Identical twins John and James Makanjuola, 23, are going viral for voluntarily cleaning places like London Tube trains and nightclubs. The Croydon-based duo, who run a cleaning business, spend their spare time tackling some of London’s grimiest spots, sharing their efforts on social media, where their videos have garnered millions of views.
They launched their online series to showcase their cleaning skills and promote their business, Makagroup Services.
The series quickly gained popularity, amassing over 200,000 followers on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, according to Daily Mail.
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John said: “It has definitely been going well. Since we started cleaning places that nobody asked us to clean everything changed.
“We hadn’t realised how much it would help the community, we just wanted to show people how good we were at cleaning. We realized that we liked doing it and people liked us doing it so we kept going.
“Initially I was surprised, I didn’t know that it would take off in the way that it did, and I didn’t think they would like it as much as they do. We didn’t think it would reach anywhere near what it has today.”
The Makanjuola twins have cleaned a range of unusual spots, with favorites including a train, the back of a nightclub, and a hoarder’s house.
Their London Underground cleaning video alone has reached 3.1 million views on TikTok.
Despite receiving strange looks from passersby, the twins remain unfazed as they continue filming their popular cleaning adventures.
John said: “We get weird looks all the time, there is not a time where we don’t get people asking what we are doing.
“Sometimes they look at us with disgust, or just confusion as to why we are doing it. We have gotten it all, but we love their reactions. If anything, that reaction fuels us.”
John and James discovered their passion for cleaning at age 11, inspired by their mother’s encouragement to help at home.
At university, they launched a cleaning service for fellow students but soon shifted to residential work after finding students weren’t as invested in cleanliness.
Their viral series, “cleaning places nobody asked us to clean,” began when they spontaneously tidied up an untended front garden.
John said: “When we were around 11 my mum used to wake us up really early in the mornings on the weekend and we would just do a big clear up of the house.
“We did that every Saturday for as long as I can remember. That is where our love for cleaning really started.
“At university we did 52 student-based videos, and they just didn’t work. So, one day we just saw a front garden that needed a bit of love and said, why don’t we go clean it?’
“I called my brother, and we all realised that is was a phenomenal idea. People loved what we were doing.
“Now looking back, it is funny because when we would go to friends houses as kids my mum would always say let’s help them out and wash their dishes. So that idea has been brewing since we were 11 but we just didn’t realise it.”
The Makanjuola brothers admit that working with family has its challenges, but they have no regrets about joining forces to build their cleaning business.
John added: “We have always been close from a very young age. It is nice to work with family, obviously there are times that we don’t agree. But I always say I wouldn’t do this with anyone else but him.”
The Makanjuola twins have ambitious plans for the future, aiming to clean a Formula 1 car and an airplane.
