Podcast appearances and mentions of Jolie Kerr

See Also is a weekly dispatch that connects the dots of pop culture, with plenty of further reading and ideas to Add To Cart – or at least Open in New Tab.This week, Kate and Brodie are having such a nice time. Or maybe a manic episode? They chat about packing light and deleting Twitter, before discussing Isobel Beech's new novel, Sunbathing. Then, Jinxy gives us her standouts and suggestions from MIFF – tickets for which are on sale now! Also: Alsos!See AlsosLike Inflation by Kyle ChaykaBuy a copy of SunbathingRead Issy's piece on grief in the GuardianMother & I by Ianto WareRead an excerpt of The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy on The CutTo see Kate's picks from the MIFF program, head to @seealsopodcast on Instagram. You can request a personalised recommendation from @katejinx. MIFF is in cinemas 4–21 August. If you're elsewhere in Australia, you can watch select films online via MIFF Play from 11–28 August.Also AlsosCOOK ALSO: Smitten Kitchen black pepper tofu and eggplant LISTEN ALSO: Sharon Van Etten's We've Been Going About This All WrongORGANISE ALSO / SLEEP ALSO: replace your pillows, or at least follow Jolie Kerr's adviceTREAT ALSO: Dog Crumble from Dog By Dr LisaDIP ALSO: Pilpel Chilli Lemon Hummous POD ALSO: Ep 363 of How Long Gone podcast, feat. John Early+ A See Also about that last Also Also: We Pay Attention to What Podcast Host Jason Stewart Is RoastingFind us on Instagram @seealsopodcast Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s spring-cleaning time! To help get you in the mood, we’re dusting off an episode from our archive. Cleaning expert Jolie Kerr tells us when it’s OK to use your own saliva as a cleaning agent, and addresses some listener “cleanspiracies” like: Will vodka clean my clothes? For more cleaning tips, check out Jolie’s podcast Ask a Clean Person.

You have likely been the victim of the Doorway Effect. It’s when you walk into a room and forget why you walked in there. We start this episode with an explanation of what this is and why it happens. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-walking-through-doorway-makes-you-forget/ Wouldn’t it be great if people regarded you as particularly fascinating? Well it turns out there are specific ways to do that according to Sally Hogshead, speaker and author of the book Fascinate: The 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation (http://amzn.to/2BBZT4I) . Sally reveals what you can do so that others find you interesting and how to use your personal fascination to great benefit.  I’m sure you’ve noticed that whenever you cry, you get a runny nose. Why? Listen and find out. http://www.popsci.com/article/science/why-does-crying-make-my-nose-run Sooner or later – and probably sooner, you will need to clean something. And no one knows better how to keep your life clean and sparkly bright than Jolie Kerr. Jolie is an advice columnist and host of the podcast, “Ask a Clean Person.” She is also author of the book, My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag (http://amzn.to/2Df2BPL). NO ONE loves to clean like Jolie and you will love her cleaning hacks that I know you will use within hours if not minutes after hearing them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this episode, we stray *slightly* from the Bravo universe to read a book by the fabulous cleaning expert, Jolie Kerr. Not only has she been to Tom and Ariana's house (and texted Tom's dad hahahaha), but she also knows multiple cast member from Summer House, and watches almost every Bravo show religiously. She is a knowledgeable, hilarious writer, and everyone would benefit from having this book. Please listen and enjoy! Oh, and give us 5 stars, PLEASE.

ELT gets to the bottom of a familiar aroma -- thrift store smell. Why do thrift shops all smell the same? Plus, is washing your clothes better than freezing them? ELT investigates listener cleanspiracies with expert cleaner Jolie Kerr. Guest: Jolie Kerr, writer and host of Ask a Clean Person. Thanks to callers Theresa, Rachel, Jeremiah, Nikki, Vicki, Mark, Juliana, Ben and all the listeners who called in with cleanspiracies.

