Clean is an observational insight into trauma cleaning through the journey of larger-than-life business owner Sandra Pankhurst and her motley crew of workers at Melbourne’s Specialised Trauma Cleaning Services (STC).
Sandra—a quick-witted woman in her early 70s—has spent the last 30 years building one of Australia’s most successful trauma cleaning businesses. Sandra’s care and compassion are as essential to the business as cleaning chemicals, but when a serious lung infection sends her to hospital, she is forced to retire from on-site cleaning and manage her business from afar.
Embedding with STC as they tackle hoarding and squalor sites, and clean the homes of some of society’s most vulnerable people, we see that their work is complex and messy. But for the workers, many of whom have survived hardship, the job brings them a community, a lifeline and a chance to help people.
Away from the business, Sandra starts a new chapter as a motivational speaker to help others who have suffered trauma navigate adversity. Her past unravels, and we learn of the countless personal traumas that have shaped her life and led her to this extraordinary career. With her health on a knife's edge, Sandra seeks out meaning, and human connections long thought lost.
CLEAN explores the nature of trauma—both societal and personal—and celebrates the remarkable human beings that demonstrate resilience in the face of unthinkable tragedy. Packed with twists and turns, Clean is a poignant reflection on the fragility of life and finding hope in the most unexpected places.
