Spotless - podcast cover

Spotless

Hanna Brooks Olsen and Andrew Walshspotlesspod.com
Spotless is a podcast about cleaning, hosted by Hanna Brooks Olsen and Andrew Walsh. They help listeners with cleaning-related questions, test drive new scrubbing techniques, and complain about the way people vacuum in the movies.
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Episodes

53: Say Yes To The Stress

This has been one hell of a week — and we’ve got the organized living spaces to show for it. Why do people clean when they’re anxious, anyways? Plus, Hanna moved into a new place, which means lots of new cleaning opportunities.

Nov 10, 20201 hr 7 minEp. 53

52: Murphy’s Oil Law

A professional cleaner weighs-in on the smelliest bugs to avoid vacuuming up, Hanna’s mom has a very aggressive remedy to finding a mystery smell in a stinky house, and a 4-year-old Scrub Jockey shares her cleaning-inspired songs.

Oct 26, 202059 minEp. 52

51: Armor All'd And Dangerous

Hanna and Andrew try to solve the mystery surrounding a listener’s new stinky house smell. Plus, a Scrub Jockey stumbles on her own leather-shoe cleaning lifehack, and Spotless’ #2 fan has a very disturbing experience with her cat’s water dish.

Oct 12, 20201 hr 12 minEp. 51

50: Ragtime Pals

The Scrub Jockeys offer all kinds of helpful advice this week, including how to build your own reusable kitchen rag dispenser and how to call into a podcast while riding your bike through the busy streets of Boston. Plus, Hanna’s mom wants no part of a paper towel advertising campaign!

Sep 28, 20201 hr 6 minEp. 50

49: Procrasti-Cleaners and Mopping Martyrs

What kind of cleaner are you? A Scrub Jockey’s advertising project has Hanna and Andrew exploring the idea of “cleaning archetypes” -- from “The Perfectionist” to “The Putterer.” They also learn that the New York Times is straight-up stealing their whole deal.

Sep 15, 20201 hr 10 minEp. 49

48: A Broom Of One's Own

Listeners offer advice to those haunted by hard water stains, and a certified Tall Person solves her age-old problem with brooms that are too short for her. Plus, what happens when you use your favorite Mariah Carey perfume to cover up the smell of raw sewage? Unfortunately, we find out.

Aug 31, 20201 hr 5 minEp. 48

47: We All Scream For Hygiene

Hanna and Andrew wrestle over the idea of "Hygiene Theater" during the pandemic: Are all our deep-cleaning measures really necessary, asks one Atlantic writer? Plus, Andrew has a container problem that's almost as big as he is, and Hanna has a very gross scene from The Office that she wants to help clean up.

Aug 17, 20201 hr 17 minEp. 47

46: The Stain Of My Existence

Hanna and Andrew both faced uphill battles this week, one involving ants, the other involving some very bad dish-washing decisions. Plus, a listener asks for shower-cleaning help, but accidentally offers help instead. And "Rated C For Clean" returns in the form of a bloody cleanup scene from HBO's True Blood.

Aug 03, 20201 hr 7 minEp. 46

45: Bad Beth And Beyond

Andrew has had many household adventures since we last spoke, including a disgusting laundry room discovery, an even more disgusting vacuum situation, and an in-depth analysis of modern ice-trays. Plus, Hanna's been melting toothbrushes and raking carpets.

Jul 20, 20201 hr 9 minEp. 45

44: Counter Intelligence

Hanna and Andrew try to help a Scrub Jockey with her bathroom issues (um, her bathroom SINK issues.) We also hear a horror story about the dangers of keeping garbage in the freezer, and a listener remembers growing up with an old-fashioned wringer washer.

Jul 06, 202052 minEp. 44

43: Talking Trash

Hanna helps a listener figure out what in the heck we can safely put into our garbage disposals, while Andrew tries to figure out what we're supposed to do with the stupid ice packs that come with meal delivery kits.

Jun 22, 20201 hr 15 minEp. 43

42: Ice, Ice Maybe

Andrew is impressed with a new kitchen-cleaning gadget, but he and Hanna try to make it a little less sexist. Meanwhile, the Scrub Jockeys offer some critical insights into the Great Pink Slime Mystery, Andrew's ice dream turns into an ice nightmare, and Hanna tries to help a listener make a bidet more okay with the help of a....poop brush? Oh dear.

Jun 09, 20201 hr 7 minEp. 42

41: True Slime

Hanna and Andrew get all sciency as they try to figure out why Seattle is the Pink Slime Capitol Of The World...and what local Scrub Jockeys can do about it. They also learn about a cleaning product that promises not to explode when you use it.

May 26, 202048 minEp. 41

40: You Just Need To Appliance Yourself

Hanna and Andrew try to help a Scrub Jockey reach Cleaning Nirvana with a little help from local libraries. Plus, we hear a washing machine horror story with a happy ending, and Hanna's sister weighs-in on The Mystery Of The Weird Mr. Clean Spray Bottle .

May 11, 20201 hr 7 minEp. 40

39: Pollen The Family

A listener has a flower-related cleaning problem that is much more common than Hanna and Andrew thought. Plus, Hanna tries to repair the relationship between a woman and her favorite laundry product, which may have betrayed her. And we turn to Webster's dictionary to uncover some sanitation secrets.

