Watching Leslie Jordan hold court as host of Squeaky Clean, a 10-episode cleaning competition game show on The Roku Channel, is nothing short of soul-satisfying. Not only do you get to watch three contestants mop their way to a $5,000 prize, but Jordan struts his stuff alongside Sabrina Soto, a host and designer (and the show’s resident cleaning and organization expert), as well as a rotating panel of celebrity judges including Bobby Berk, Loni Love, Erika Jayne, Johnny Weir, Kym Whitely, Jamie Chung, Jeannie Mai, and Iliza Shlesinger.
There’s no doubt Jordan, a TikTok sensation who currently stars in the Fox comedy series Call Me Kat, and is author of the recent essay collection, How Y’All Doing: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived, is having a moment. But does he know the difference between ammonia and bleach?
It turns out that although he may know a thing or two about cleaning windows and mirrors (use newspaper and Windex—not a rag or paper towel—to avoid streaks, he says) and he admits to being a stress cleaner at times, he doesn’t let cleaning take over his life. “My apartment looks immaculate but I don’t know about scrubbing the bathtub or behind the toilet—you know those crevices and nooks. I keep a clean house but I’m not obsessive about it,” he tells AD.
He also has a bit of help. “I have a guy who works for me named Bart. He’s gigantic—he lifts weights—and he loves to clean. He loves to iron—he irons my pillowcases! Truth is I haven’t touched grease or grime in a long time,” he admits.
As for the stress cleaning, “I love to sweep my big balcony,” he says. “I also feed the birds so there’s bird feed everywhere. I love having birds—it’s like Disney around here with birds chirping, but, yes, when I’m stressed it helps to sweep up the bird feed!”
Here are 10 cleaning tips we picked up from this super-fun show:
#1: Adding more red wine to a red wine stain on a carpet can help remove it.
#2: Wipe with a soft cloth to avoid scratching surfaces.
#3: Use furniture polish only on finished, sealed surfaces.
#4: Clean top-to-bottom to avoid cleaning floors twice.
#5: Use the right size tool for each job.
#6: Organize messes before cleaning.
#7: Using ammonia on plastics can cause them to fade.
#8: Vacuum drapes weekly to avoid dust build-up (dryer sheets are also great for dusting blinds).
#9: Use a tennis ball to remove wall scuff (a vinegar and water solution works too).
#10: Use hot water on surfaces that are sticky from honey or syrup.