A former window cleaner turned TikTok sensation has revealed how his mission to clean Britain’s dirtiest road signs began as a simple gesture of gratitude to his local community.
Liam Wildish, 27, originally from Retford, Nottinghamshire, has gained social media stardom through his unique hobby of restoring filthy road signs to their former glory.
Speaking to GB News, Wildish detailed how his former career inspired him to start cleaning road signs.
He explained: “About six years ago I used to be a window cleaner. In the community where I lived, I noticed all of the road signs were filthy and I was perfectly equipped to clean them, so basically I cleaned the road signs.
TikTok sensation Liam Wildish has shared his cleaning skills with GB News after going viral on social media
GB News
“It was a bit of a thank you to the community and sort of raise a little bit of awareness for my window cleaning business at the time. So it cleans up the area, it makes the road safer, and that’s kind of how that started.”
What started as a one-off gesture has now evolved into a viral phenomenon, with millions of viewers tuning in to watch his satisfying cleaning transformations.
Now based in Oxted, Surrey, Wildish continues to travel across the nation, maintaining his connection to his East Midlands roots through his wholesome sign-cleaning ventures.
His cleaning technique involves specialised equipment designed for maximum efficiency. “I use a water fed pole system connected to a backpack, which is what feeds the water through the end of the brush,” Wildish said.
Wildish has amassed over 300,000 followers on TikTok with his viral cleaning videos
TikTok
He added: “It’s well equipped to basically remove this green dirt – it’s like a mildew buildup that you get on the signs.”
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With some of his videos garnering up to 40 million views, Wildish told GB News that people find his content “satisfying” to watch.
Wildish said: “I think while everybody’s wrapped up in their busy work schedules, it’s nice to have a flick online and you get like a little satisfaction fix, while people are doomscrolling. And it’s satisfying, people definitely enjoy it.”
Revealing how the hobby also benefits his own mental health, Wildish added: “I work full time as a spray painter with my best friend, we spray paint kitchens, so I kind of have to do this around that.
“It keeps me proactive, that’s the best way to look at it. I have a very busy working life – a lot of people would go to the gym and stuff like that for sort of their own mental therapy, and this is kind of like my gym.”
Wildish told GB News that the viral TikTok hobby is his ‘therapy’
GB News
Praising the community of followers he has gained, Wildish noted that his content is also driven by suggestions from his online supporters.
He stated: “I get a lot of suggestions from my followers online. I’ve got just under 600,000 people following my accounts now.
“So what I tend to do is make a list of these areas, and then head to different communities all over the UK that need my help.”
When asked about whether the UK’s local councils should be obliged to clean the signs, Wildish concluded: “I’ve not really looked into whether it’s an obligation of councils to clean them, it’s just something that I quite enjoy doing.”
