Once purely functional, the cleaning aisle is being completely reimagined. In Episode 15 of Impact Makers, Andrew Wardlaw and Caitlin McLean explore how a new generation of “dirt disruptors” are turning home care into something emotional, intentional, and even therapeutic.

From refillable systems and planet-friendly formulas to fragrances you actually want in your home, cleaning is no longer just a chore to rush through. It’s becoming a ritual people choose to engage with — a way to restore calm, control, and wellbeing in an increasingly chaotic world.

In this episode, Andrew and Caitlin unpack how cleaning has evolved from background necessity to cultural signal, driven by social media, sensory design, and a shift in how we define self-care.

● Cleaning as culture, not just function
Why cleaning has become content, therapy, and identity — and what restock videos, ASMR cleaning, and Sunday reset culture really signal about modern life.

● The emotional role of cleaning
How control, calm, and emotional regulation are now central to why people clean — and why mood states matter more than germ kill rates.

● Semiotics of clean with Megan Bourner-Powell (Huxly)
How the category has moved on from bleach, citrus, and “domestic goddess” tropes to something more human, grounded, and emotionally intelligent.

● Sensory testing: Kinfill vs SMOL vs GreenCo
MMR sensory expert Matthew Barrett puts three disruptors to the test, decoding how sound, scent, texture, and design change the cleaning experience — and why Kinfill currently sets the benchmark.

● The Z-Factor: cleaning on TikTok
Why Gen Z turned cleaning into aspiration, how creators replaced brands as trusted voices, and why “clean” is now shorthand for mental clarity.

● How Unilever is responding
Amara Isafo shares how Unilever Home Care is using creators, cultural insight, and the SASE framework (Science, Aesthetics, Sensorials, Endorsement) to make cleaning feel relevant, human, and exciting again.

● The future of clean ✨
Why clean is no longer an outcome, but a state of being — and how emotion, ritual, and sensory design will matter more as AI and automation take care of performance basics.

The brands winning in home care aren’t promising “effortless cleaning.”
They’re rewarding effort — with calm, dignity, and emotional payoff.

Kinfill
SMOL
GreenCo
Unilever Home Care
Huxly
MMR Research

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