(image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, July 8 (Korea Bizwire) — YouTube videos by Hamimommy, a seven-year professional housekeeper and YouTuber, showing how she cleans the rice cooker and dishes she uses for breakfast, have been watched by more than 5 million viewers.
Similar YouTube channels, including ones that publish videos in which they clean dirty homes to offer a refreshing sensation to viewers, are gaining popularity.
With the ongoing pandemic, YouTube videos that teach viewers how to clean various objects and spaces are gaining popularity.
Google Trends showed that searches for ‘cleaning’ have climbed since March of last year, reaching a new high in June.
With social distancing policies and other quarantine measures, people seem to have gained interest in house cleaning as they spend long hours at home.
In this year’s survey on office workers and employees, 41.1 percent said they spend time on laundry and cleaning as they work from home.
Experts argue that the ‘cleaning craze’ is seen as a will to regain control over one’s surroundings, which is one of the means to overcome limitations on activity.
“People tend to feel suppressed and stifled in a small, secluded, dirty space,” said Kwak Keum-joo, a psychology professor at Seoul National University. “Cleaning up offers a sense of productivity and a larger psychological space.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
