Wednesday at the home of Dolev Cohen, 33, is known as “My Beloved Wednesday.” The affectionate nickname was not given to the day because it is when she allows herself to finish work earlier than usual or because it is date night with her husband. Rather, it is the day she devotes to an activity many of us hate: cleaning.
Cohen is a cleaning addict who loves the smell of bleach, and she has drawn a large following into her obsession. On her Instagram page, which has more than 240,000 followers, she shares cleaning videos and teaches her followers how to do it right.
She lives in Ashkelon with her husband, Adir, and their four children. Her official profession and primary source of income, however, is her eyebrow-design business.
How did your love of cleaning begin?
“It comes naturally. My mother is also obsessed with cleaning and my father is the same way. It comes from home. Ever since I was little, we’ve called Wednesday ‘My Beloved Wednesday.’ That’s the day I turn the whole house upside down. It’s Passover every week. Everything gets moved, lifted and taken apart. It’s my fun day.”
Cleaning is something a lot of people hate. What do you love about it so much?
“There are people like me who absolutely love cleaning. Everyone has their own hobbies. I think it’s the most fun thing in the world. What could be better than walking into a clean, sparkling home? I’m addicted to cleaning.”
Dolev Cohen in action
(Photo: Courtesy)
What does “My Beloved Wednesday” actually look like?
“It starts Tuesday evening. That’s when all the shopping gets done, I clean the kitchen, take everything out and put it back, wipe everything down and get the refrigerator looking perfect. Everything. Wednesday morning, I clean all the rooms. Everything comes apart. I drop the kids off at school and daycare, come home at 8 and keep going until the evening, sometimes into the night. I live in a garden apartment, so I also get to the lobby and the yard. I wash down the patio and the pergola, take the window screens out and wash them outside. The bathroom and toilet are especially important. I need them to be clean all the time, and the kitchen too. There’s nothing I don’t clean. It’s my obsession and my love. I even like cleaning the car.
I have to go to bed with the smell of bleach on my hands. It’s the best body lotion there is
“On top of that, once a month I paint the house myself and do repairs too. I go to a store in Ashkelon and know exactly where to buy everything. My husband tells me, ‘There’s nothing left for me to fix after you.’”
What is Passover like at your house?
“Passover is a party. During Passover, the emphasis is on sorting clothes — what they wore, what they didn’t wear, what’s too small and what still fits. Suddenly I feel like throwing everything out. Didn’t use it? Fine, let it go. I hate accumulating stuff. It’s a general refresh for the house, but the cleaning itself is the same.”
Don’t the cleaning products make you dizzy or give you headaches?
“Maybe they did once, when I used to mix things. I’ve since learned that you don’t mix degreaser with bleach. I enjoy that smell. If I can’t smell it, I’m not relaxed. I have to go to bed with the smell of bleach on my hands. It’s the best body lotion there is.”
How does that work with four children in the house?
“They grew up with it. They know you don’t go into the bedrooms with food or drinks. Bedrooms are for sleeping. Friends can come over Sunday through Tuesday, but there are no friends on Wednesday. I don’t scream at them or get angry. They just know: You don’t come into the house with shoes on and you don’t eat in the living room. They can eat in the dining area, and I specifically made a spot in the yard where they can eat and watch TV. Everywhere else in the house, they can play freely — magnets, Lego, spread it all out. At the end of the day, everyone puts their toys back where they belong and I reset the house.”
How do you balance motherhood with your business and social media?
“First and foremost, I’m a mother. I’m a good mother to my children — extracurricular activities, private lessons. They come first and then everything else. There are hours when I’m not on Instagram at all, usually between 4 and 6 p.m. I pick them up, take them to the playground, go for a walk with them or take them to their activities and give them what they need. I cook and do everything. Shabbat is Shabbat. It’s a Moroccan-Tripolitan home — all the dishes, pots of food. I love hosting and do it with love.”
How do you manage that schedule?
“I need another 24 hours. There’s never enough time for me. My mother is my inspiration in life. She used to tell me, ‘Don’t go to bed until you’ve finished everything you have to do. Don’t leave it for tomorrow and don’t put it off.’ That’s how I was raised and that’s how I grew up. I want to get everything done here and now. I like working hard, I like pressure and I like a marathon. I won’t sit in front of the TV. I think it’s a waste of time. Sleeping is a waste of time too. I catch up on sleep on Shabbat.”
Are there days when even you just don’t have the energy? “Of course. I’m human. There are days when I don’t have the energy to cook, so we can order food or go to my mother’s, where she always has three or four pots on the stove. But there isn’t a day when I don’t do laundry, and there isn’t a day when I don’t reset the house. Go to bed with the house a mess? That’s not going to happen.”
'There isn’t a day when I don’t do laundry'
(Photo: Courtesy)
Does filming make cleaning take longer?
