Siberian Blogger's Toxic Cleaning Advice Resonates with Millennials
The blogger«s persona is reminiscent of Bree Van de Kamp from »Desperate Housewives« in a Siberian setting.
She films videos about laundry, cleaning, and household hacks, wearing a dress and high heels. In the frame, she has impeccable cleanliness, a condescending look, and a toxic smile. She is compared to Bree Van de Kamp from «Desperate Housewives,» and her blog is described as what would happen if that series« heroine started social media. But behind this glossy facade is real life with children»s mess, fleece pajamas, and fatigue from lengthy editing. Alexandra Ilyina, a blogger and housewife from Novosibirsk, gained about three hundred thousand subscribers in a year, simply by talking about what interests her. NGS journalists spoke with Sasha about how a person lives who turned routine into art and a mortgage into motivation.
Alexandra is a lawyer by education and a housewife with almost ten years of experience.
«I Filmed for Four Years in Vain»
For four years, Sasha filmed videos in vain, but one day everything changed dramatically.
Alexandra Ilyina is a lawyer by education, a graduate of Novosibirsk State University (NSU). She worked in her profession for seven years before going on maternity leave. Before becoming a blogger, the Siberian woman tried to return to hired work but was unsuccessful. Then she decided to bet on the blog, which she kept just for herself, like many other social media enthusiasts.
The blogger jokes about her minimalist wardrobe, which has noticeably fewer items than expected.
«I began to identify myself as a blogger. This activity has always interested me, and I decided to focus on it, changing from an amateur to a professional approach,» Alexandra said about the start of her blogging career.
The family poodle, Margarita, occasionally makes appearances in the blogger«s household videos.
But growth was painfully slow. Her videos got 1–2 thousand views, and the number of subscribers stalled at 1,500 people.
Sasha leads a private life, dedicating herself fully to her family and her blog work.
«For four years, I filmed in vain,» Sasha admitted.
A video feature detailing the life and work of Siberian blogger Alexandra Ilyina.
Everything changed a year ago when she abruptly changed tactics: she stopped catering to audience expectations and started talking about what interested her herself.
«I am genuinely drawn to topics of housekeeping, cleaning, laundry. I thought: why should I look at what is expected of me if I want to talk about something else myself?» Alexandra explained.
Taking Off with a Dryer
The first viral video that brought her tens of thousands of views was about how a dryer ruins clothes.
«Guys, stop drying everything in the dryer, because clothes shrink after it,» Alexandra snidely declared in a video that gathered a wave of angry comments.
The girl didn«t falter and recorded a response to the haters—in the same toxic manner. It was this response that brought her her first wave of subscribers—about 2 thousand people, and the video garnered 800 thousand views.
The growth of followers continued, and in less than a year, the blog«s audience grew to 300 thousand people. Toxic video tips on cleaning, laundry, and ironing broke view records: some have already surpassed 2 million, equivalent to the population of an entire city. Alexandra admitted that she still doesn»t grasp these scales.
«I still film videos thinking that only 1.5 thousand people will watch me. When you»re in your own vacuum, you don«t feel this scope. I only film at home, I don»t go out anywhere,« she explained.
Bree Van de Kamp in the Realities of Novosibirsk
The key to success was not only the content but also the delivery. Alexandra created a character—a toxic perfect housewife who walks around the apartment in high heels and dresses, with perfect hairstyle and makeup. She looks down on the viewer, accompanying all her advice with a sarcastic smile.
«It all started with a video I recorded after a stray video came in. It was in a toxic delivery, and I got a response to it. Then I started filming videos with a kind and sweet face, and people began writing to me: »Give us back the mom from the nineties.« The mom we all had, who, essentially, only rolls her eyes and talks in that manner,» Sasha smiled.
She compares her heroine to Bree Van de Kamp—a character from the series «Desperate Housewives,» known for her love of cleanliness and perfectionism.
«Somehow I saw a video that said: »If the heroines from «Housewives» ran a blog.« I sent it to my friend, saying: »Look, that«s me!», hinting at Bree. Her social media would really be very similar to mine,« the blogger is sure.
But in life, Alexandra associates herself with another heroine—Lynette, who is always busy with children and doesn«t look perfect.
«I»m an ordinary person, I«m an ordinary mom who goes to kindergarten after her children,» Sasha said.
At home, she doesn«t wear shoes and dresses, adores cozy fleece pajamas, doesn»t wear makeup, and puts her hair in a bun. And her character is gentle, although Sasha doesn«t deny that somewhere deep inside, there»s a bit of toxicity hidden, because if there wasn«t any at all, she couldn»t play her heroine.
And What«s Behind the Scenes?