Jolie Kerr, of Ask a Clean Person, joins us to talk about cleaning at work: How much clutter in your office is too much? Why is the office microwave so gross? And much more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Welcome to Season 3, friends! We’re so hyped to get back into the game with Jolie Kerr, a podcaster, writer, and New York Times bestselling author who’s here to help us all be a little less gross. Jolie is best known as the expert at “Ask A Clean Person,” where she dishes up advice on cleaning basically anything—and we mean anything. She’s also the dirtiest clean person we’ve ever met—like, who else is going to get tell you about the best way to wash your sex toys and clean cum stains off the couch? We ask Jolie about becoming a cleaning expert, turning her part-time column into a media empire, and navigating the politics and gendered expectations around who cleans what. Plus, she gives us great advice on how we can all be just a little bit less gross. > In my experience, men have found it very empowering to read my columns — to know that they’re geared towards them. They are written for a male audience and they’re not condescending. They’re funny. They’re oftentimes raunchy. I always say, you know, “Clean person. Dirty mind.” > > Jolie Kerr, “Ask A Clean Person” creator and NYT bestselling author Links on links on links: The Ask a Clean Person empire: the AACP Lifehacker column, Jolie’s New York Times archive, the AACP podcast on acast, and of course the original column on The Hairpin (RIP) My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag… and Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha, Jolie’s bestselling book How to wash a chest binder and avoid shirt stains after top surgery Hand-wash your bras already (hahahahaha jk jk we’re using a mesh bag) Hygge versus KonMari Also in this episode: Jenn shares some big news, Katel spends all her Swiss Francs on frites, and Sara shops for a therapist—with the help of Katel’s therapist (who we all met last season). Sponsors This episode of NYG is brought to you by: Shopify, a leading global commerce platform that’s building a world-class team to define the future of entrepreneurship. Visit shopify.com/careers for more. Harvest, makers of awesome software to help you track your time, manage your projects, and get paid. Try it free, then use code NOYOUGO to get 50% off your first paid month. Transcript [Ad spot] SWB This season of NYG is brought to you by our friends at Harvest, makers of awesome web software you can use to track your time, plan projects, and get paid. I love it, I use it, and I am so excited to have their support this season. So do me a favor: check them out for free at getharvest.com and if you’re ready to upgrade your account use code NOYOUGO to save 50 percent off your first month. That’s getharvest.com, offer code: NOYOUGO [intro music for 12 seconds]. Jenn Lukas Welcome to No, You Go, the show about being ambitious and sticking together. I’m Jenn Lukas. Katel LeDû I’m Katel LeDû. Sara Wachter-Boettcher And I’m Sara Wachter-Boettcher. And we are back for season three. We’re so excited to be joined together by Jolie Kerr who is perhaps best known as the voice behind Ask a Clean Person which is a podcast and column and so much more. She is an expert at cleaning basically anything and like we mean anything and she is also incredibly funny. We ask her about becoming a cleaning expert; the politics of domestic bliss; and, of course, how we can all be a little bit less gross. But first welcome back, friends. JL Yayyyy! KL Wooo! How was your off season, you two? SWB I don’t feel like I took anytime off [Katel laughs] but like other than that part. You know, my summer break, as we say, has been pretty good. I didn’t like go to the beach and get a tan but I did have a little bit of down time and that was really helpful and gave me a little bit of recharge but then I got super duper busy again and so right now I’m in the middle of just a lot of travel and workshops and client stuff and so I feel like I’m a little bit stretched thin but I’m also feeling kind of like [pause] energized about it. So, you know, it could be worse. KL Yeah, that sounds pretty good. I feel like my summer was looking kind of slow and low key for a while and it got kind of packed up too but I did get the chance to take a little trip with my mom to visit my grandmother who lives in the south of France. Which, I know, poor me. But we [chuckles] — we went down there and then we also made a little side trip to Switzerland which I had never been to before. Holy crap! Switzerland is fucking gorgeous and it’s also fucking expensive. So I didn’t do as much shopping as I [laughing] would’ve liked to but I got to see a lot of beautiful sights. JL That’s amazing. Did you eat chocolate? KL Yeah. I ate chocolate and I— Sara, you’ll appreciate this. I mean you both will. I ate a lot of french fries. JL I would definitely appreciate that [Katel laughs]. SWB I always appreciate french fries but one thing that our listeners might not know is that like french fries are Katel’s favorite food. Or like, I dunno, it’s like you require a french fry course every meal. [2:48] KL Yeah. Yeah. I— SWB Not every meal. But — [laughs] if available [laughs]. KL It’s totally true. You said that the other day when we — we all got together which was so nice after having had a little bit of time away and we got back together and had a happy hour and you said that, and I told Jon, my partner, and he was like, “That describes you to a T.” [Laughter] SWB I mean I think we can all learn a little something from that mentality, right? [Katel laughs] KL Yeah. SWB Like don’t we all need a french fry course sometimes? KL Yeah. Jen, what about you? JL Well it’s been a little bit of like a [sighs] — it’s been a little of a rough summer. I gotta say. We’ve had baby sick, I have a sinus infection, my husband was in the hospital for a little bit. And if you’re a subscriber of our newsletter then you’ll know a little bit about all of this but on the good note about all of this: I’m pregnant again! KL Woo! SWB Woo hoo! Multiple Voices Yeah! KL Yay! JL Yeah. SWB How — how you feeling? JL [Sighs] It changes day by day. Some days I feel a little bit like I want to throw up still, some days I forget that I’m pregnant, whether that’s because I’m like working or chasing around a toddler and then I’m like, “Oh shit. I’m pregnant.” And we’re like, you know, more than halfway there so the other day like lying in bed with Sutter I was just like, “Hey, we should like probably figure out what we’re doing about this second [laughing] child.” [Laughter] Yeah. We gotta probably like do some stuff. [4:19] KL Yeah. SWB Jen, what are the things you’re feeling like [pause] prepared or unprepared about? JL Heh. Well. So it’s like a little confusing, right? So we’re having another boy. So we’re going to have two boys. So we’ve got like clothes, right? Because we have all of Cooper’s clothes that we saved and stuff but then I’m like— and we have a crib because my sister had given me her old crib but I’m like, “Ok, yeah, we’re set, right?” And then it’s like, “Oh shit. We don’t have another mattress.” Like so this baby’s going to be born and it’s just going to be like, “Oh where are you sleeping?” So it’s almost like there’s this like comfort in like doing it again because you have this experience already but like it’s almost like, “Oh no. It’s like there’s still stuff we need and there’s still stuff we have to figure out.” Like do we need double strollers? Where are they going to sleep? How are we going to manage like everyone does that whole advice like sleep when baby sleeps, right? But how can you sleep when baby sleeps when you also have a toddler? So [sighs] I don’t know. Some of it is like [sighs] we’ll figure out when it comes. So I’m like not that worried which is a weird feeling for me [laughs] to not be that worried. SWB I kind of want to stop and celebrate that though. KL I know! And I feel like that — that makes a lot of sense, like you have been around the block, so to speak, you know, you — I mean at least like this time it’s not a complete — I don’t know like you’ve — you’ve done it, so it’s like you know a little bit about what to expect which I’m sure can feel reassuring. SWB Yeah like we know your kid and like — KL He’s awesome. SWB He’s doing great. Look! He’s walking around, he’s saying stuff, he’s awesome. JL He’s certainly eating [laughter]. You can tell by the mess all over my floor which we’ll probably talk more about today but yeah it’s like I don’t know it’s weird, again, there’s this like point where like before having a kid, you know, I had like all the time to like think about all these scenarios and now I just don’t because you’re already like — we’re already struggling for the time — like finding time without kids, right? And then every time you add something it’s like one more bit of time so now I’m just like — it’s sort of nice to be like, “Eh. I could worry about or I could not.” So. KL Yeah. [6:19] JL I’m just sort of doing a lot of not trying to worry about it and being like, “We’ll figure it out.” KL I mean I think that sounds completely solid. JL Well, let’s hope so! [Laughter] SWB And like you will figure it out, right? KL Yeah. Yeah. SWB Like I mean obviously. You’re super competent. Look at you and look at like all of the other shit you’ve already figured out. You got this. JL Yeah, we’ll have a two-year-old so we’ll like have a babysitter, right? [Laughter] KL Yeah, exactly. SWB Right. KL I always joke with my sister. I’m like, “When do they start — when do you start like asking them to do stuff for you?” [Laughter] JL Uh, Cooper has actually learned how to take stuff out of the washer and put it in the dryer. KL Ah! JL But then he’ll want to put it right back. So. [Laughter] And then he’ll like get bored halfway through and walk away and you’re like, “Ok, well. You’re part of the way there.” KL I mean, hey, that’s a start. That’s great. JL Yeah. SWB So, speaking of pulling things in and out of the washer, we talked to somebody for the show today all about cleaning and it was just so fucking great. I’m feeling like we should get to the interview with Jolie Kerr. KL Let’s do it. [7:26] [Music fades in, plays for five seconds, fades out] KL Hey, everyone, it’s time for a career chat brought to you by Shopify. Each week they’ll be bringing you info on a cool new job or a tip for advancing your career or landing the perfect gig. Let’s hear the first one. Holly Hey, this is Holly and I work on UX recruitment at Shopify. One thing we look for in applications is when your personality shines through in your portfolio. Avoiding things like unsolicited redesigns and focusing more on projects that highlight your interests and your individuality can really set your application apart from the pack. Showing us your involvement in the design community is a huge bonus and can emphasize your impact even if you don’t have a ton of professional experience under your belt. KL Oooh. I love this advice. If you’re interested in working with people like Holly, you’re in luck because Shopify is hiring. Visit shopify.com/careers for all the info. [Music fades in, plays alone for five seconds, fades out] JL Jolie Kerr is a writer, cleaning advice columnist, and the host of the podcast Ask a Clean Person. Her book, My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag and Other Thing You Can’t Ask Martha, was a New York Times bestseller. Welcome to the show, Jolie. Jolie Kerr Hi! Thank you for having me! JL Thanks for being here! We had some technical difficulties and I got to do your intro twice which was awesome because I still had just as much fun the second time doing it. So, Ask a Clean Person started as an advice column on The Hairpin in 2011. How’d you get into the advice columnist role? JK Totally fell into it backwards. Like it was the most unplanned thing in the world. The Hairpin had started and the editor of The Hairpin was like, “I really want you to write for the site.” And I was like, “Yeah. I do, too. I’ll think of some ideas and let you know.” And another friend of mine was like, “You should write about cleaning.” And I was like, “Tyler, that is the worst idea you’ve ever had. Who would want to read about cleaning? That is so boring.” And he was like, “No, no, no, no. I really think it’s a great idea and I think you should do it,” and so I mentioned it to the editor of The Hairpin and she loved the idea and I was like, “I still do not see this at all but like, ok, if more than one person is saying I should do this, I’ll figure a way to do it.” And when I figured out— at least for me what made sense in my mind was to do it as a Q & A style column and advice column. To have people come to me with their actual problems. Messes that they needed cleaning up, problems that they had their life, whatever it was, and I could offer them some solutions to their problems. Otherwise I was like, “I’m not — I don’t want to write like, ‘Today you should make your bed. Tomorrow you should do your laundry.’” Like that didn’t seem compelling [laughs] but giving — giving people which like I guess I do sort of write that now but like [laughs] I don’t know I guess — I guess I figured like in my — in my real life, in my friend group, I’ve always been kind of the fixer friend. Like the one who people come to when there’s a problem that needs to be solved that maybe they don’t want to go like ask their parents about. So, I was like, “Ok, if I put that attitude into whatever this cleaning thing is going to be that — that makes sense in my mind as something that would be compelling for people to read,” and so we came up with Ask a Clean Person and I thought that it was going to like last for a month. Like I — I sent out an email [laughing] I really — I did not have any faith in this concept at all. Um [laughs] and to get the column going, I sent an email out to probably about 20 friends and I was just like, “Hey, I’m starting this thing for The Hairpin, do you have any questions about cleaning?” And I thought I would get back like three or four like pity emails of someone being like, “How do you fold a hoodie?” Oh no [laughter] I got — I got back like a deluge of questions just from this like small group of friends that I sent this email to. [11:06] JK [Continued] And they were wild like some of them were like things like, “I have this like silver trophy that’s like a fam— been in the family and it’s all tarnished and I don’t know what to do about it. I know the answer is silver polish but like how?” All the way to one of the very first questions I got from a friend was about male sexual fluids. And I was like, “Oh. Ok. Maybe there is something here.” So I launched the column and, again, I was like, “Well, maybe this’ll like run for a month or two and then it’ll kind of peter out.” Within two weeks of running the column I didn’t need to pull on questions from my friends anymore because I had so many reader questions that had come in the first two weeks and I was like, “Oh. Ok. This is great. I really like this.” SWB Why do you think it struck such a nerve at the time? Like why was that an immediate hit for people? JK Gosh. I don’t — I still don’t think I know the [laughing] answer to that question. I mean I was the one who didn’t think it was a great idea. I mean I think the thing is that cleaning is so incredibly universal, literally everybody had to do it. It touches every part of our life from, you know, just like the mundane like you gotta wash the dishes to our hobbies. When you — when you’re really passionate about something keeping the things that are involved in your hobby, whether it’s playing an instrument or playing a sport. Keeping that stuff clean becomes very important to you. So there’s such a spectrum of how cleaning touches all of our lives and it’s just a universal thing. [12:32] JL Yeah I mean it’s like — it’s such a bigger topic than people think it is, right? JK Absolutely. It’s wild to me. When I tell people what I do — like I always describe myself as being like a doctor at parties like everyone— everyone wants to show me their proverbial mole, right? [Laughter] They want to like — they want to like either tell me about a horrible mess they’ve made, ask me a question about how to like get a stain out of something, or they want to tell me some secret that they know about cleaning. JL Hmm. JK It’s — it’s an amazing thing and I and the thing is like I socialize and I think I love my job and I don’t mind hearing people’s stories and learning their weird tricks and stuff and I certainly don’t mind helping people when they have questions for me but every time I leave a social gathering I’m like, “I must be the boringest person in the world. I just talked about cleaning exclusively for three hours.” [Laughs boisterously] But I think the thing is also, especially with the column and the — the tone of the column and — and sort of where it was placed in the world and placed in time was that there was just nothing like it. Like you could get cleaning advice, you know, at Good Housekeeping or you could get cleaning advice at Real Simple or you could buy, you know, Martha Stewart’s like Homekeeping Handbook that weighs 20 pounds but you couldn’t get cleaning advice that felt real and relevant to your life. And I think that the Q & A  format of the column was really what created that atmosphere for people is that you’re reading the letters that people are really writing to me. You’re getting a glimpse into their life. You’re not only getting advice on how to remove Sharpie from toilet seat, you’re finding out how the Sharpie came to be on the toilet seat in the first place, and that’s very amusing for people. SWB Yeah, you know, I was thinking a lot about this in advance of talking with you because it seemed to me like the column fit really neatly into the kind of the overall tone of The Hairpin at the time. Like there was Ask a Queer Chick or later on there was Ask a Swole Woman. So these are the sort of like I — I looked at them as like these kind of modern takes on a very traditional format of advice columnist and to me there was something about the way that your column and some of these others that it felt both like simultaneously really sincere like it wasn’t a joke but also sort of could be very funny and also kind of subversive [yeah] and I’m really curious like how much of that was intentional on you part? How much of that was like just kind of the nature of The Hairpin in 2011. Like how did that develop? JK I think that it’s a little bit of both. I mean certainly it was the nature of The Hairpin in 2011. I think that — I always think of the OG Hairpin as being very akin to the OG Sassy Magazine. There was like a real editorial sensibility that we all had. I think that we picked from one another and certainly that we all picked up from Edith and I think that the — you know, you — you talk about the — the kind of sincerity of it. That — that was I think one of the defining things about The Hairpin was that our ethos was very much and it was never stated outright. It was just sort of how the voices that Edith was drawn to all had this commonality that we all felt it was ok to like things and that was a little bit new for our corner of the internet which our corner of the internet grew very much up out of kind of the Gawker sensibility, you know the guys who started The Awl who then spun off into The Hairpin. They came out of Gawker. And so there was kind of that like — in our corner of the world — that kind of like snarky, it’s not cool to like thing tone whereas at The Hairpin we were like, “It is ok to like things. It’s ok to be nice. And actually that is — that’s nice for the readers and it’s nice for us and it makes our lives better.” I think that was really genuine and I think that came through. I do think there was also a lot that was really subversive about what we did in that I think we were very voicey and we were true to who we were with our voices. And so that became subversive. It was subversive to have a Seven Sisters educated woman writing about cum stains and that’s who I am. I mean that — and that was real and was like from the jump that was how we were and I think that’s why it resonated so much with people. [16:44] SWB I am very glad. There’s a — there are women writing about cum stains because like you know they’re real. JK Yeah! They are real! They’re very real [laughs]. And actually well I’ll say one thing that surprised me so much over the years is that I have a pretty like big audience of older women, like 60 plus women who read my column and I’m also like wh — like why? And my theory on the reason that they’re reading it is that they’re looking back at themselves when they were the age of my target demographic and thinking, “Gosh. I really wish I had this in the 60s and 70s like yeah you know young guys weren’t calling home to ask about — ask mom about cum stains.” [Laughter] And I think there’s like a — I think there’s kind of a girl power thing for that generation of women to read and think like, “Look at how far we’ve come that this — this exists in the world. And I wish I had had this but I’m glad it exists now and that’s part of like what we’ve fought for with our brand of feminism and so on.” And so I see it as just like part of the evolution of the women’s movement that like, you know, there was — there was definitely an anti — anti-housework bent and that’s a good thing for feminism and I’m very like rah rah on that but I think that it’s come full circle to be like, “But we still have to clean the cum stains.” [Chuckles] You know? JL Yeah, and by like age 60 or 70 I really hope I figure that one that. JK Yeah [laughs]. JL [Laughing] So maybe there’s just like, “Yeah, please, tell me! I’ve been searching for this for decades.” So, Jolie how did you become a clean person? Have you always been a clean person? [18:20] JK Oh yeah. Born this way. 10,000 percent born this way. There was actually — there was recently like a Twitter thing that was going around that was like, “Tell your most on-brand story from early childhood.” And I actually told a story, I have literally never told a soul this story until I shared it on Twitter. When I was at summer camp sleepaway camp when I was about ten or 11 years old, we had laundry service so you’d put all your dirty camp uniforms and underwear all that stuff into your laundry bag and it would get sent out and then it would come back. And one week for some reason — and I remember doing it. I don’t remember why I did it. I folded all of my dirty clothes before I put them into my laundry bag and they were dirty and — but I folded them which is insane [laughter]. Uh, crazy people have done — I can’t tell you why I did it. I just did. And later that week when the laundry came back our bunk got scolded for sending clean clothes to the laundry. And I just kept my mouth shut because I knew that if I said like, “No, they were dirty,” that it would like I was lying because it was such a crazy thing to have done and no— no one would’ve believed me and so I just kept my mouth shut and didn’t say anything but the fact of the matter is: I wouldn’t have been lying. They weren’t clean clothes. They were dirty clothes they were just folded. [Laughter] I’m not normal! [Laughs] And I really have always been like this. So yeah you ask like how do I become a clean person? Really kind of just always this way and I think like it’s actually — it’s always surprising for people to learn that when I started the column I was not a cleaning expert at all. I didn’t consider myself one. I was just a person who knew a lot about cleaning. By the time I finished writing my book and moved the column away from The Hairpin over to what at the time was Gawker Media Group I was like, “Oh! Now I’m a cleaning expert. Like I just wrote a whole book about cleaning and now I really can call myself an expert.” So that was when I made the shift between thinking of myself as a clean person and feeling comfortable calling myself a cleaning expert. That would’ve been probably in 2013. It’s been five years now that I, you know, have billed myself as a cleaning expert. JL So I think some of our listeners struggle with imposter syndrome, you know, where they doubt their credentials to be in the position they are. Did you struggle with that ever when giving advice? JK No! [Laughs boisterously] Actually I didn’t! [Laughs] I know you’re supposed to say, “Yes.” But I didn’t. JL No, I think that’s great. JK I think the thing is is that I, especially in the early years when I was not an expert, I put a tremendous amount of research into answering the questions. What happened early on in the column was that within like a month or two I started getting questions that I just didn’t have any clue as to what the answer was but I was like, “But I’m going to find out!” And so I put a tremendous amount of research into finding the right answers for the questions that I was being asked and then I started building up this body of knowledge and I think that because that was the way that I approached the job where like I didn’t bill myself early on as an expert I was just like, “I’m just a clean person. I’m going to help at solving problems. And if that means that I’m going to have to like three hours of research to figure out how to get this one weird stain out, I’m going to do that three hours of research.” And because I did that and because I think early on in my career I had started off as a fact checker at Sports Illustrated, so I’d started off with a— a journalism research background, I felt very comfortable with the methods that I was using. So I felt confident in the information that I was providing to people and the answers that I was giving to people because I knew that it was based in my experience having been a researcher