ever let myself get overwhelmed by the clutter or lack of tidiness.
I have a process in place and a method to my madness, so when it’s time to organize or tidy things up I do, but I can’t make myself someone I am not. So, sometimes the cabinets in my bathroom aren’t organized, but that’s okay. It’s clean but only makes sense to me!”
“I also like to live in the now,” says savvy Sarah. “And some things are more important than an organized fridge. I think it’s important for people to understand that things sometimes get away from you, but eventually you can make time to tidy your life up.”
SARAH’S HOLIDAY CLEANING TIPS
The holiday season often brings joy and togetherness, but it also comes with its fair share of cleaning challenges. Between hosting gatherings, accommodating guests, and maintaining a festive atmosphere, keeping your home pristine can feel daunting. But Sarah McAllister of GoCleanCo is here to simplify the process with her no-nonsense approach to holiday cleaning.
Pre-Holiday Prep:
“Preparation is everything,” Sarah advises. “Start by tackling one area at a time and focus on high-traffic spaces like the kitchen, bathrooms, and guest rooms.” Declutter surfaces to create a clean slate for festive décor. Sarah suggests breaking tasks into manageable chunks and using a checklist to stay organized.
A Host’s Quick Fix:
For those last-minute cleaning emergencies, Sarah recommends a quick wipe-down of visible surfaces and a sweep or vacuum of high-traffic areas. “Guests notice the big picture, not the details. A fresh-smelling home and tidy main spaces go a long way.” Post-Party Recovery:
After the fun, the cleanup begins. Sarah’s golden rule? Tackle spills immediately to avoid stains. “The day after, work in zones clear the living area first, then the kitchen, and finish with the bathrooms. Enlist family members to make the process faster and more enjoyable.”
Smart Cleaning Tools:
Sarah is all about efficiency. “Invest in a powerful vacuum and quality microfiber cloths—they make cleaning quicker and more effective.” She also swears by her signature GoCleanCo Cleaning Bundle, which includes everything you need for tackling the toughest messes.
Maintaining Festive Magic:
“Don’t let cleaning overshadow the joy of the season,” Sarah says. “Keep it simple. If you’re short on time, focus on areas that matter most to you and your family. Perfection isn’t the goal; creating a welcoming and happy space is.”
TIDY UP YOUR LIFE! CLUTTER CLEARING CHALLENGES
Walls closing in on you? When it comes to decluttering, this top cleaning influencer has the key. Sarah’s golden rule when it comes to this dreaded time-consuming task? “We really try to live by a one-in, one-out,” she reveals. “For the holidays, if we are know gifts are coming, we take it as an opportunity to donate the things that haven’t been used in the past 6-12 months. If I need new clothes, before I buy anything, I do an accounting of what
I have, what I’ve worn, and what fits. We don’t have endless space, so we need a framework for what we make space for.” Hoarders can make CleanGoCo’s tasks particularly tricky. “It’s usually the sheer amount of clutter that people have that really is the biggest challenge for us, but we have to respect that some people just don’t want to let go... Others are SO over it that they just want to throw a match on it and never look back. We love these people because we can get rid of the junk and the end result is so much more rewarding.”
STAT E LY M AGA Z I N E 45
DECLUTTER & PURGE
If clutter’s a bugbear, she advises not to focus on being ruthless. “That makes it sound intimidating, but rather build a framework for yourself. For example - and I’m guilty of this, too - I always see SO many products in people’s bathrooms. Make a habit of checking what’s empty, what doesn’t get used and what has expired. A lot of stuff sits in your bathroom unused and collecting dust!”
And use a move to improve... Every house move offers a fantastic opportunity for a reset. “When someone lives somewhere for a while they accumulate a lot of stuff, so culling some of it every time you move makes you feel a little more in control, rather than feeling like the walls closing in on you,” Sarah advises. “Try it. It’ll feel good!”
KEEPING IT GREEN
When it comes to contemporary cleaning and natural alternatives to chemicals, the much-admired cleaning fanatic is all about mixing it up. “I think there is a time and place for everything,” she tells me. “Sometimes, eco products are great, especially in less high-touch spaces, but I will always Clorox a toilet because I know what lives in there!!”
TOP CLEANING TRENDS & GADGETS
The GoCleanCo creator’s been seeing some cool cleaning trends and great new gadgets coming through lately... What innovative products and revolutionary devices should be on our radars right now? “I deeply love the Tineco vacuum and mop combo. That is the coolest invention to come out in years...” says the avid cleaning afficionado.
“There’s also an amazing product called Downy Rinse and Refresh from Proctor and Gamble that is not a fabric softener - it helps remove built up residues on your fabrics that lock in odours. This stuff works, is safe for all fabrics, and gets rid of pet smells and chlorine in swimsuits. I have even successfully washed my nephews disgusting hockey undergarments with it and they came out smelling fresh as a daisy!”
CLEAN SMARTER GUIDES
Also a published author, all about creating calm, clean homes, the DIY cleaning expert has created go-to guides so readers can follow step-by-step plans. In early 2020, she wrote and sold an eBook positively overflowing with deep-cleaning tips and tricks, and slowly expand-
ed her collection of handbooks to include a renovation cleaning guide and laundry guide.
Unsurprisingly, Sarah’s latest insightful best-selling book, ‘Cleaning Guides’, has been very well received. “I am so proud of that guide because I wasn’t sure if people would engage with it, but they did and continue to do so. It’s a very thorough guide that allows people to go room-by-room and problem-by-problem.”
SARAH’S SPARKLING STEPPING STONES
“My goal, especially once I had a child, was to be able to build opportunities for her and to set an example. I truly believe that we can create opportunities for ourselves. Some are teeny tiny opportunities that become stepping stones to bigger ones, and some start out big, but it’s about all the pieces coming together.”
KIDS’ CHORE GUIDE
Cleanliness icon Sarah’s cleverly created chore guide for children has gone down well with both kids and parents alike. “It’s really popular! I believe in teaching kids early that cleaning isn’t a punishment; it’s self-love, and in order to be part of a happy functioning household, everyone needs to pull their weight,” she explains. Discover her easy ways to get the kids – and grandkids – purging, decluttering, and doing their chores!
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY
Family-oriented Sarah says it’s good to get the kids pitching in from a very young age. “I’ve taught my daughter things like, if you’re going from one room to the kitchen, pick up and take the cups out there with you,” she explains.
While tiny tots are off the hook when it comes to leaving trails of mess in their wake, even slightly older little ones can learn to pull their weight when it comes to a keeping a clean and tidy home. Setting an example to the younger generation, she says, “A messy space is a messy mind... “ “I want to set children up to feel calm in their space, so I want to teach them early. We’ve cleaned peoples’ homes where the children hug us afterwards in thanks! It’s a huge testament to how important it is that kids value a calm, clean space.”
STRIKING A WORK/LIFE BALANCE
With her most important job being a mom to a 12 year-old, how does this pro cleaner manage motherhood with work? “I honestly try not to ‘juggle’, so to speak. I’ve always felt like my priority is being a mom and part of the community, so I tried to create a career
that allowed me the flexibility to set my own schedule. This meant that for years I was not earning substantially... but my focus was on being present.”
