Hinch-approved products that have cleaned up on social media

If you’ve pushed your trolley down the cleaning aisle lately, you might have noticed a few more empty shelves than usual. Or, if you’re an online weekly-shopper, you might have found many of your go-to cleaning products are out of stock. What’s happening?

Well, ‘hinching’ is happening. Yes, it’s a new Instagram trend, but this one isn’t as weird as halo brows or teeth nails (don’t ask, they are best left in 2018). Instead, 2019 is starting its life with the sensible approach — giving your house a good clean.

Only now, cleaning is cool. It’s so cool, in fact, it’s got a hashtag: have you been #hinching lately?

What is ‘hinching’?

For the people who have managed to avoid the internet sensation taking over our Instagram feeds and our cleaning cupboards, ‘hinching’ is essentially cleaning. A good, proper cleaning though, not just running the vacuum over and tickling the cabinets with a dust cloth! Parents in particular might be wondering who has been blessed with the unfathomable power to not only making cleaning trendy, but inspiring their Instagram-loving youngsters to clean?

There are a few cleaning gurus out there, but one that has truly struck a chord is 28-year-old Sophie Hinchcliffe, known on social media as Mrs Hinch.

Mrs Hinch is currently sitting at a cool 1.6 million followers, who call themselves the Hinch Army, and have set their home inspiration sights on photos of Mrs Hinch’s own immaculate grey-and-white sleek interior home design.

The cleaning guru not only makes recommendations for cleaning products, but actively encourages the act of cleaning to be ‘fun’. It’s not a chore, it’s a ‘Half Hour Hinch’ — give yourself a little list, set the timer, and surprise yourself with how much you can get cleaned in just 30 minutes rather than dreading the idea of starting cleaning and not getting finished. Little and often, she tells her followers, and it seems to be working, with hashtags flooded with clean rooms of Hinchers testing her top tips.

The sell-out effect of being Hinch-approved

Like with the beauty influencers of 2017, if a cleaning guru like Mrs Hinch recommends a product, a sales boost is coming. It’s little wonder, considering many of the products Mrs Hinch recommends are often priced at £1 or £2 — certainly a lot less than some eyeshadow palettes that are trending.

Cleaning is, therefore, a highly accessible trend as far as Instagram trends go. Let’s take a look at the top products Mrs Hinch recommends, and how they have enjoyed her spotlight:

1. Zoflora

When you spot a hinching post, you’ll spot Zoflora. It’s a given, as Mrs Hinch seems to use this product for everything. From mixing it with water in a spray bottle for a general wipe-down, to adding a little to her laundry, her toilet brush holders, and even the bottom of her bins, nearly everything the cleaning guru does has a sprinkle of this scented disinfectant.

It’s selling out left, right, and centre, and the Huddersfield-based manufacturer enjoyed a record sales growth of 28% in 2018 as a result! Due to its social media adoration, production of Zoflora has had to double to keep up with the demand, with around 1 million bottles going out every week.

With cleaning fans stockpiling Zoflora as though bacteria-based apocalypse may be well and truly nigh, you might be hard pushed to find a bottle at your local supermarket. It is certainly worth snapping up if you see it though — it generally retails at around £1.50 for 120mls, and can be used all around the house.

2. Minky M-Cloth Anti-Bacterial Cleaning Pad

"Minkeh, do you love me?" asks Mrs Hinch in her pop-music accompanied Instagram stories.

The answer is yes. Yes, Minky surely does love Mrs Hinch after her endorsement of their M-Cloth Anti-Bacterial Cleaning Pad and ‘Kermit’ the Minky Glass & Window Cloth on social media. In fact, their Anti-Bacterial Cleaning Pad, which usually retails at around £2.50, has sold out in many outlets and eBayers are taking advantage of the hype by selling the cloths for upwards of £10 a pop! The BBC recently reported that the company had witnessed a 10,000% increase in demand since June 2018 thanks to Mrs Hinch.

What makes this Minky pad so beloved by Hinchers? Well, like the Zoflora, it can be used for many things, with a scrubbing side and a soft microfibre side offering different ways to tackle any cleaning issue.

3. Stardrops 4-in-1 Disinfectant

Another bargain-beauty in the cleaning aisle and another cleaning product that has earned Mrs Hinch’s adoration. Available in a pouring or spray bottle, Hinchers are using this pine-scented disinfectant for everything (especially if the Zoflora has run out!).

As a running theme with Hinch-hailed products, this disinfectant has uses across the home — Mrs Hinch is seen using it on her sinks, but it can also be used for surfaces, toilets, baths, and more.

Stardrops 4-in-1 Disinfectant is certainly seeing a surge in sales, but it hasn’t quite hit the sell-out level of fellow disinfectant Zoflora. But parent company Starbrands Ltd are certainly not soured by this, as Mrs Hinch has endorsed many of their products in her videos, also spotlighting their White Vinegar spray and this next product…

4. The Pink Stuff

Imagine writing this one down on a shopping list for your significant other to pick up from the shops.

The Pink Stuff, also from Stardrops, is yet another multi-purpose wonder with a bargain price tag. With a name like that, people would be forgiven for overlooking it on the shelves in the past. But no longer, with the Instagram limelight firmly on this product! In fact, it’s sold out in many stores as shoppers snap up the ‘miracle paste’ that has restored grimy deep fat fryers to a shining new glory, and scrubbed stained tiles to a fresh gleam.

Mrs Hinch shared the product with her fans after using it to scrub up her oven, and from there on The Pink Stuff became a staple addition to shopping lists at supermarkets and purchase orders at wholesale cleaning products outlets alike!

The Hinch Effect

The effect of social media on cleaning products goes far beyond simple sales increases, however. Undeniably, Sophie Hinchcliffe has given the job of cleaning a glamourous new appeal, where previously it has struggled to shake off its outdated image of it being ‘a woman’s duty’ to clean the home.

But the new trend of cleaning is not set to send people back to this obsolete idea that being a ‘domestic goddess’ is a necessary goal that women must meet to be appealing. Instead of it being a chore to please others, cleaning is now a self-rewarding experience. Gone are the days when women were seen to put on make-up to impress others; now, women are proud to say they choose to wear make-up however they want because it makes them feel good. The same now goes for cleaning — people are taking part for the rewarding feeling of a clean house, of seeing the results of hard work, and not to appease anyone else. Simply put, people like living in a nice house and feel better for having a nice, clean house.

It’s a sense of pride gained from hard work, but just enough hard work; Mrs Hinch recommends half an hour each day, with a deep clean reserved for the weekend. Limiting yourself to half an hour means the task doesn’t seem so gargantuan, tackling it little-by-little each day.

Plus, Instagram is an added bonus reward — like with the make-up craze, people can post the end result of their efforts for the gratification of likes and comments. There’s also an element of mindfulness to it, notes one report by the BBC. It’s a task that can keep hands busy, occupy the mind, and give a little boost of satisfaction in achieving something that day.

As far as social media trends go, this one certainly seems like a positive one. Will you be hinching your home any time soon?

James is an Outreach Executive at Mediaworks Online Marketing and covers a number of clients across a wide range of business sectors, helping them to grow their online portfolios through engaging content.