for, you know, big magazines in the late 90s and early 2000s. [22:10] JL How did this become your full-time thing? JK So I — when I first started writing the column for The Hairpin, so I was at The Hairpin for about two and a half years. I was working full-time as a business development and marketing manager at law firms. I had like a big corporate job. I wore suits. I wore pantyhose. I made six figures. Like I was like — they called me Corporate Barbie. And I started doing the column on the side as a hobby. I was totally unpaid for it and so I would write in the mornings, in the evenings, and on weekends. It literally never occurred to me that this would be a career at all until a publishing company came and asked me if I was interested in writing a book. And at that point I was like, “Huh. Maybe this is like something.” And so I had to, you know, go through the whole process. I had a to get an agent, I had to write a proposal, you know all of that stuff that you have to do. And I got the book deal and at that point because I was accepting payment for the first time for that work I had an ethical obligation to tell my manager at the law firm because for — at law firms even if you’re not a lawyer there are conflict issues that come out if you’re doing side work. So I went to my manager and I was like, “I have been keeping a secret [laughs] I have like a whole other life that you don’t know about.” And she was like, “What are you talking about? This is so wild. This is so cool. I’m so excited for you.” At that point we agreed that I was going to move to a part-time status while I was — you know to basically make time to write the book and all of that, and then after— after the book came out, I basically was in a position where I was like, “Yeah, I can write full-time.” I did at one point, maybe about six months after the book came out, I did go back to a different law firm as a consultant and within like two days I was like, “Nope, this is not what I want to be doing at all.” It was supposed to be like a year long consulting gig and I think I stuck it out for like four or six months and then I was like, “Bye, guys! I’m out of here. I’m going back to writing.” SWB So you left that gig and you started throwing yourself full-time into writing and then now into the podcast which I know is a pretty big part of Ask a Clean Person today [yes]. So there was some topics that we saw had come up relatively recently on the show that were specific to trans audiences and I was really curious about that. And so I think it’s something I think is awesome like not only talking obviously about things like cum stains, but getting [Jolie laughs] into all kinds of topics that people don’t traditionally think of asking an advice columnist. So you were talking about washing a chest binder [mm hmm] and then also talking about how to keep your shirts clean after top surgery if you have to put like ointment or whatever on stuff. And so I was really interested like how do you think about the sort of inclusivity of what you’re writing about in sort of the topics that you cover and making sure I guess that you’re — you’re answering lots of questions from groups that maybe other people aren’t speaking to. [25:04] JK Yeah. I mean one of the things about the podcast: so I’m partnered with a podcast network that handles all of my — all of the technical stuff and all of the business side stuff but the show is independent in terms of I have full editorial control over it. And I don’t answer to anybody but me. And so that freedom allows me to do, you know, what I would refer to as a niche episode certainly. That episode that you’re talking about, I think it was Episode 126 that had— how did you — with questions from people — trans people on cleaning issues that they’re facing and that are specific to their community and really are not going to be relevant to the majority of people listening to my show but I think that it’s important for me to take them on because they are — they are real and legitimate questions and if one person has that question it means at least, you know, 20 other people do too. I think also — my listeners know I’m quite liberal and so representing communities that are oftentimes marginalized is really important for me. There’s another kind of element to it which is that historically I have had — the format of the show has changed. It’s bounced between a guest format and a permanent co-host, and when I do have a co-host it is always my preference that that co-host be a man and preferably a straight man because I don’t really want the show to turn into what I — what I refer to as “two bitches gabbing about cleaning” because I think that that reinforces like a hideous gender norm about cleaning that I do everything in my power to like rail against and so one — one way in which I coach the show in terms of the topics that I cover is when to think about, you know, certainly mar— you know, marginalized audiences who aren’t represented as well which I think the think trans episode is a good example of but also to do a lot of episodes that are geared towards like, you know, the straight, white man. Like, you know, one of my most popular episodes is my hockey gear episode is all about how to wash hockey gear and that’s not a male problem. Women play hockey too, obviously, but you know, generally speaking, like that’s like — that’s one my “dude episodes”. So I just always want to have a balance, really, in thinking about who the shows are for and making sure that it’s as diverse as possible in terms of the topics that I’m taking on but also the audience who they’re geared towards. SWB Yeah, I really — I love that and I mean there’s a lot in there that I would love to talk about more. So one of the things that you brought up was kind of the gendered aspect of cleaning or people’s perception of cleaning like cleaning is tied to domesticity and it’s definitely historically pretty feminized. JK Mm hmm [laughs]. [27:44] SWB We don’t typically expect men to give a shit about whether things are clean or to like take the lead on cleaning. I mean plenty of men do. JK Yeah. But that’s the thing: they do. They really do. I mean I could say it until I’m blue in the face: men clean, they care about cleaning. The biggest problem is that they are not socialized to clean [pause] from a young age the way that women are. My attitude about writing about cleaning for men and podcasting about cleaning for men is just to say like, “I’m not going to wag a finger at you. I’m not going to shame you for not knowing something. I’m just going to teach you how to do something [pause] and now you know.” And I think that in my experience men have found it very empowering to read my columns, to know that they’re — they’re geared towards them [pause]. They are written for a male audience and they’re not condescending. They’re funny. They’re oftentimes raunchy. I mean obviously I’m a very raunchy person. I always say, you know, “Clean person. Dirty mind.” And I — and I think that it’s just like very relatable and I get I mean just beautiful, touching feedback from the most unlikely sources. You know, you just — you just wouldn’t imagine that like a bunch of guys reading like a sports gossip blog would be like obsessed with a cleaning advice column but they are. They’re like, “It’s just — we’re so happy when you show up with your advice and like the weird questions that people are asking. I really learn something and I can’t believe I’m reading a column about cleaning but here I am,” you know, like and it’s just really nice for me. SWB Yeah. One of the things that I notice about it too is that it kind of gives it that like cleaning is for everybody. Like everybody is gross and messy, everybody needs to clean things, and you know I’m wondering if you’ve thought about how your work plays into changing people’s perceptions about cleaning and changing people’s perceptions about sort of divvying of that labor in households or the way that assumptions are made about who should be cleaning what. I mean do you hope to get people thinking about that kind of stuff even though obviously for the most part you’re like — also you just want to teach them how to clean a blood stain out of something. JK Oh yeah. For sure. For sure. And I think that’s part of the socializing. I, like I made a really, really deliberate decision when I left The Hairpin. I was like, “I want to be writing for a male and a female audience. That’s really important to me.” Because at the especially there were like a lot of like think pieces going around about the — the division— the unfair division of labor and, you know, how women, you know, really carry so much more of the — of the load when it comes to household chores. And I was like, “Look: all of that is true and good but you’re really not going to get any progress by just writing these like scoldy thought pieces, wagging your finger at men, telling them all of the stuff they don’t do. That’s not going to motivate them to do it. They way to motivate them to do it is one: to say — one to acknowledge that they haven’t been socialized and they haven’t been taught. They don’t know how! They don’t know how! You know?!” Like let’s start at the fundamentals. You can’t expect someone to do something if they don’t how to do it [laughs]. So I was like, “Let’s just go teach them how to do it then they’re going to be thinking about it and it’s not going to change overnight but this is part of the — the teaching and socializing process that will bring us up to a little bit more equality when it comes to household chores.” So you know you teach a guy how to get his pits stains out the next thing that happens out of that is that he starts noticing other laundry issues or he has a sense of pride in the fact that like, “Oh god! I got the pit stains out of my shirt. I’m so happy. What else can I do? Like I didn’t expect to feel happy after doing laundry but I do. Where else can I get that high from?” [31:24] SWB Yeah I was thinking a lot about the whole thing about like it’s both not knowing how to do it but like you said it’s like noticing, right? Like noticing the things that need to be done or like recognizing that they are things. JK Yeah. I mean that’s the socializing, right? You know women are socialized to, you know, put the dishes away. Men aren’t as necessarily as socialized. They’re not even socialized to see it. It’s like, you know, I hear people talking — women, mostly women. I know some women actually do this themselves, too but like this a refrain I hear from women all the time that like men leave the kitchen cabinets open, just like walk away [laughter] like with the cabinet, like don’t close the cabinet [laughter] and they’re like, “I’m going to have to go and close the damn cabinet.” Like you don’t even see it. I’m like, “No, that’s the thing. He doesn’t see it. Because someone has always closed the cabinet behind him.” Like [laughs] so you know yes of course it’s frustrating, you get mad but like he doesn’t even know he’s doing it! He doesn’t see it! He’s not seeing it the way we see it. JL This is why my husband had open shelving [laughter]. SWB Yeah it’s so funny like I grew up in a household that was just kind of messy and not terribly gross or anything but it’s kind of messy and so I am the one who didn’t used to see the cabinet open and or like, you know, you like make something and you leave things out on the counter and my husband is a — he’s a [chuckles] clean person so he actually very much notices and I think I’ve really like turned corner on that one like I put things away in the kitchen typically, you know, and I’m much more organized about it. But I go to like my brother’s house and I’m like, “Why is this knife with mayo on it just sitting on the counter? Who are you?” JK Uh!! [Laughter] Mayo freaks me out to begin with. SWB “You’re a grown man!” Ok. So we have asked a bunch of questions that are like around how you started doing what you do and sort of like that whole kind of social or political framework it’s — it’s sitting in but we also definitely want to ask you a few questions that are a little bit more about the cleaning itself. If we could move to some of those. JK Yes, you sure can. [33:28] JL So, my husband and I we actually — we have a pretty good division of labor here. Or I should say we did prior to we now have one son at home and we also have another one on the way and everyone always like— we’re all busy. Right? We definitely have that busy thing but like how do we find time for cleaning when life gets so unpredictable with schedules? JK I think prob — well, and there’s no great answer to that. I’m sorry [chuckles] I can’t — I can’t create time for you [laughs] I’m magic in many ways but like [laughs] I can’t create time. I think one thing to think about is using small chunks of time for small tasks. So a lot of times people think about cleaning as kind of like, “Ok, I’m going to dive in and do an hour of cleaning and get the whole house cleaned all at once.” And frankly that’s not realistic for most people. It’s how some people work best and if they do that’s — that’s fine. But you can get actually quite a lot done in one minute, two minute, five minutes, ten minutes. Much much more than you think. So I think it’s like a little bit of just grabbing, you know, a few minutes here and there to take care of things. Just put things away, do a couple of dishes, you know, load the dishwasher, whatever it is. So focusing on small tasks that add up is probably the right strategy for someone who is in your particular situation which is short on time, busy, busy, busy, want to stay on top of things. JL Right. I love that. I mean I try to do that sometimes with work too like set aside like, “Here’s two minutes to do an email.” Or like that so sort of same thing around the house except the problem is when I’m home the couch looks so good in those minutes. JK Yeah. I know. JL But then there’s times, right? Where I feel like myself and other people, they’ll use cleaning to procrastinate doing other things. Right? So maybe like is procrastination the secret to cleaning? [Laughs] JK I do that. For sure. For sure. When I have writer’s block, I’m like, “Oh, I’ll just go clean something.” [Laughs] Or like if I’m just being — I shouldn’t say even when I have writer’s block because I don’t have writer’s block that often but like just when I’m being like a lazy writer, I’ll just be like, “Oh I’ll just like instead of writing this kicker [laughs] that like will take me five minutes if I just actually sit down and write the damn kicker.” I’ll be like, “I’m going to go clean something and I’ll call it work [laughs and others join]. It’s like really dangerous so like [laughs] I could always convince myself that it’s work when really like, “No, Jolie, you’re procrastinating. Like go write the kicker!” JL That’s amazing. JK “Yeah because writing is your work. Like cleaning is not actually — cleaning your apartment is actually not your job.” [Laughs and others laugh] [36:02] SWB I totally feel like I’ve never been cleaner than when I had a book contract [laughter]. But you know when you’re writing about the internet like I do then you have a whole other problem which is that you tell yourself that doing stuff on Twitter is work because [Jolie laughs] you’re writing about it and in fact you are not only wasting time on Twitter but like have you been on Twitter? It’s terrible! [Laughter] Anyway, back to the cleaning. JL Yeah, I mean that’s like, you know, sometimes I’m like, “Mm. I don’t know. I gotta put away my son’s stuff. I’m really just being a good parent right now. It’s not that I’m not getting to these ten projects I wanted to do.” So no shortage of excuses I don’t think. Um, you know, the reason that I feel like in the last few years there’s been a lot of attention to cleaning philosophies like hygge or the art of tidying up. You know how do — how do we find the right balance? JK I can’t answer that question because what balance looks like for one person is totally different from what balance looks like for another person. And I think that like all of these philosophies are great. They’re like diets. You know? They all work. You just have to find the one that works for you. JL Right. It’s so confusing because some people are like, “Get rid of everything.” And then some people are like, “Surround yourself with comfortable, wonderful things.” JK Right. And — and you know the thing is is that for a certain set of people get rid of all your things works and resonates with them. For another subset of people, you know, surround yourself with cozy plush things works for them. For other people, you know, Jolie Kerr foul mouthed dirty minded talking about cum stains works for them. You know, like [laughs]. So— SWB Works for me! JK There’s — I think, you know, I don’t ever see people who espoused cleaning philosophies that are different from mine as being competitors because to me it’s just all part of a landscape that creates a buffet for people to choose from and find solutions that are right for them. Like I really — I really am in the business of solving problems. And so [right] — if someone’s going to find the solution to their problem in, you know, the art of tidying up, by all means I want them to do that. If someone’s going to find the solutions to their problem by, you know, reading my columns or listening to my podcast and feeling like, “Ok. I’m going to —” A lot of people, actually this is kind of a funny little like aside about how people consume me is that a lot of people listen to my podcast while they’re doing their weekly cleaning. And I love that [laughter] I think that’s like the best thing in the world! Like because they’re listening — they’re not cleaning the thing I’m talking about. They’re not listening for active advice while they’re cleaning, they’re listening because it’s like a way that they can pass the time and they — people always say to me, they’re like, “It actually makes me excited about cleaning because you’re so excited about whatever it is you’re talking about that like it makes me excited while I’m scrubbing the tub.” That makes complete sense to me. I totally get it [laughs]. [38:54] JL Oh my god. Yes! I have like binged on your podcast this week and now I’ve wanted to like clean everything. JK Oh my god. I’m so — I’m so sorry. That’s a lot of Jolie Kerr in one week [laughs and others laughing]. But yeah I mean it — it’s so genuine so I feel comfortable saying this: I have so much enthusiasm for my job and I just love what I do so much that I can understand why it motivates people to clean. I get it. Like I get why it’s — why listening to me being like hysterical about hand washing a bra makes people want to go like hand wash their bras. And I love that because I want everyone to hand wash their bras! [Laughs] JL I’ve got a setting on my washing machine to do that, don’t I? JK You do. You do. [Laughs] SWB I feel so judged right now. JK Yeah. Don’t feel judged. SWB I have a mesh baggy. JK Mesh bagging it is fine. SWB And I air dry. I’m doing ok, right? JK You’re doing fine. So we do [chuckles] we just recorded an episode about — about bras and I said exactly that. But yes, indeed, the mesh bag and air dry is totally fine. I say this all the time: first of all, I’m not here to judge. At all. And also I live here in the real world with all of the rest of you. And, yeah, I would like you to hand wash your bras. It’s actually an incredibly painless process but I also completely and totally recognize that most people are not going to do that and that’s ok. So like there are other options, the mesh bag, the delicate cycles, air dry. That’s fine! That’s totally fine. Do not feel judged. JL I love it and I feel like I’m like with you. Like listening to you makes me want to clean out of excitement whereas like when I was younger if I’d be like really unmotivated and hungover on a couch on a Saturday, I’d put like an episode of Hoarders because then it would make me get up and do something because I like feared myself into cleaning my house. JK [Laughs boisterously] But you know what? If that works — if that works for people, that’s fine too. You know what I mean? Life if you need to be like scared straight by Hoarders to like put your underwear away. Like, by all means, whatever it takes. [41:03] JL So we’re just about out of time but before we go we’d love to hear more about where people can get more Jolie and like what everything’s looking like for you now. JK Sure thing! The best place to get the most Jolie is to listen to my podcast. It’s called Ask a Clean Person. It is available basically everywhere that you get podcasts. You should definitely consider downloading the Acast app. Acast is my wonderful podcast network. I love, love, love them and their app is wonderful and I am primarily these days writing for The New York Times but I also have regular columns at Lifehacker and Jalopnik and probably a new one rolling out sometime soon. And you can find me on social, I’m very, very, very active on Twitter. I’m great on Twitter. You can find me @joliekerr. Same handle for Instagram and on Facebook it is facebook.com/askacleanperson. JL Awesome! I can’t wait! And I’m excited to hear more about this new thing that’s potentially coming out so thank you so much for being on our show today! JK Thank you so much for having me. This was really, really fine [music fades in, plays alone for five seconds, fades out]. JL So, at the end of each episode, we like to have a little bit of a Fuck Yeah for those of you who haven’t heard our previous seasons before. Where each week we just sort of celebrate something that makes us go, “Fuck yeah!” in life. So, Sara, you got something for us today? SWB Uh. I definitely have a Fuck Yeah today because I’m feeling really good about some — some work I’ve been doing. So, last season we actually had Katel’s therapist on the show, Dr. Allison Chabot. And she was so encouraging about how you go about finding a therapist and sort of recommendations for how to kind of like try out therapists and get a sense of finding somebody you really click with and I was so encouraged by that because it was something I’d been meaning to do for awhile and it’s really daunting and I just felt like, “Where do I even start?” Well, I did it. So, what I did is I actually asked Katel if her therapist would have any recommendations for referrals, got a handful of referrals, called a couple of them. Just like she said, I took time out of my day to like have phone conversations with a couple different therapists. We spent like half an hour on the phone with each of them. And then I scheduled preliminary appointments with them because I liked them both and I just wanted to kind of feel it out in person. And I had both of those appointments this week. And it was a little bit funny to have like first time visits with two different therapists in the same week, where it’s like, “Am I going to talk about the stuff?” Or whatever. But it was really helpful for having like this kind of direct comparison and feeling like I had basically somebody else to compare against. And so my Fuck Yeah is that I did that work, first off, of like getting it together to make those phone calls and go through the process and figure out what your insurance will pay or whatever. Like that is no joke. And then fuck yeah I like both of them! [43:56] JL Yeah! KL Oh my god. Fuck yeah! I love this so much! I feel so proud of you. Seriously like I think that’s so awesome. I feel like this was such a cool, positive story. Also, oh my gosh, what are you going to do? I mean I’m sure you’re still thinking about it but you have to like give one of them a rose, right? [Chuckles] SWB Right. Yeah. So, here’s my plan. So I was going to call them both and ask if they can meet me at a special location and then I was going to make sure they’re both there and — yeah, no. I guess, I actually don’t know what I’m going to do. JL Katel and I will hide in the bushes and wear an earpiece and tell you what to say to each one. SWB Oh my gosh. KL I like this idea so much. SWB So, I have kind of a small lean in one direction with one of them and I can’t quite figure out if it’s because I happened to see her first [mm hmm] or if she was actually like clicking a little bit more. Like part of me thinks that I had a couple of like real eye opening moments in the session with her that maybe were just because I saw her before I saw the other person because they were both really good. I mean first up like I think the recommendations I got from Dr. Chabot were really good and I read about them and kind of like picked a couple who felt right to me based on their websites. All — all along the way I was kind of gut checking it, same with the phone calls. So anyway I don’t necessarily feel like [pause] this one versus the other is much better but obviously, you know, I gotta make a decision and so anything that helps make a decision at this point seems fine because like I think that they’d both be great. So, yeah, I’m going to kind of follow up on that. I’m giving myself a few more days to mull it over and then I’m just going to try to get my shit together and go to therapy regularly with a therapist I actually like. KL That is so cool. I love that. Fuck yeah! JL Fuck yeah! KL That’s it for this week’s episode of No, You Go, the show about being ambitious — and sticking together. NYG is recorded in our home city of Philadelphia and produced by Steph Colbourn. Our theme music is by The Diaphone. Thanks to Jolie Kerr for being our guest today. If you like what you’ve been hearing, please make sure to subscribe and rate us. It helps more listeners like you find us. And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter! We will back next week with another great guest [music fades in, plays alone for 32 seconds, fades out to end].

