No, this video does not show U.K. asylum seeker's hotel room

What's the claim?

A video of two people cleaning up a bathroom covered in trash has been circulating on social media with claims that it shows a U.K. asylum seeker's hotel room. The accompanying text overlaid on a Facebook post says, "UK Asylum Seeker Hotel Cleanup." The post has garnered over 600 shares on the platform.

Many users in the comments section claimed the video was from the U.K., with disparaging comments such as, "Not capable of living in civilization," and "They have no respect for nothing because again everything is free."

However, this video is not from the U.K. It shows a deep cleaning service being carried out at a residence in Australia by a company called Mrs. Muscle Cleaning. 

What we found

A reverse image search on a keyframe of the viral video led to an Instagram post by Mrs. Muscle Cleaning, a cleaning service company based in Melbourne, Australia. [Note: Owing to the nature of the visuals, we are not adding any active links in this article. However, an archived link can be found here.] The video was shared on February 18, 2024, and the company said it showed the struggle of a client facing mental health challenges and societal stigma, leading to extreme living conditions.

The video had the following text overlaid: "This client had a blocked toilet. The rest of the home had become chaos, so she didn't dare let the plumber into her home. For fear that they would judge her. So she lived like this, and we are so grateful for the opportunity to help her regain some peace and calm."

Screenshot of the Instagram post shared by Mrs. Muscle Cleaning. (Source: Instagram/Mrs. Muscle Cleaning)

It's important to note the video did not mention asylum seekers or the U.K.

Logically Facts also contacted Arlene Jayne, founder of Mrs. Muscle Cleaning, for a comment. She said, "The video in question is from a client's home, who was in distress after developing agoraphobia, anxiety, and depression during the severe COVID-19 lockdowns in Melbourne, Australia." She added, "Mrs Muscle Cleaning was engaged to perform a deep industrial clean to reset the home and hopefully bring some peace and calm to both the home and the client's mind. We are shocked and disturbed that this reel, which promotes compassion and kindness towards those with mental health challenges, is being used in the most despicable way to promote hatred and violence. This is not ok."

The company has shared several similar videos of its cleaning experts deep-cleaning clients' homes on Instagram and Facebook. 

The verdict

The footage showcases a cleaning service in a Melbourne apartment, clearly situated in Australia and entirely unrelated to the U.K. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.