How Clean Is Your House? Online

Two British ladies visit Americans who have let their homes become pig sties. We get a horrifying first look at the dirty home. Usually the homeowner tells us it wasn't always this messy, but that somehow the mess just took over and they don't even know where to begin to try cleaning it. Anyone with a garage or basement full of junk and clutter can relate.

The ladies then show the homeowner how to organize and clean and offer up good tips (such as using dryer sheets in musty closets and near litter boxes). Then the homeowner is herded out while the ladies' "clean team" comes in and finishes the job. Finally, we're shown the finished result and this is the best part. Seeing how dirty and then how clean they manage to get these homes is amazing!

No this show isn't going to win any official awards, there are no "very special episodes", it's simply entertaining. When did that become a bad thing? I look forward to seeing this series on DVD.

This series was originally produced in London. Lifetime TV has brought it stateside. The hosts are very, very British and very funny. The people whose homes they visit are another matter. It's not clear to me whether these people really live in such disgusting filth, are severely psychologically disturbed, or just overwhelmed. But you'd have to go a long way to find such unbridled horror. It's nauseating to watch for that reason.

However, the ladies, dressed to the nines, do a magnificent job of cleaning up and along the way, provide some excellent housekeeping tips and educate the audience about bacteria and bugs. ("Why do we bother dressing up and looking so bloody gorgeous?" one of them asks). When they check back on the upkeep of the houses, the residents have not only kept them clean, but have gotten new furniture in some cases, or covers for the furniture they have, and really seem to be making an effort. One hopes.

On the last episode I saw, Aggie and Kim took a trip to Grauman's Chinese, posed with Marilyn Monroe's cement prints, and, noticing the cement was dirty, cleaned it up. A little too well! It was a cute ending.