Welcome to Season 3 of No, You Go—a weekly show about ambition, friendship, feminism…and always finding something to say fuck yeah about. Starting August 14, we’ll be back and better than ever, talking to some of our favorite activists, authors, entrepreneurs, and more about how they got where they are, what they learned in the process, and how they keep their heads up in tough times. Here’s just a taste of what’s in store. Transcript Sara Wachter-Boettcher: If we got Slim Jim as a sponsor, I would say yes. I’m sorry, I would take that money” [Musical transition] SWB Hey everyone, we are back from sipping cool drinks by the pool, and we are so hyped to tell you about Season 3 of No, You Go—a weekly show about ambition, friendship, feminism…and always finding something to say fuck yeah about. JL We didn’t sign Slim Jim as a sponsor, but we did scheme up tons of ways to make NYG better than ever. Starting August 14, we’ll be talking to some of our favorite activists, authors, entrepreneurs, and more about how they got where they are, what they learned in the process, and how they keep their heads up in tough times. I’m Jenn Lukas, and hey, I’m pregnant again! I’m looking forward to talking about juggling my career, toddler, and upcoming new baby. I can’t wait to explore how major life changes affect—or don’t affect—our career ambitions…and to see if I ever get sick of ice cream. I’m really living the pregnant-lady stereotype over here! Katel LeDû I’m Katel LeDu, and I look like I have my shit together most of the time. (Secret: I don’t, and it’s ok!) And you know what? That inspires me to keep talking about what it takes to live my best, healthiest life at work and at home. I hope our stories help—and I hope you’ll join us. SWB And I’m Sara Wachter-Boettcher, and I am so ready to keep having conversations that make me think and feel—about issues like gender, race, class, mental health, and more. And I’m excited to share those conversations with you, so we can all get better at talking about tough stuff—together. Plus, we’re gonna keep on interviewing the coolest women and nonbinary people we can find. From guests who make us feel like burning shit down… Nicole Sanchez clip It’s a Benetton ad. You know? If you can make your website of your company feature a black employee, you’re good. Like that’s where we are now. That’s the bar. JL To guests who make us pump our fists with joy… Saron Yitbarek clip And she looked at me and she said, “I don’t believe in stepping stones.” And it just gave me chills. And I was like, “Ahhhh! I too do not believe in stepping stones.” It was amazing. SWB And guests who get super real. Jolie Kerr clip It was subversive to have a Seven Sisters-educated woman writing about cum stains. And that’s who I am. KL Oh my god. I still can’t get over that one. And we’re only just getting started! New episodes of No, You Go start August 14th, and you won’t want to miss a single one. Because everyone deserves a group of badass women in their corner. Especially you. Subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts. JL And if you like NYG, don’t miss I Love That, our biweekly newsletter! Head to noyougoshow.com/ILoveThat to sign up. [Musical outro]

