She’s the Auckland mum who turned household cleaning into a viral social media career, sharing her candid take on juggling family life while embarking on impressive reno projects, but Brit Cunningham winces when the word “influencer” is mentioned.
“I just like to think of myself as a video creator,” she explains.
“If I’m influencing anything, it’s to clean your house and make it a space you enjoy living in.”
From cleaning videos to TikTok fame
It’s been a crazy few years since Brit, 34, started posting cleaning videos online. She’s starred on The Traitors NZ, while renovating her huge mid-century home and also raising her three kids, Greyson, 13, Malachi, 11, and Olive, seven.
And now she’s found herself nominated for a trophy at the prestigious TikTok Awards, which will be held in Sydney on Wednesday 26 November, hosted by Love Island Australia host Sophie Monk. However, when the nomination email first landed in her inbox, Brit almost deleted it.
“I thought it was spam!” she laughs.
“It had ‘@BritCunningham’ in the subject line and I thought it was just one of those random outreach emails you often get.”
Kiwi TikTokers shine
Luckily, she opened it and found out she was one of just five Kiwi TikTokers up for New Zealand Creator of the Year – the others are Daniel Rankin, Louis Davis, The Morning Shift and Paris Nuku. Ever humble, Brit already feels like a winner.
“It’s quite an isolating job in lots of ways,” she admits.
“I’m creating these stories and I don’t know how they’ll be received, so just being nominated feels like such a lovely bit of reinforcement that I’m doing something right.”
Finding her voice online
Brit’s secret to success? Keeping it authentic.
“I tend to make content about my life – not make my life about content,” she shares, saying it took a while to find her voice online.
“You have to be prepared to be a bit shit at first before you find your space.”
From cleaning clips to renovation Queen
Although her early cleaning videos now make her cringe, they struck a chord with viewers – and then it was moving into a “slightly rundown, very beautiful” home that sent her channel in a new direction.
“I’ve become a renovation creator by accident,” she smiles.
“But I genuinely love seeing the transformations.”
Humour with a touch of class
Known for her slightly naughty sense of humour, Brit likes to “say the unsaid thing” but always tries to present it with a touch of class.
“I don’t like blatant vulgarity,” she confesses.
“But I love suggesting it.”
Her hilarious narration is often off the cuff.
Off-the-cuff comedy
“I jot down lines that pop into my head while filming, like when I said tiling had me spending ‘a lot of time on my knees’!”
Brit’s renos have captivated followers, but behind the scenes, things aren’t always picture-perfect. She suffers from chronic back pain caused by a tear in a herniated disc. Initially caused by a gym injury, the pain worsened during her ambitious project to renovate her backyard pool.
“The pain is dull and always there, but it sometimes sparks up with a shooting, stabbing feeling,” she says, admitting it often flares during her renos.
Her husband Mark, a chiropractor, has given her exercises to help, though Brit confesses she doesn’t always take his advice. Brit grins, “I tend to ignore what he’s saying until I hear it from my physio.”
Keeping it real with brands
When it comes to brand work, she has strong boundaries. She explains, “I started social media later in life, at 31, so I already knew who I was and feel solid in my values.” Most offers from companies come directly to her, but some are more unusual than others.
“Someone randomly sent me a can of peaches with no return address and a week later, I got some peach lollies,” she recalls.
“Then finally, they sent me a butt plug!”
An unexpected brand offer
It turned out to be a sex-toy company wanting to align themselves with her channel.
“Don’t expect that to happen!” laughs Brit.
Brit says TikTok has given her far more than followers and unsolicited adult products.
“When I started, I wasn’t in a very good place,” she shares.
“But it’s done wonders for my confidence and mental health.”
A wholesome online family
Now, her online community feels like family.
“Those people make my day every single day,” she smiles.
“I love making stories for them. That’s why I do it.”
Kiwis and Aussies can vote for NZ Creator of the Year once a day until November 16 – search for “TikTok Awards” on the app or follow your favourite nominee’s link in bio. The TikTok Awards will stream live on TikTok on Wednesday 26 November.
