Cleaning my oven pays my bills!

Chantel managed to make money without leaving the house!

After making the video of myself, I pressed ‘share’, feeling a wave of pride.

Hopefully this helps somebody out there!

I thought, happily.

I’d just nished lming a video for social media site TikTok, about how to clean your mattress for the perfect night’s sleep.

It was 2020, in the middle of Melbourne’s strict coronavirus lockdown, and I’d started sharing my cleaning hacks as a way to keep busy.

The virus had already kept us indoors for months and I’d become obsessed with turning our new home into a sanctuary.

As a mum of two beautiful kids, Mila, four, and Aston, two, I had plenty of tips to share. Plus, I had expertise passed down from my lovely mum, Rose, who taught me the clever mattress hack.

After posting, I put my phone down and went back to work in the home of ce, before knocking off for the day, with the kids and my husband, Robbie, 32.

Scrolling through Facebook a few weeks later, I was gobsmacked to see my face pop up in a media article.

What? I thought, amazed. That’s me!

It hadn’t been my intention, but my 14-second video had quickly become a viral hit!

Millions of people had watched me clean, wash and sanitise my bed and mattress, to make it look and smell like a dream.

My trick was using a vacuum, baking soda and vinegar!

This is a great tip, one of my new followers said, thankfully.

Just looking at this, I would never want to leave the bed! another person wrote.

Sitting on the couch, I called to Robbie in shock. ‘I’ve gone viral!’ I grinned. ‘That is so cool,’ he said, popping his head out of the kitchen.

Excited by my new-found fame, I worked on more fun cleaning hacks.

Next up, was a video about how to roll your towels as nicely as they do at a spa.

Bring the spa home to you!

I wrote, showing everyone how to expertly fold them.

Again, my video exploded online, with millions of people watching it. Inspired, I kept going.

Filming with my phone and a tripod – and some help from Robbie, who stays behind the camera

– I showed my loyal followers how to clean mirrors with shaving cream, the best way to style a bed like a hotel, and even how to clean your kettle with lemon.

When these were all hits, I wondered what else I could do to help people.

Soon, I started sharing ‘parenting hacks’ to my fellow mums and dads.

‘Would you like to be in Mummy’s video?’ I asked Mila and Aston.

Mila was thrilled to be the star of the show, so my kids joined in on a segment about making Christmas stockings, and how to shop for cute out ts for the whole family on a budget.

My next viral TikTok post was a step-by-step kitchen cleaning video, which involved using just three ingredients to clean a dirty oven overnight.

I just needed half a cup of bicarb and a tablespoon

My lovely mum, Rose, taught me the mattress hack

of dish-washing liquid, which I mixed together until it formed a paste.

Then, I simply applied it to the oven, left it overnight, and then removed it with white vinegar. And voila, my oven was sparkling!

Again, the video just went crazy online.

Your cleaning hacks are amazing. Now I can spend less time cleaning and more time with my kids, one fan commented.

Overwhelmed, I felt glad that I could help other parents juggle working full time while looking after their families.

As my followers grew, I started getting messages and brand deals from companies around Australia, who paid me to use their products on social media.

Soon, I was even getting paid to post on TikTok and

Instagram.

I can make a living from this, I realised, excitedly.

I couldn’t believe I was being paid to clean my own house! Plus, I could use the money to pay for our bills, or treat the kids.

As I became famous online, my family and friends were astonished at how many people I was reaching.

‘How do you know 400,000 people?’ Mum laughed.

She just couldn’t understand it all.

Robbie, who works in advertising, has a fantastic eye for style and helps me plan my videos.

But with the kids and working full-time, I didn’t have a lot of ‘me-time’.

So I started a routine. I’d post one video every day except Sunday, which would be my ‘off’ day.

Now, I spend Sundays with Robbie, Mila and Aston, and don’t let my phone rule my life.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the world of social media instead of being in the real world.

I’m lucky all my lovely followers have been so kind and supportive. It really feels like I’m making a difference to people’s lives.

It’s been fantastic to have extra income, and hopefully, I can turn my cleaning hacks into a full-time job soon.

Who would have thought cleaning my mattress could have changed my life! ●