Cleaning expert and advice columnist Jolie Kerr ’98 has been fielding questions about household chores for many years, with her “Ask a Clean Person” column appearing in The Hairpin, Esquire, The New York Times, and many other publications. She is beloved by her readers for her relatability, wit, and willingness to tackle questions from the mundane (how do I remove deodorant stains from shirts?) to the arcane. For instance, her best-selling 2014 book, My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag … And Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha, includes tips on dealing with bike grease handprints and exploding bottles of homemade ginger beer.
During quarantine, Kerr has embarked on several ambitious cleaning projects, including “some stain removal magic” on her Dutch oven and hand-laundering, starching, and pressing her pillowcases. (Check out some of her photos below, and more on her Twitter account.) Kerr, who recently spoke with The New York Times and WNYC about cleaning during a global health crisis, joined us for the latest installment of the “5 Questions with…” series, featuring hot takes from Barnard's long list of top talent. Here, she shares her advice about developing a career path as well as the limits of cleanliness.
Was there a specific class at Barnard that helped you decide what you wanted to do in your career?
Oh gosh, no — I fell into this career totally by accident. There was no planning for it at all! I did, however, have an internship at MTV News [during] my sophomore year that made me love media in all its forms, and that was formative in terms of my going into journalism.
If you could go back in time and tell your Barnard self one thing, what would it be?
Take more chemistry classes! I truly cheated myself by not pursuing more serious science classes, because I lacked confidence in my abilities in both math and science — possibly because one of my high school math teachers told me I was stupid at math. I was not stupid at math, he was actually just a bad teacher!
What's the most illuminating or helpful advice you’ve received?
My first job after Barnard was at Sports Illustrated, and my boss said to me, “Jolie, no one will ever care about your career as much as you do.” It's kind of clichéd advice but it’s also good advice, and I’ve called on it many times in my career when I needed a reminder to advocate for myself.
What’s one thing about you that most people would find surprising?
I'm not a germaphobe! (I mean, at this exact moment in time I’m a little bit of a germaphobe, but who isn’t?)
Is there such a thing as “too much” cleaning, especially during a health crisis?
There is, yes. Something I’ve heard a lot is people using cleaning products incorrectly and unsafely — which can sicken or even kill you. In fact, I was so upset about it that I carried on to one of my editors at The New York Times until he agreed to let me write about it.