News Beat
Shoppers say our Scottish cleaning brand is better than Astonish, Cillit Bang and Minky
A PAIR of cleaning-daft mums who quit their jobs to launch their own business have told how shoppers say their brand is better than giants Astonish, Cillit Bang and Minky.
Claire Jenkins, 53, and Hazel Mckinniel, 46, are better known as the Wee Scotty Cleaners after becoming a viral sensation on TikTok (@theweescottycleaners).
Over the years, the duo have stunned followers with their impressive hacks – with their videos earning them millions of views.
It all started when Claire began cleaning houses and holiday lets after she was made redundant 14 years ago.
Four years later, she was joined by Hazel, who was looking to earn extra money while working as a carer, but quickly gave it up to throw everything into their business.
Their success led to them opening up their own shop and launderette in Moffat, Dumfriesshire, called The Laundry Room, in 2020, before creating their first-ever cleaning product in 2023.
But they have now revealed that fans will love their newest product even more – and they’re even hoping to get it in shops like B&M, Home Bargains and Tesco.
Claire and Hazel, who each have two sons, told The Scottish Sun that they have been blown away by how much people love their brand and cleaning products.
Customers have come to us and said they would not Astonish or a Cillit Bang or any of the big companies again and that they could not live without our product
Claire and Hazel,
And they said that many shoppers have now sworn off using products from other cleaning giants after trying it.
Hazel said: “A lot of our customers have come to us and said they would not use, like, Astonish or Cillit Bang or any of the big companies again and that they could not live without our product.
“They’ve cleared out the cupboards, and the amount of space they’ve got now is huge because our cleaner does everything.
“It does your kitchen, your bathrooms, your floors, your windows. The only thing you need is a bit of bleach and a bit of polish now. That’s it.”
Claire added: “We get a lot of comments from people saying our cloths should be available all over the world because they’re just so amazing.
“They that they outstand the Minky ones. There’s no comparison between ours and the Minky and the Valida ones.
“One woman has bought over 200 cloths alone from us, that’s how amazing they are.
“Some people are even buying our cloths to send over to people and family in Dubai.”
The duo’s success saw them bring in over a quarter of a million pounds from TikTok sales alone in their first year.
And after making between 30 and 500 sales every day on the popular social media app, they have now launched their own website.
You don’t need to spend all that money on cleaning products because, you know what? Life’s too expensive without paying fortunes for big brands
Claire and Hazel,
And the feedback from their first cleaning product – a concentrated Pro Glass Cleaner that leaves the perfect streak-free finish – the mums decided to launch a new creation.
Their newest product is a ready-to-use 750ml spray bottle, which is the “perfect” cleaner because it can be used in every room in the house.
And they are even hoping to get it on shelves in supermarkets and retail giants over time as their brand expands, adding that even more products are coming in the pipeline.
Claire said: “We’re really excited! The new product is a ready-to-use formula that we’ve got to clean most surfaces.
“The new spray bottle can be used on anything apart from real wood and leather. The reviews that we are getting, honestly, are outstanding.
The bottle comes in 750ml size and costs £4.95 to buy, and it lasts a good couple of months because you don’t need to use a lot of it.”
She said: “That’s actually a big bottle, because normally you’re like 350ml or 500ml, and it’s amazing on your windows, on your glass, mirrors.
“That is what we actually bought it out for, but then we found out all our customers were coming back and saying, ‘By the way, it’s fantastic on marble, your granite, stainless steel, high gloss and matte finishes.’
“Basically, for everything like kitchens, bathrooms, windows and living room spaces. Just not on real wood – you wouldn’t use it as a polish.
“It’s one bottle for every room in the house, so it’s perfect.
“And then at Christmas, we’re hoping to be bringing out our own washing detergent and comforter as well.”
Long time coming
CLAIRE and Hazel told The Scottish Sun that the new cleaner is something they have been quietly working on for some time.
Claire said: “We have eventually, after about a year, brought out the ready-to-use formula.
“The chemical company that we used previously were not able to take the formula any further, so we were headhunted by Liquid Science, in Burnley.
“They said they couldn’t understand why we haven’t brought anything else out, so after a lovely meeting with them, they’re now looking at bringing other stuff out in our name.”
Hazel added: “We’ve been trying to get a trigger-spray bottle for a while. We always wanted to put our solution into a ready-made bottle.
“So when Liquid Science got in contact with us, they asked us what other product we would like to bring out, and we were like, well, really, we want this made into a trigger spray formula where it’s ready-made for people to buy, and then it could go on the shelf.”
But the pair have insisted that they are still selling their concentrated cleaner for those who prefer to use that.
Claire revealed: “We will still have the concentrated bottle, because it’s still popular and we’re getting a lot of professional cleaners using it in bulk.
“So we will always have the concentrated bottle for people to dilute themselves because it’s also amazing on your floors.
“You can just pop it in your mop bucket, and that’s it.”
Hazel continued: “We’re hoping at some point it could go out on shelves at Home Bargains and Tesco and places like that. That’s what we’re aiming for.”
Claire and Hazel have said that making a product that lasts for a long time, is low-cost and works for every room has always been important to them.
Hazel added: “We’ve always said we’re all about simplicity cleaning, not costing people a lot of money. As soon as we say that on TikTok, that’s when our videos go viral.
“Like when we do a hack where it’s just simplicity cleaning using a couple of things.
“You don’t need to spend all that money on cleaning products because, you know what? Life’s too expensive without paying fortunes for big brands.
“I’m not being funny, but if you buy Flash at the shops at the minute, it’s extortionate. And it’s a smaller bottle, do you know what I mean?
“Our ProCleaner in the ready-to-use bottle is 750ml, which is huge and lasts longer. Or it’s a litre of the concentrated one that makes 18 litres worth of sprays when diluted, so you’re saving in the long run.”
Anyone looking to buy the new product can do so on TikTok shop or on their new website.
Onwards and upwards
REFLECTING on their last two years of success, Claire and Hazel said they have been delighted to move to new location and open a bigger shop in Moffat.
They have also launched their own website where they are selling their cleaning products and microfibre cloths.
The mums have also revealed that they are doing more TikToks now than ever, and have now got a whopping 130,300 followers.
They are now trying to promote their new site and have encouraged their loyal followers to check it out.
Claire said: “We’ve also moved into bigger premises, and we’re doing more TikTok videos now. And we’ve got our own website selling all our products and clothes as well.
“We haven’t actually promoted the website. So we are actually getting half a dozen sales a week because no one knows about it.”
Hzael added: “It’s not only just TikTok-based any longer. People can actually go and buy it online as well as TikTok shop.
“We just want to get it out there more than just on TikTok because lots of people don’t use TikTok.”