“Of course. I can spend five or six hours cleaning the house, and with a camera it takes longer. But I enjoy it. I see the good it does for the women who follow me, I see the comments and they wait for it. They ask me, ‘What are you doing this coming Wednesday?’ and ask for cleaning tips.”
What kind of reactions do you get?
“A lot of nice comments. Then there are the bored people who tell me, ‘You’re wasting water.’ Like everything in life, there are positive and negative reactions, and I focus on the good things. A man met me at a water park and said, ‘I love your videos. I’ve never taken down the curtains in my house.’ He told me they hadn’t been cleaned in eight years and said he was going to take them down now because it looked easy in the video. Women tell me, ‘I’ve never wanted to clean like this before,’ ‘I cook because of you,’ ‘Dolev, keep going.’ I can see that I’m doing something good for people. If someone doesn’t like it, they don’t have to follow me.”
I tried hiring a cleaner during my last pregnancy. I was bleeding and was told not to exert myself, so I brought in a cleaner. I saw what it did to me emotionally and told my husband, ‘Listen, I’m going to clean. This is what makes me feel good’
Are you already doing sponsored collaborations through Instagram?
“Of course. I’m signed with an agency, and even before I signed with them I did collaborations with many well-known companies. It’s not just cleaning. There’s beauty, style and lots of other things. If I think something is right for me and suits me, I take it. My agent knows exactly what works for me. I do what I connect with.”
Cotton swabs in the window tracks
What is the best cleaning tip you can give?
“First of all, your house will never really be clean if you don’t pick things up and move them. You can’t just clean superficially, over and around everything. You have to lift things up. Lots of water, lots of cleaning, bleach is a must. And you have to love it. Just love it. If you have a cleaner, then teach your cleaner to do it properly too and move things out of the way.”
You’re not willing to use a cleaner yourself? “I tried during my last pregnancy. I was bleeding and was told not to exert myself, so I brought in a cleaner. I saw what it did to me emotionally and told my husband, ‘Listen, I’m going to clean. This is what makes me feel good.’ I cleaned slowly and carefully until week 40. Then my water broke and I went to give birth. My mother always says, ‘No one will clean your home the way you clean it yourself.’ Even if you pay someone 200 shekels an hour, it won’t be the same.”
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'I think the people who don’t like cleaning are the crazy ones'
(Photo: Courtesy)
What do you say to comments claiming that a woman cleaning is somehow primitive?
“There are people who always have something to say and only see the negative. I don’t pay attention to it. It goes right past me. I used to get hurt by it, but I don’t care anymore. At the end of the day, everything depends on how you look at life. I say, ‘Do good, receive good, see good.’ Why be negative?”
What is the most over-the-top thing you cleaned that became a trend?
“Cotton swabs in the window tracks. I’ve always cleaned them with cotton swabs. My mother used to tell me, ‘If you can’t get into the corners, use a toothpick or a cotton swab. They get into every corner.’ People said the same thing about the refrigerator, and now I see everyone on social media cleaning their refrigerators. I see my daughter cleaning the spout of her bottle with a toothpick, and my husband tells me, ‘You’ve messed them up.’ I messed them up in a good way. What’s wrong with that? Good for her. She’s a champ.”
Are your water and electricity bills higher than other people’s?
“Yes. Everything in my house works overtime. The air conditioner never turns off, the dishwasher works overtime and the washing machine never gets a break. I can always find another pillow to throw in or another blanket to squeeze into it. Good thing we observe Shabbat.”
'There are people who always have something to say and only see the negative'
(Photo: Eden Halamish)
Do you feel that you inspire your followers?
“Yes, absolutely. We have lots of heart-to-heart conversations. They want my phone number so they can talk to me about things and ask for advice. I go along with it, within reason. Why not?”
What do you say to people who think your obsession with cleaning is crazy?
“I think the people who don’t like cleaning are the crazy ones. What’s wrong with cleaning? It’s good, it’s fun. If they’re going to say I’m crazy, at least let them say I’m crazy about cleaning. To me, that’s a compliment.”
How has becoming well-known affected your life?
“It’s fun, but my feet are firmly on the ground. I’m a regular person like everyone else. Thank God, everything feels natural and fun, and I’m enjoying the journey. I have followers who feel like part of me. Women I genuinely love even though I’ve never seen them in person, just through messages online.”
What is the next big thing you’re working on?
“God willing, my cleaning brand is going to be the next big thing. The best cleaning products, not just in Israel but in the world. We’re working on it nonstop. There’s a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes, but I make sure every detail is exactly right and I don’t compromise on anything. There isn’t a cleaning product that hasn’t passed through my hands, that I haven’t tried or cleaned with. I test the products and improve things. It’s not about taking a product and putting a label on it. There’s a whole world behind every product. I’m not revealing the name yet.”