A Tidey by name tidy by nature business owner from Wishaw is hoping to clean up after being nominated for two industry awards.
Kat Tidey, went from being homeless during lockdown to setting up her own cleaning firm, which has helped sweep her to much happier times.
Kat’s hard work in establishing Tidey Solutions Ltd, whose key signature job is the “almighty hoarder clean and organising”, has earned her the nickname of the Scottish Stacey Solomon in some quarters.
The 34-year-old documents details of her life including her work schedule in a weekly VLOG on YouTube, and her social media accounts are followed by well-known UK influencer Mrs Hinch (Sophie Hinchcliffe), whose Insta account features top cleaning tips.
“With my name I think I was destined to be a cleaner,” Kat joked. “I’ve been asked if I’ve misspelt my business name and had to point out that it’s my surname.
“This will be my third year since starting up. During lockdown I didn’t deal well with being inside all the time and became homeless.
“Once we were allowed to visit people I was going to my family’s homes and cleaning them, just for something to do. I started organising all of their stuff. Then, when we were allowed out and about again, it sort of started organically with neighbours asking if I could do this or that.
“I was friends with someone who had their own cleaning business and always thought that I could do this, but that I would do it differently or better.
The 34-year-old former Calderhead High pupil found herself without a place to live after she fled an abusive relationship.
“I kind of grabbed what I could fit in the car, basically, and it was sort of during strict lockdown,” said Kat. “I was driving about dropping my stuff outside the front doors of friends and family, to store for me.”
Kat, who is originally from Allanton, found a new home after her plight was looked upon sympathetically by a housing association in North Lanarkshire.
“I was quite lucky, I was really open with them and they managed to get me re-homed within a couple of months.”
Kat’s business has been named as a finalist in the People’s Choice Awards Scotland in the Best Independent Business category, and also been nominated by someone for The Small Business Awards.
Kat said: “I was runner-up in two categories last year at the People’s Choice Awards. To me that was mind-blowing, I felt as if I’d been nominated for a Grammy.
“I used to work in corporate jobs where stereotypically I was just a number. I worked in business banking until lockdown.
“I’ve always been quite open on social media about my journey and I think that helps people book in for the hoarder cleans and organisation cleans. We all have a spare room where everything gets chucked into.
“There are loads of people who offer regular cleaning, but I can cater for people with kids, or with sick family members.
“When I first started out and did my first hoarder clean for someone I didn’t know, the girl’s husband had passed away and it was just her and two kids.
“The kids’ room had basically turned into a storage room and they were sleeping in the same room as their mum, my job was to restore the bedroom for the kids. When I finished they came in and burst out crying, which set me off. They just said, ‘we’ve got our room back’.
“From my point of view, I felt as if I was helping someone and making a difference and not being viewed as just a cleaner.”
Kat covers north and south Lanarkshire and the Glasgow area.
You can find out more via Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube by searching for @TideySolutions.
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