We open the episode with some personal news and shoutouts, then Casey and the Serpent Sluts do a full-moon review of CORE water and Suja Juice. Then, we talk to a very special guest: Jolie Kerr! She has an amazing podcast called "Ask A Clean Person" and wrote the NYT best-selling book, "My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag... and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha." She talks to us about cleaning up all the witchy and sexy messes you might make throughout your practice: candle wax spills and stains, glitter cleanup, keeping your tub Instagrammable when you take Witch Baby bath magic selfies, and more.

Prudence is joined by Jolie Kerr, a cleaning expert, advice columnist and host of the podcast, Ask a Clean Person. We begin with a concerned letter-writer whose sister is involved with a reckless and dangerous partner on how she can remain supportive while advocate for her sister’s well being. Next, this reader just frankly doesn’t want to be friends with her eager neighbor but they’ve picked up on none of the “I don’t want to be friends” hints. And lastly, a husband of 35 years is feeling at a loss because his wife no longer wants to sleep with him. Hear more Prudence by joining Slate Plus: Slate.com/Prudiepod. Email: prudencepodcast@gmail.comProduction by Max Jacobs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prudence is joined by Jolie Kerr, a cleaning expert, advice columnist and host of the podcast, Ask a Clean Person. We begin with a concerned letter-writer whose sister is involved with a reckless and dangerous partner on how she can remain supportive while advocate for her sister’s well being. Next, this reader just frankly doesn’t want to be friends with her eager neighbor but they’ve picked up on none of the “I don’t want to be friends” hints. And lastly, a husband of 35 years is feeling at a loss because his wife no longer wants to sleep with him. Hear more Prudence by joining Slate Plus: Slate.com/Prudiepod. Email: prudencepodcast@gmail.comProduction by Max Jacobs Please fill out the Slate podcast survey at slate.com/podcastsurvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're talking about personal hygiene with professional clean person Jolie Kerr. Jolie's been a cleaning expert for Esquire, Deadspin and The Hairpin, and she's the author of the New York Times bestselling book, My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag . . . and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha. Starting this week, she'll be writing a column for Lifehacker's parenting vertical, Offspring, on how to be a clean parent. In this episode, she'll answer questions from our audience on how to handle stinky feet, weird breath, and the other embarrassing issues we all deal with (but don't want to admit to). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Spread out the deck and think about your intentions. You flip a card. Jokes ensue. We’re joined this week by cleanliness expert and Tarot lover, Jolie Kerr, who navigates us through the basics of Tarot, the history of the cards, and some Church Intrigue. Meanwhile, we joke about the supernatural skill of playing Bridge and Mahjong, the cards talking shit about your friends, and how the Rosetta Stones solved all problems.   Guest Jolie Kerr can be found on Twitter @joliekerr. Listen to Ask a Clean Person on Acast, Apple Podcasts, or any other podcast app. Check out her amazing collection of tarot decks here!   Sponsor - Tab for a Cause. Thanks for sponsoring us this week! Grab the extension and start earning for charity at tabforacause.com/spirits   Find Us Online - patreon: http://patreon.com/spiritspodcast - twitter: http://twitter.com/spiritspodcast - facebook: http://facebook.com/spiritspodcast - instagram: http://instagram.com/spiritspodcast - goodreads: http://bit.ly/spiritsreads - website: http://spiritspodcast.com/ - merch: http://spiritspodcast.com/merch - email: spiritspodcast [at] gmail [dot] com   About Us - hosts: @JuliaSchifini, @ImEricSchneider, @shessomickey - multitude: multitude.productions - help out: leave us a review in Apple Podcasts! - music: "Danger Storm" Kevin MacLeod (http://incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0.

