TikTok trends are just part of our lives now. Unfortunately, they may also be part of our deaths.
TikToker The Clean Girl’s specialty is, well, cleaning things. She cleans discarded stuffed animals, she cleans toilets, she cleans tires, and, perhaps a little too frequently, she cleans graves—all without being asked by anyone.
Why is a TikToker cleaning gravestones in cemeteries?
So, how does she clean graves? With her mysterious pink homemade cleaning spray that I can’t help but feel like it probably shouldn’t touch human skin.
In case you haven’t seen an example of her work, here’s a taste:
@_the_clean_girl I Cleaned a Random Grave!
♬ original sound – The Clean Girl
@_the_clean_girl I cleanee an abandoned grave at night 👻🪦 #scrubdaddy #scrubdaddypartner ♬ original sound – The Clean Girl
@_the_clean_girl What happened to her?
♬ original sound – The Clean Girl
For some, this is an extremely noble task, giving some much-needed TLC to long-neglected resting places that have likely gone untouched for decades and even centuries.
In fact, the Clean Girl’s cryptic pink-goo cleaning spree has inspired many across social media to do the same, spiffing up often incredibly historic gravestones for the modern age.
@ladytaphos Warm weather next week, y’all. Lots of good stuff coming soon! #cemetery #gravestone #beautiful #bluesky #beforeandafter #dirty #cleaning #ladytaphos ♬ original sound – Alicia 🍉 LadyTaphos
@manicpixiemom David’s family was a blast to research! #gravetok #gravestonecleaning #foryou ♬ original sound – Manicpixiemom 🧽🪦
Social media speaks out on grave-cleaning practice
However, for many across social media, this whole thing is pretty problematic. For one thing, The Clean Girl (and her copycat)’s cleanings are taking place with no consent from the families. There’s also no rhyme or reason as to why these graves are chosen beyond their state of neglect.
As TikToker @hopeyoufindyourdad points out, “Every single one of these woman’s clickbait grave cleaning videos is extremely disrespectful to these graves and their loved ones.” She then proceeds to give The Clean Girl one crispy roasting:
@hopeyoufindyourdad @The Clean Girl Grave cleaning is a very sensitive and personal thing. Disrespecting graves for attention is truly awful #gravetok #cemetery #gravecleaning #cleantok #asmr #cleaning #greenscreenvideo #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Andra
TikTok user @findyourdad points out that The Clean Girl only cares about selling her cleaning product and has no qualms about exploiting someone’s deceased loved one to do so. Hard to argue.
Additionally, according to a post on Cemetery Porn Reddit, The Clean Girl and others are seen using household cleaning solutions, which contain chemicals that could potentially damage the stone, particularly if it’s made from marble.
However, if you really want to go out and clean some gravestones yourself, there’s a right way to do it, as historic archaeologist Robin Lacy explains below.
Anyone seriously interested in cemetery preservation can also check out Saving Graves, an organization that specializes in this stuff.
Happy cleaning, you bored weirdos!
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