In her videos, Alexandra periodically shows two different locations, which sparked questions among followers: «Where does she even live?» The blogger explained it simply and without embellishment: one of the locations is her parents« apartment. She lived there with her family while their own apartment was being renovated.
In mid-December last year, Sasha, her husband, two children, and a dog moved into a brand-new three-room studio apartment, which they bought with a family mortgage. On camera, Sasha has impeccable order, but off-camera, her household can create such a mess that it«s enough to give you a heart attack.
«I sometimes show how my weekends went, what my apartment looks like. It»s easier to burn it than to clean it,« the blogger jokes.
Sasha said that she grew up in a family where it was customary to clean up after oneself. Her mother and grandmother kept an eye on cleanliness, meticulously maintained it, and taught Sasha to do so. Therefore, perfect order is normal for the blogger—she doesn«t know how it could be otherwise.
At the same time, the housewife doesn«t do a deep clean daily and doesn»t even dust or mop the floor every day. She simply ensures that the home environment is comfortable for living, and only takes out mops and rags when it«s really necessary.
Microfiber, «Cif,» and Hatred of Buckets
Over ten years of housekeeping, Alexandra Ilyina has developed her own cleaning principles and collected a set of favorite and hated products. She learned some things from her mother and grandmother, studied some online, and some came naturally with experience.
Down with Buckets
«I hardcore hate buckets for mopping floors. Why do we never think about why we take a clean rag and dip it in a dirty bucket? Why does no one question why we wash the floor with dirty water? You can just go to the bathroom and rinse the rag,» says the blogger.
Only the Right Microfiber
Sasha can«t stand cheap rags that leave streaks. In her videos, she vividly demonstrates the difference: bad microfiber »leaves a trail,« while good—Korean wipes—absorb perfectly.
Universal Cleaner
Among budget options, Sasha recommends «Cif»: this product is perfect for cleaning the whole house, she is sure. In combination with good microfiber, of course.
The Main Useless Device—a Broom
«And what good is it?» the housewife sincerely doesn«t understand.
Fragrant Laundry
Her weakness—expensive but very fragrant laundry detergents.
«This is a five-liter bottle that smells magical, the scent fills the entire apartment,» Alexandra demonstrated a product called Liquids.
Discipline, Editing, and Income
She handles the entire process—from idea to publication—alone. She has no team, only an advertising manager. Her workday is a story of strict discipline.
«My workday usually starts at 10 a.m. The countdown begins when I go to wash, put on makeup, and get myself in order,» Sasha said. «And it most often ends at 11 p.m.»
In these 13 hours, she manages to film and edit one to three videos: one reel takes about 2–2.5 hours. She also needs to respond to hundreds of messages from subscribers: Sasha replies to everyone who writes to her. Then—coordinate advertising and come up with new topics. The blogger gets ideas from life, from housekeeping experience, from subscriber polls.
«I ask: »Guys, what should I film?«—and they throw ideas at me,» the blogger explained the process.
Alexandra doesn«t position herself as an expert; she calls herself a simple housewife with ten years of experience.
Income from the blog started with barter: she was sent fabric softener. Now Sasha has serious advertising integrations. The girl doesn«t name the income amount but says it»s significantly higher than the average salary in Novosibirsk, but less than that of her colleagues.
«I don»t intentionally monetize the blog, I don«t monetize my audience. I don»t sell them anything. I get many offers: for example, to film some course for housewives, write a guide. But I give advice for free, just because I want to,« she emphasized.
On Life, Happiness, Hate, and Recognition
Despite hundreds of thousands of views daily, Alexandra is rarely recognized in real life.
«I don»t look like I do on camera. People expect to see that very person, but no,« she shook her head.
The mother of two leads a private lifestyle, doesn«t go to blogger parties, doesn»t seek publicity, loves spending time at home.
«I can film a video in 30 minutes, and two million people will notice me, or go waste three hours of my time,» she explained her reluctance to shine in blogger circles.
Hate and criticism hardly affect her—she calls them a drop in the ocean of positivity.
«It»s very hard to offend me. When you work in the field of toxic content, logically, there will be hate, you need to understand that,« the blogger noted.
At the end of the conversation, we asked Sasha if she feels happy in the world she has created around herself.
«I can»t say that I«m dissatisfied with my life. I»m insanely pleased that I have work. As a person who didn«t have it for a long time, I»ll say: it«s very important,» the blogger answered. «Plus, I really like my work. Most importantly, everyone is alive and healthy. And being happy when you»re over 30 is very hard. I think only very stupid people can be absolutely happy.«
What Else to Read
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She was an ordinary saleswoman, but became a famous blogger: the story of a cashier who once woke up famous.