It sucks when you have a cold. I’m sure you’ve heard that you should drink a lot of fluids and get rest and eat chicken soup – but there are other things you may not have heard before that can help alleviate the symptoms of a cold while you wait for it to go away. And since this is cold season, we begin this episode with great ways to ease the misery of having a cold. Everyone knows being neat and tidy is preferable to being messy. But wait! Not so fast. Says who? There is a case for being messy. Because it turns out that life is messy and often life doesn’t fit neatly into categories, files and folders. Tim Harford, journalist, economist and author of the book Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives (http://amzn.to/2Die1Cw) explains why being neat isn’t always the solution and suggests ways to embrace the messiness of life and use it to your advantage.Also, I’m sure you’ve noticed that whenever you cry, you get a runny nose. Why? Listen and find out.Then, sooner or later – and probably sooner, you will need to clean something. And no one knows better how to keep your life clean and sparkly bright than Jolie Kerr. Jolie is an advice columnist and host of the podcast, “Ask a Clean Person.” She is also author of the book, My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag (http://amzn.to/2Df2BPL). NO ONE loves to clean like Jolie and you will love her cleaning hacks that I know you will use within hours if not minutes after hearing them.

Cleaning things up so you can get extra dirty. That’s the philosophy of Ask A Clean Person columnist and podcaster Jolie Kerr. Tina had the misconception that a cleaning expert probably wouldn’t share some of her disgusting interests, but Jolie defies expectations with her dirty mouth and filthy mind. In this episode, Jolie gives tips for using ketchup to clean leather strap-on harnesses, and using meat tenderizer to clean up period blood; and Tina tells a very personal story about an anal catastrophe. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're talking about personal hygiene with professional clean person Jolie Kerr. Jolie's been a cleaning expert for Esquire, Deadspin and The Hairpin, and she's the author of the New York Times bestselling book, My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag . . . and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha. Starting this week, she'll be writing a column for Lifehacker's parenting vertical, Offspring, on how to be a clean parent. In this episode, she'll answer questions from our audience on how to handle stinky feet, weird breath, and the other embarrassing issues we all deal with (but don't want to admit to). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Surprise! We’ve got a new mini episode for you. This time, Molls (twitter.com/molls), Kristina (twitter.com/kristinalopez), and Ed (twitter.com/therealedhansen) stop by to celebrate the birthday of Jolie Kerr (twitter.com/), host of the Ask A Clean Person podcast. Listen in on this boozy brunch and enjoy. Kristina gets some advice from the crowd and we talk about how it’s OK to be a little sloppy. PLUS: Watch What Crappens co-host Ronnie Karam (twitter.com/ronniekaram) also make a guest appearance. Listen, learn, laugh and love! Music: “Something Elated” - Broke For Free “Associations” - Podington Bear (soundofpicture.com) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A listener calls Sex Lives with a harrowing story about accidentally destroying her husband's penis with Lysol, and Maureen enlists Ask a Clean Person columnist Jolie Kerr to help her sort out the ensuing mess. Also up for discussion: sex stains, masturbation messes, sexual etiquette for houseguests, and a theory about why Oscar the Grouch would make a great husband? To leave a voice message for Sex Lives, call 646-494-3590.

