Pink Stuff, Minky’s and Zoflora are the staples of any ‘Hinch haul’ but you may struggle to find them in Ipswich town centre - and it is all down to a cleaning sensation from Essex.
Social media star Mrs Hinch, otherwise known as Sophie Hinchliffe, from Maldon, has amassed a global following thanks to her viral cleaning videos showing her hinching her under sink ‘Narnia’ and using a squeegy to clean her stair carpet.
This week the star reached 2m followers on Instagram,
And it seems she has a whole Hinch army here in Suffolk because when we set out on a mission to pick up five of her must-have cleaning products - Stardrops Pink Stuff, Zoflora fragranced concentrated disinfectant, a Minky M cloth anti-bacterial cleaning pad (nicknamed Minkeh), white vinegar spray, and humble soda crystals - we failed!
Mrs Hinch famously opts for budget shops including Wilko, B&M, Home Bargains and Poundstretcher, and she officially opened a Savers store in Witham last year but most were struggling to keep their cleaning sections stocked when we visited.
It is a similar situation around the county and beyond, in fact some of Mrs Hinch’s favourite items now only seem to be available online, on sites like Amazon and eBay, sometimes for much higher prices than those charged in stores. A single Minky M cloth this week cost £16.99 on Amazon, and last year a national newspaper reported that one eBay seller offered a cloth for £5,000. The price is normally just £2.49 from the Minky website - and they are currently in stock.
Supermarket chain Iceland says it saw a 126% sales increase in Zoflora during November, with a 48% increase in the three months following – thanks to Mrs Hinch’s endorsement
Sanj Dosanjh, trading director at Iceland, said: “We’ve seen huge spikes in sales of certain cleaning products and the increases were almost immediate. In particular, overnight increases of Zoflora sales took us by surprise. We’ve stocked it for years but suddenly our shelves were being emptied faster than we could unpack the boxes.
“We’re working with the team at Zoflora to make sure Iceland Hinchers can keep their Narnias bursting with Summer Breeze.”
A spokesman for B&M also said: “Since the Mrs Hinch phenomenon started, we have seen an increase in sales on our cleaning products, including Zoflora, Scrub Daddy and many more of her favourites.”
Mrs Hinch shares her daily life with her followers via Instagram stories, and regularly sends them messages thanking them for their support. In one recent post she said: “I’m sending you all my biggest Hinch hug, all my love and I still can’t thank you all enough for everything! I’m Mrs Hinch on insta because of you.”
Now she is about to become a published author, with the book Hinch Yourself Happy: All The Best Cleaning Tips To Shine Your Sink And Soothe Your Soul, due for publication in April.
She says that cleaning doesn’t have to be something you dread - and the blurb for her book says: “Sophie is a big believer in the idea that a happy home can help create a happy mind.”
• Are you a Hincher? Share your top cleaning tips below.
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