- Auri Kananen, 31, loved cleaning since she was a young girl but never imagined her hobby would allow her to make money online
- Filming her work for social media, she’s since made a whopping one million dollars
- Now, she’s sharing her tips so others can do it too
Here Auri tells her story in her own words.
Arriving at my friend Petra’s home, I couldn’t wait to drink Coca-Cola and chat about school.
‘Woah!’ I exclaimed, eyeing her messy bedroom.
Both aged nine, cluttered crash pads weren’t unusual for kids our age.
But I suddenly felt the urge to start dusting her desk and binning her junk.
Rolling up my sleeves, I got straight to work.
‘Can we throw these out?’ I asked, holding up battered stuffed animals and pointing to a broken dressing table.
‘Sure!’ she beamed, happy someone was doing her boring chores.
And boy was it the chore I loved most!
‘I’m not afraid of dirt – the dirt is afraid of me!’
I was just 12 when I realised I had a knack for cleaning. I loved to tidy up my friends’ rooms and neighbours’ houses. And they loved the spick and span results.
My parents Sanna and Kari had run a cleaning business since I was little, so I imagine the art of cleaning was ingrained into me from a young age.
But funnily enough, my own bedroom was as messy as anything. I just enjoyed helping others and putting a smile on their faces when their living space was neat and tidy.
My motto was, ‘I’m not afraid of dirt – the dirt is afraid of me!’
After school, I went on to study management and specialised in cleaning, while working as a cleaner and teacher for Mum’s business.
I explained things to newbies, showing them how to fold a microfibre cloth and the right vacuuming technique.
In June 2020, I met Sami, then 29, online. We chatted for a week before I invited myself over to his place to meet in person.
But then I asked him a strange question.
‘You have a birthday coming up so can I clean your home for free?’
And I asked him if I could film it. He was very surprised but, when I explained it was for a TikTok account I had just started, he agreed.
‘Sure, why not,’ he said.
Arriving at his house, I was disappointed to find it wasn’t that messy. Most single guys weren’t as tidy as Sami!
But noticing some dust and some grime in the sinks, I wiped the surfaces and got scrubbing away.
He was floored by my passion for sponging and polishing.
‘You’re an interesting person,’ he chuckled.
We began dating, and shortly afterwards I posted the video to my TikTok @aurikatariina, where I share my tips and tricks about clearing up a mess.
My first few videos had been of me cleaning at my cousin’s girlfriend’s house. I never imagined I could make money online by sharing them.
But after posting that video of my date with Sami where I cleaned his home, I received a whopping five million views.
I found it such a thrill to wipe, sponge and scrub Sami’s house for free, that I wanted to do the same for others, especially those who were cooped up in houses filled with stuff.
I can make a difference with my skills and energy, I thought, hoping to help.
Soon after, a single mum of three young children, who was doing it tough after her husband passed away, reached out to see if I would be interested in cleaning her home.
Arriving at hers, I was heartbroken seeing the piles of clutter and grimy mess filling their space.
‘You have permission to get rid of anything,’ she said before leaving to stay at a friend’s place with her kids.
‘ I never imagined I could make money online by sharing cleaning videos.’
For the next two days I wiped thick dust off benches, washed the sinks, and threw out broken toys and other objects around the house that no longer served a purpose.
‘Wow!’ the mother said when she and her kids came back to a sparkling home, happy tears falling down her cheeks. It was so beautiful to see how I could make a difference after they’d endured such a tragedy.
After I shared the cleaning progress video on TikTok, my followers sent through loads of requests for me to clean their houses. So I’d go over to people’s homes and scrub their surfaces – all for free!
I continued posting my progress videos to social media, including on YouTube. There, people could see me scrubbing and disinfecting everything from cockroach-riddled abodes to rat-infested residences until they shone.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ my supportive boyfriend smiled.
‘I have over 26 million followers across social media.’
Before long, I began making money from my videos going viral, as well as through ad revenue and sponsorships I was getting with cleaning brands. I never imagined I could make money online by sharing such simple footage.
And soon I was really raking in the cash!
Since starting my free cleaning service in 2020, I’ve turned so many people’s upside-down lives the right-way up.
From scrubbing a teenager’s mouldy shower, to clearing out rooms with ceiling-high filth, I feel like I’ve seen it all.
My parents are so proud of what I do, after all they were my original inspiration.
Now, I have over 26 million followers across social media and I’ve made over $1 million doing what I love – a job that most people hate – cleaning!
And to think my quirky passionnot only allowed me to make money online, but also found me love with Sami, who I’m marrying in 2026, I’m over the moon. When he got down on one knee to propose, I thought back to how it all started.
‘Yes,’ I said, kissing my man – the first stranger I ever cleaned for.
Five years on I have no plans of stopping any time soon. Now I even travel the world scrubbing and tidying – even taking on jobs other cleaners refuse, and showing people that cleaning can be fun.
I’m the queen of deep cleaning!
There’s no mess that’s too big or too small for me.