All-new show bbs! This week “Ask a Clean Person” host Jolie Kerr (twitter.com/joliekerr) stops by to NOT judge Molls (twitter.com/molls) for her messy home while also offering up some cleaning tips for period problems. What do you do when an ex lies about leaving you a gift for Valentine’s Day? How do you channel your anger now that you can’t take it out on your partner? Should you really be in a monogamous relationship? Molls and Jolie tackle these calls and more of your conundrums this week! ****Give us a call. We'd love to hear from you for any advice, if you wanna say what's up, or if you want us to roast you. Hit us up at (323) 450-7408 or send us a voice note or letter at askplzadvise [at] gmail dot com.**** See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are you a messy person who yearns for a cleaner desk? Or maybe you're a neat freak looking for ways to avoid contracting the disgusting germs of your less considerate co-workers. No matter your preferences, you probably have to sit near and around people with different cleanliness levels. It's not always pretty, but especially in open offices, it's reality. Jolie Kerr is here to help with your neuroses. Kerr is a cleaning expert and the host of the "Ask a Clean Person" podcast, and she joins this week's Game Plan to help Sam and Rebecca with their messy desks. Okay, just Rebecca's messy desk. Sam is a fellow clean person. Jolie shares her tips and tricks for any office dweller looking to live their cleanest, healthiest and best work lives.

This week we grill cleanup icon Jolie Kerr (of “Ask a Clean Person”) about how to wash a sex toy, launder semen stains, slyly coverup an accident in bed, and actually a lot more. Also, the word horny: a historical debate. With Allison P. Davis, Maureen O’Connor, and David Wallace-Wells.

On this very dirty episode of Ask a Clean Person, host Jolie Kerr chats with Meredith Haggerty, the reports editor at Racked National, about…cleaning sex toys! Together, they talk about different materials from latex to pyrex, sexual health, and answer several questions you definitely want the answers to. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Winter shoe woes? Never fear! Ask a Clean Person has you covered as Jolie Kerr is in studio with Dave Lozo chatting all the ways to take care of your footwear throughout the cold and snowy season. Whether salt stains got you down or if your leather boots have seen better days after the melting slush, this is a great episode to keep your kicks kickin! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ask a Clean Person is on the chopping block this week as Jolie Kerr is in studio with Daniel Gritzer and Lesley Stockton talking knife and cutting board care. Daniel is the Culinary Director at Serious Eats, where he writes about food, cooking, and recipes, with an eye to obsessive recipe testing and myth-busting while Lesley is a staff writer and the test kitchen manager at The Sweethome who has been working in restaurant, catering, and test kitchens for almost two decades. Between why you should never put a chef's knife in the dishwasher, the right way to hand-wash, and a gruesome slicing story, plus cleaning advice for the faithful cutting board, this episode is not to be missed! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dirty gym pants? Unstink it on this week's episode of Ask a Clean Person as Jolie Kerr is joined by friend and Racked columnist Carlye Wisel. Carlye writes about exercise, womanhood and Disney parks. Today Jolie and Carlye are talking about two of those subjects today — exercise and womanhood — as they tackle everything about the dos and don'ts of laundering workout gear, dealing with inevitable smells and ensuring that your yoga pants enjoy a nice, long life. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At some point, most everyone has accidentally shrunk a sweater, jacket, or a pair of jeans. And yet there is no pre-packaged, easy-to-use product on the market to help people salvage their clothes! Until now. Ask a Clean Person host Jolie Kerr is in studio with Desiree Stolar, who has done the impossible: she has found a way to unshrink sweaters! Founder of Unshrinkit, a liquid-based solution specifically designed for returning wool sweaters to their original size, she and Jolie hash out this quick, reliable and lightweight alternative to messy mixtures, homespun instructions and tiresome stretching and unlike other substitutes. For all other shrunken wool moments, don't panic. Unshrinkit. Tune in for this great conversation and for more sweater care tips! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Having endured Thanksgiving, Ask a Clean Person host Jolie Kerr tackles the infamous holiday messes along with guests Meredith Haggerty and Julia Rubin, Reports Editor and Features Editor at Racked. Between a capsized gravy boat, a rogue bottle of red wine, and more gravy splatter, this is the ultimate episode addressing all festive disarrays. Plus, tune in to hear details on this year’s Clean Person Gift Guide! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ok cast iron crazies – this episode might make you mad. Jolie Kerr is joined by Daniel Gritzer to debunk some serious cast iron myths. Daniel is the Culinary Director at Serious Eats, where he writes about food, cooking, and recipes, with an eye to obsessive recipe testing and myth-busting. Dedicated listeners will remember Daniel from Season One, when he regaled us with true and terrifying tales of what really goes on in restaurant kitchens. He’s joining Jolie once again in the studio, this time to talk about the very serious subject of cast iron cookware. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Oh, suck it up! This week on Ask a Clean Person, Jolie Kerr is ranting and raving on Dyson vacuums with guest Liam McCabe, staff writer for The Sweethome where he covers the wild world of appliances. If Dyson isn’t the best ‘high end’ vacuum out there, what is? How about the most affordable vacuum? After hundreds of hours testing vacuums with The Sweethome, Liam shares findings on canisters and upright models, price versus quality and maintenance issues, the most reliable brands, and more! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Trick or Treat! Jolie Kerr is talking Halloween messes with guest Haley Mlotek on this week’s episode of Ask a Clean Person. Haley is the editor of The Hairpin, which historians will note is the very site on which Ask a Clean Person was launched way back in 2011! Between suggestions for crazy nose bleed stains, a costume color run fiasco, soiled lederhosen, and a feather boa incident, Jolie and Haley sift through solutions along with some witty banter for good measure. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Got cat puke on your carpet? Dog pee on your couch? No worries, Jolie Kerr has you covered. Tune in for a pet-themed episode of Ask a Clean Person as Jolie is joined by Diana Moskovitz of Deadspin. Diana Moskovitz is a Staff Writer at Deadspin, where she has written about the organization No More, the NFL’s sham domestic violence partner, how Las Vegas authorities hid Floyd Mayweather’s history of beating up women, and the first woman who accused Bill Cosby of sexual assault. She has also somehow managed to work at Deadspin for more than a year without writing a single post about poop. In her spare time, she reads and worries way too much about her two cats. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

So you smell like smoke. Don’t worry, Jolie Kerr is here to help! This weeks episode of Ask a Clean Person is for you, smoker. Tune in as she gives some great odor eliminating tips for getting rid of that nasty cigarette smell. She’s also joined by returning guest Dave Lozo. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Ask a Clean Person, host Jolie Kerr is suiting up and heading to the ice with guest Dave Lozo. Dave has covered hockey for NHL.com and Bleacher Report for eight years and he once tried to pick up Michelle Kwan in a Kansas City hotel bar after drinking for 11 hours. There’s no better person to be in studio to talk about hockey gear and, most importantly, the smell of hockey gear! Tune in for a great show and learn how to handle what experts term as hockey stank. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jolie Kerr hates Swiffers. Adam Clark Estes of Gizmodo hates Swiffers. By the time you’re done listening to today’s episode of Ask a Clean Person, you will too. Tune in as they teach you why Swiffers are glorified paper towels. Learn how to clean your floors more efficiently and get some overall great tips from the best in the biz.! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You phone and tech gear are dirty and you know it. Not what’s in it (that’s your business) but what is on it. Think of all the places you put your phone, like the sticky coffee shop table, the bathroom sink counter in the bar, the subway seat – and that’s just today. Clean up your gear with in-studio guest Jolie Kerr author of the New York Times best-selling book My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag and Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha, and host of the Ask a Clean Person Podcast on Heritage Radio Network. Her clean-conspirator on this episode is writer Kate Knibbs from Gizmodo.   “Light switches, door handles and your phones… dirtiest things in the world.” [08:00] — Jolie Kerr on Tech Bites  