Apr 28, 202049 minEp. 39

38: Irritable Towel Syndrome

Hanna and her family are ALL IN on a new type of towel (well, new to them anyway.) And Andrew looks for answers to the big questions of 2020, like "What is a 'deep clean', anyway?" and "Do we need to disinfect our groceries?"

Apr 14, 20201 hr 1 minEp. 38

37: Self QuaranClean

What do you do when there are no more cleaning products left in the grocery store, except one weird-ass bottle of something you've never seen before? Well, you buy it, and then you call the Spot Line for help! Hanna and Andrew help listeners navigate this and other cleaning situations unique to the age of self-quarantine.

Mar 30, 202042 minEp. 37

36: To Bleach Their Own

Hanna offers some helpful advice to a jittery nation that is suddenly obsessed with cleaning and sanitizing. We also hear an absolute horror story about a listener's inherited workspace. And Bob Villa (dot com) tries to help those cursed with bathroom carpeting.

Mar 16, 202054 min

35: Getting Our Ducts In A Row

We hear stories of unclogging ducts, de-molding air conditioners, and fixing towels that have lost some of their absorption powers. Also, Andrew gives the AnyList app a spin around the grocery store and reports back with a full review.

Mar 03, 20201 hr 1 minEp. 35

34: Clean Sinks, Full Hearths, Can't Lose

Hanna and Andrew get a lot of advice from the Scrub Jockeys today, including how to "vibe" into a grocery store and the best way to find tiny objects that have fallen to the floor. They also try to help a listener get decades-old soot off of his fireplace mantel. And Hanna wants to form an indoor soccer team called The Seattle Suds.

Feb 17, 20201 hr 6 minEp. 34

33: Baking Soda Jerks

The Scrubjockeys SHOWED UP this week with advice on teaching kids to clean up, why its easy to live without a microwave, and some critical front-loading washer tips. And Hanna and Andrew are accused of ignoring a critical component in their cleaning routines.

Feb 03, 20201 hr 5 minEp. 33

32: Sponge, Counter Sponge

Andrew encountered a very disturbing site in a workplace kitchen last week (when he wasn't staining hotel towels beyond recognition.) Meanwhile, Hanna has some questions about Formula 409, a listener has some creative solutions for cleaning period underwear, and the Big Chill offers some insights into 1980's cleaning techniques.

Jan 20, 20201 hr 4 minEp. 32

31: A Zyme Of The Times

Hanna is back from Scotland, where she met Mr. Clean’s cousin. Plus, listeners (including Hanna’s dad) try to convince Andrew to buy an InstaPot. And we learn how to use a potato to remove rust.

Jan 07, 202053 minEp. 31

30: You're Clean One, Mr. Grinch

Hanna and Andrew review some holiday cleaning (and ornament storage) tips. Plus, the Scrub Jockeys share their own impressive grocery list strategies. And a special guest drops by....from the living room.

Dec 23, 20191 hr 8 minEp. 30

29: We Wish You A Merry Dishmas

Hanna, Andrew and the Scrub Jockeys all have strong opinions about who should wash the dishes after holiday parties. Plus, a challenge to Hanna's "Winter Light" theory leads to a question about duct cleaning.

Dec 09, 201952 minEp. 29

28: Affectations and Agitations

Hanna and Andrew discuss Hanna's new favorite cult, her new battle against dog pee, and how low winter light is exposing all our dirt. Plus, Andrew's got a new grocery store routine that's bound to destroy his relationship, and listener Max has some advice for your shower heads. And several listeners weigh-in with help for our new friend, Stinky in Seattle.

Nov 25, 20191 hr 1 minEp. 28

27: Stinky in Seattle

Hanna and Andrew help a listener with some very personal laundry problems that are leading to some embarrassment. They also learn a little more about Lufas (aka "Land Cucumbers"). And they're joined by a special guest for a rather risque version of Rated C For Clean.

Nov 11, 20191 hr 1 minEp. 27

26: Poofs, Loofahs, And Wershclothes

There’s a lot of bathroom talk today! One listener offers a shower-related life-hack, and another has a solution to troublesome toilet bowl stains. Plus, Hanna sits down with her mom to talk about childhood chores and how Hanna ended up becoming a clean freak raised by non-clean freaks.

Oct 30, 20191 hr 5 minEp. 26

25: Rust Into The Limelight

Hanna and Andrew try to help a listener with a rust-stain issue in her bathroom. Plus, a theory about hiding dirt leads to an in-depth discussion of menstruation and the underwear it destroys. And one of Andrew’s cleaning heroes lets him down.

Oct 15, 20191 hr 4 minEp. 25

24: Sofa, So Good

A lot of listeners have a lot of questions about couch cleaning techniques, and Hanna's got some answers. She and Andrew also try to help someone with a truly disgusting kitchen situation (but Andrew's approach may cause death.) And S.O.S.O.S. is back with a fiance who's trying to save her relationship with a chore chart.

Sep 30, 20191 hr 9 minEp. 24
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