While many of us are guilty for not washing our bedding anywhere near enough, one woman admitted hers hadn’t been cleaned for 100 years. YES, I KNOW.
The woman appeared on an episode of Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners, a Channel 4 series that first aired back in 2013.
It followed people who – by their own admission – simply can’t stop cleaning, and were paired with people from the other side of the scale with homes in desperate need of a refresh.
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Together, they would help one another understand the extremes of their habits, in a bid to find a happy and healthy middle ground.
In one episode, we saw cleaning obsessives Hayley and Dann visit Plas Teg, a haunted Grade I listed 17th-century Jacobean manor in north Wales.
The old house was home to Cornelia and her 12 cats – and a whole lot of dirt and grime.
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The trip was described on the programme as Hayley and Dann’s ‘greatest challenge yet’, with footage showing them rolling up to the gigantic building with looks of sheer horror on their faces.
When Hayley was shown her quarters, she asked Cornelia nervously: “Cornelia, when was the bedding last washed?”
Cornelia replied honestly: “Never.”
Hayley, who was diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in 2007 but has had it since she was four - then asked: “It’s never been washed? What about the mattress? Do you clean the mattresses?”
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With a confused look on her face, the homeowner said ‘of course not’, before the cleaning guru questioned how old the mattress was.
"It could be 100 years old, or something,” Cornelia said.
“You know, this is how people used to live years ago – and I still live like that.”
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Hayley now has her own YouTube channel, Hayley’s Help, where she not only shares cleaning hacks and tips, but also reflects on her appearances on Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners.
Looking back on her ‘most popular episodes and challenges’ ever in a video in 2020, the married mum-of-three spoke about the moment Cornelia told them they couldn’t use bleach anywhere - ‘just water’.
“At this point, I’m thinking ‘What am I going to do?’” she recalled.
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“I’m having a bit of a breakdown inside, if I’m being honest with you."
Hayley added: “That was the first hurdle for me, and instantly I was like, ‘This is going to go downhill very, very quickly.’
“Because I was thinking in my mind things like, ‘How am I gonna get these toilets clean? What am I gonna use to clean the sink drains and put down the drains and stuff?’
“I was inside freaking out like some sort of badger being chased by Carol Baskin!”
Topics: Life, Real Life, TV And Film