Grave cleaning videos spark fascination and outrage online
On social media platforms, users have created online communities around the practice of cleaning gravesites. Audiences have become fascinated by the trend.
In a social media landscape often dominated by playful dances and aesthetic montages, one surprising trend remains steadfast: historical grave cleaning.
On social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Reddit, users have created online communities around the practice of cleaning gravesites. Audiences have become fascinated by the trend — some revel in the paranormal, others search for long lost ancestors, and many just enjoy watching the satisfying act of a deep clean.
As content creators visit cemeteries and document their restorations, bringing in millions of views, the internet remains divided — some see the trend as helpfully wiping away 100 years of grime, while others see it as capitalizing on gravesites without proper care or respect, potentially breaking laws or accelerating wear and tear on monuments.
In recent weeks, the practice has come under particular fire. Stacey Habecker, known as “The Clean Girl” online, caused intense controversy with her upbeat and vibrant approach to grave cleaning.
In one TikTok video, which has amassed almost 140 million views, Habecker, who appears in the same pink and black outfit in every video with her hair in pigtails, is shown throwing a hot pink ball in the cemetery and cleaning the grave it landed near. She goes on to use a leaf blower, a vacuum cleaner and her own commercial hot pink cleaning solution on the gravestone and surrounding areas — which experts say could not just harm the stone, but corrode it altogether. She ends the video by revealing the name of the deceased.
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