Got a lube stain on your sheets? Wondering which laundry detergent is the most effective? This week’s episode of Ask a Clean Person is for you! Tune in as host Jolie Kerr is joined by Casey Johnston, Lead Editor of The Wirecutter and The Sweethome and Cesar Torres, Managing Editor at The Wirecutter and The Sweethome. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jolie Kerr kicks off the fall season of Ask a Clean Person with a doozy of a topic – sex stains. She’s joined by Maureen O’Connor, New York Magazine’s sex columnist and a contributor at The Cut. In addition to being generally awesome, Maureen, in her Sex Lives column, recently wrote an article entitled “The Complicated Politics of Where to Come” that in many ways was at the crossroads of what she does as a sex columnist and what Jolie does as a cleaning columnist and podcaster. This program was brought to you by Roberta’s. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’re approaching the last two weeks of August, AKA the peak of summertime travel season. Get out and go camping! On today’s episode of Sharp & Hot, Emily Peterson asks guest Jolie Kerr from Ask A Clean Person everything you need to know about dish cleaning in the woods. What’s the best way to clean when you don’t have access to running water? Tune in to learn all about it! Today’s episode was brought to you by Whole Foods Market. “So really the sort of basics of [washing dishes while camping] are to have three wash bins….. one for washing, one for rinsing, and one for sterilizing.” [15:00] “If you’re making things that are greasier, just use hot water. It will do a better job of cutting the grease.” [18:00] “I think you’re better off drying [the dishes] immediately. If there is any of that greasy residue, drying it off with a towel with wipe some of it off.” [24:00] –Jolie Kerr on Sharp & Hot

Dirty dishes, sticky stovetops, messy microwaves… This week on Ask a Clean Person, host Jolie Kerr is taking on kitchen disasters with guest Kristin Appenbrink, freelance writer and contributing editor at The Kitchn. As it turns out, cooking oil is a big culprit in disgracing anyone’s kitchen and as it becomes airborne, it settles, and attracts dust. But never fear! Jolie and Kristin dish out a few tips and tricks, some eco-friendly and some not, to scrub down the grime. Ever wondered how to clean your cast-iron and stainless cookwear? Tune in for answers and to hear Jolie wax poetic on Crystal Light! This program was brought to you by The International Culinary Center. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When is the last time you cleaned your car? Perhaps it’s been a while? Tune in to this week’s Ask a Clean Person as Jolie Kerr welcomes Freddy Hernandez from Jalopnik, where he writes about buying and selling cool cars on the internet under the pen name Tavarish. Talking strategies to cleaning your four-wheeled speedster, the duo takes on questions ranging from a melted butter mishap to dealing with cigarette stench. You won’t want to miss it! This program was brought to you by Fairway Market. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Restaurant cleanliness: what do you want to know? What don’t you want to know? This week on Ask a Clean Person, host Jolie Kerr welcomes Daniel Gritzer, Culinary Director at Serious Eats, to the studio for some thoughts on food safety plus crazy restaurant stories. Daniel boasts being Department of Health certified and has seen it all! What are the restaurant red flags? How old is the soup? Which is the worst day to order fish? How clean is the cutlery? Tune in to hear myths dispelled as well as the dirty truth! This program was brought to you by Route 11 Potato Chips. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week on Ask a Clean Person, host Jolie Kerr is tackling mold and mildew! With guest Julia Rubin, Features Editor at Racked National, in studio, the two delve deep into the cleverest tricks to avoiding the dank and damp dilemma. Talking solutions for bathrooms that range from eco-friendly tea tree oil to heavy duty bleach scrubs, Jolie also suggests that de-humidifiers and plug in bathroom fans can be a lifesaver! Tune in to hear Jolie’s love of hardware stores, the magic of Damprid, plus how to handle musty carpet. This program was brought to you by Route 11 Potato Chips. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Summer: the word ushers in thoughts of sunshine, the beach, and… pit stains! This week on Ask A Clean Person, host Jolie Kerr welcomes Greg Howard to the show. Greg is a staff writer at Deadspin, where he writes about sports and culture and the occasional penis, and edits Screamer, the website’s soccer vertical. Answering exactly how to deal with this summer setback, Jolie and Greg approach the quandary with wit and charm, suggesting, for instance, to rid a shirt of yellowed stains simply soak the shirt in hot water and OxiClean for a long while and perhaps enlist the use of a laundry brush. After the break, the dynamic duo tackles the stank that comes along with the pit stains – tune in for an essential show! This program was brought to you by Bonnie Plants. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Spring cleaning is a great time to get rid of the useless clutter in your apartment. This week’s episode of Ask a Clean Person will certainly put you in the right mindset to clean your mess. Jolie Kerr is joined by Ann Lightfoot and Kate Pawlowski, Founding Partners of Done & Done NYC, and Operations Manager, Abby Lofberg. Done and Done NYC is a professional organizing and staging company. Along with thorough clean-outs, they “implement systems to prevent reoccurring issues and help you get control of the problem that’s controlling you.” Tune in for a spirited conversation that will help you get over your emotional attachments to items that just don’t need to be in your living space. This program was brought to you by Whole Foods Market. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If you are looking for a podcast about solving your stinky feet problem, you’ve come to the right place. On this week’s episode of Ask a Clean Person, Jolie Kerr is joined by Meredith Haggerty, the former host of Internet and technology podcast “TLDR” and reports editor at Racked.com. Jolie and Meredith talk about high heels in grass, rain storms and your shoes and sneaker balls. This program was brought to you by Bonnie Plants. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Moth infestation in your closet? Somebody glitterbomb you? Well, you’re in luck. This week on Ask a Clean Person, Jolie Kerr and guest Kate McKean discuss these topics at length. Tune in for tips and advice when it come to glitter messes and moths in your clothes (ew!). This program was brought to you by Edwards VA Ham. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Did your baby make a mess? Need to clean poop stains!? Do you think Lego’s are Satan’s toy? This episode of Ask a Clean Person is for you! This week, Jolie Kerr is joined by Blair Koenig, the author and creator of STFU, Parents. STFU, Parents is a submission-based “public service” blog that mocks parent overshare on social networking sites. It was created in March 2009 and is an entertainment destination for thousands of daily readers. The site serves as a guide for parents on what NOT to post about their kids as well as a forum for non-parents to vent about their TMI-related frustrations. This program was brought to you by Rolling Press. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Stuck hand washing laundry in Africa for two weeks? Prone to yeast infections? Shampoo bottle breaks in your suitcase? Worse yet – cat pee in your suitcase? Well, you’re in luck. Jolie Kerr and guest Jen Doll address travel related cleaning issues on this week’s episode of Ask a Clean Person. This program was brought to you by Bonnie Plants. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What does your calendar look like? Is it an app? Google Calendar? A moleskine? Tune in to Ask a Clean Person as host Jolie Kerr and guest Dayna Evans help you navigate the world of daily planning. Dayna Evans is a writer and editor based in New York who writes for Gawker and other popular internet publications. On the show, Jolie and Dayna address questions about scheduling chores, effectively keeping your house clean and maintaining good habits. This program was brought to you by Rolling Press. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Clean Person Resolutions with Resident Clean Person Jolie Kerr : Emily Peterson rings in the new year with a favorite guest of the show, Jolie Kerr! Jolie writes a regular cleaning advice column for Deadspin and is also the author of My Boyfriend Barfed In My Handbag and Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha. They discuss New Years resolutions, homemade and waste-free cleaning products and other useful household tips to keep 2015 fresh and clean! This program was brought to you by Cain Vineyard & Winery. “Everybody think’s i’m a shill for big vinegar but i just love it so much!” [13:00] “Recycle the bottles you already have. If you have an empty bottle from a commercial cleaner, rinse it out and use that.” [16:00] “Stop using so much laundry detergent – everybody is over-using.” [20:00] –Jolie Kerr on Sharp & Hot

Amy interviews Jolie Kerr, author of MY BOYFRIEND BARFED IN MY HANDBAG, live at BEA. Read more: http://bit.ly/1nuzpXk

Ahoy! This week's guest is "ASK A CLEAN PERSON" columnist and NYT Best-Selling Author JOLIE KERR! Jolie wrote a book called MY BOYFRIEND BARFED IN MY HANDBAG...AND OTHER THINGS YOU CAN'T ASK MARTHA, but this is a pro-Martha podcast and you don't need to worry about any Martha Stewart bashing. But you SHOULD be worried about being terribly entertained by this conversation about mold, bleach vomit, and other things nobody ever talks about in polite conversation! Plus! A trip to the Dong Room at the Biennial! Patti Smith's poems and breasts! DiBlasio's pro-weasel policy! And why it's awesome that Deee-lite made RuPaul jealous.

It’s spring and you know what that means — SPRING CLEANING! That’s right – it’s a squeaky clean episode of Sharp & Hot with Emily Peterson. This week, she’s joined by Jolie Kerr, author of “My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag”. Jolie is here to give some serious kitchen cleaning tips – from countertops to stove pilots. Find out where all the pieces of burnt macaroni end up in your stove and how you can liberate them, get the inside scoop on green cleaning products and learn how to effectively keep your refrigerator clean and organized. “Ammonia is not a green product. You have to wear gloves and open a window – it stinks. If you don’t want that kind of product in your house – use a good dish detergent in lieu of ammonia. Just know you’ll have to work a lot harder.” 10:00 –Jolie Kerr on Sharp & Hot