TikTok and Unilever celebrate the most pristine cleaning content of 2023 with inaugural #CleanTok Awards

Cleaning - it's a chore that will all have to do, but while some people really loathe it, others absolutely love it.

Social media is full of cleaning hacks to help people make their homes sparkle and shine, with top tips coming from famous faces who have made household names for themselves thanks to their cleaning expertise; Mrs Hinch and Stacey Solomon. But, many people have cleaning tips to share and so it's no surprise that over the past year, TikTok users have embraced the #CleanTok revolution.

Everyone from seasoned cleaners to cleaning novices have come together on the popular platform to swap helpful hacks and also share videos of their incredible cleaning transformations, as well as learn professional tips and find top cleaning product recommendations. The #CleanTok hashtag has been viewed nearly 98.5billion times, showing just how keen 'CleanTokers' are to get some clean inspiration.

With that in mind, TikTok and Unilever, who partnered earlier this year, are introducing two new campaigns to the platform. The first ever #CleanTok Awards will celebrate and reward the very best #CleanTok content and creators of the the year, while soap opera video series ‘Dirty Deeds: A Kitchen Crime’ will provide more ‘cleantertainment’ to a growing audience of people who are passionate about cleaning. Here's what you need to know about both of those campaigns.

CleanTok Awards - what is it and how can you vote?

Throughout November, TikTokers are being asked to vote for their favourite nominees and choose the inaugural #CleanTok Awards winners from a sparkling shortlist of creators across four different categories:

• Most Helpful Hack: Highlighting the unexpected tips and tricks that will level up your cleaning routine
• Most Motivational Sunday Reset: Celebrating content that provides much-needed inspiration to get things in order ahead of the working week
• Most OMG Extreme Clean: Rewarding the ultimate cleaning transformations
• Most Satisfying ASMR: Recognising pure sensory cleaning enjoyment on TikTok

The winning creators will receive an official #CleanTok Awards trophy and a variety of Home Care cleaning products to help them continue raising the #CleanTok™ bar.

Running at the same time, the Spotless Creator competition, is where cleaning fans all over the UK are encouraged to show off their most creative cleaning transformations for a chance to win a cash prize of £4,000. Everyone can enter by tagging the he exclusive sponsor of #CleanTok Cleanipedia UK and using the hashtag #CleanTokAwards in their before and after videos, with the winners chosen by a special #CleanTok Awards judging panel.

All this will be housed in a tidy #CleanTok Awards Hub within the TikTok app, where TikTokers will be able to vote for their favourites and also enter the Spotless Creator competition. The #CleanTok Awards is also being supported by cleaning royalty, Lynsey Crombie, known as Lynsey Queen of Clean, who will be the UK ambassador for the awards. The winners of the awards will be announced on the app on Friday December 1.

Khartoon Weiss, Head of Global Agencies and Accounts at TikTok, said: "In partnership with Unilever, The #CleanTok community has gone from strength to strength this year, washing, scrubbing, polishing and tidying their way to even more creative content, which has inspired us all to embrace the joy of cleaning. From jaw-dropping transformations to satisfying ASMR Sunday resets, we can't wait to celebrate all of our immaculate creators through the CleanTok™ Awards, while giving cleaning fans across the UK a unique opportunity to get involved and be recognised."

CleanTok Awards - the shortlist

Here's the shortlist for all four #CleanTok Award categories:

Most Helpful Hack

Most Motivational Sunday Reset

Most OMG Extreme Clean

Most Satisfying ASMR

‘Dirty Deeds: A Kitchen Crime’ - what is it and how can you watch?

An original soap opera series called 'Dirty Deeds: A Kitchen Crime', which comprises five short episodes plus a trailer, will air on the #CleanTok hub. Co-created alongside TikTok star Sam Cotton, who has 56 million likes across his video content, products from Dirt Is Good (known as OMO, Persil, Surf Excel, Breeze, Rinso, Ala or Skip), Cif and Comfort will star as fun, animated characters. In true soap-opera style, they will bring to life a classic love rivalry with a comedic twist.

Eduardo Campanella, Home Care Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever, said: “Throughout the pandemic, we saw Gen Z engage with cleaning in a way it hadn’t done before, and the rise of #CleanTok. This demographic is only becoming more engaged and, with over half (56%) of TikTok users choosing to watch comedy sketches, we want to bring more branded entertainment to them in a format that they find appealing. But we also want to recognise the fresh, creative ideas that 'cleanfluencers' on the platform have been sharing."