The Best Music to Listen to While Cleaning (According to Our Ultrix Team)
Because bleach works better when Beyoncé is playing.
Let’s be honest: cleaning without music is a crime. It’s awkward, too quiet, and makes you hyper-aware of how weirdly squelchy a mop can sound. That’s why every Ultrix team member knows — when the gloves go on, the playlist goes up.
Over the years, we’ve cleaned offices in Newtown, gyms in Leichhardt, and boutique beauty salons in Surry Hills, and one thing has stayed consistent: the right soundtrack turns an average clean into an art form. Some of us like to vacuum to punk rock. Others prefer emotionally vulnerable R&B while wiping down soap scum. There is no wrong answer (except Nickelback).
So we’ve compiled the definitive Ultrix-approved playlist categories for every type of clean, mood, and mess — with actual picks from the team and a few cautionary tales along the way.
1. Disco for Disinfecting
There is something deeply satisfying about scrubbing a bathroom to the beat of Donna Summer or Chic. The synths, the sparkle, the BPM — it all works. “I once did an entire restaurant deep clean to ‘Boogie Wonderland,’ and I’ve never felt more alive,” said our team lead from Stanmore. Pro tip: the chorus of “Stayin’ Alive” is perfect for mopping to a rhythm.
2. Techno for Tile Scrubbing
When the grout is grimy and you need to get in the zone, it’s hard to beat Berlin-style minimal techno. No lyrics. Just deep focus and hypnotic beats. Perfect for high-speed vacuuming or steam cleaning floors in moody commercial spaces. We once cleaned an entire warehouse in Alexandria to a 2-hour Amelie Lens set. Not one word was spoken. Perfection.
3. Hip-Hop for Bin Duty Swagger
There’s no better soundtrack for dragging out overflowing garbage bags at 11pm than 90s hip-hop. Throw on some Wu-Tang, Biggie, or even a little Missy Elliott, and suddenly you’re not taking out the trash — you’re reclaiming your power. One of our team members only listens to “Still D.R.E.” when scrubbing baseboards. It's a personal branding decision.
4. Indie Folk for Folding Cloths and Restocking Soap
When the job is slow and repetitive — folding towels at a yoga studio, topping up toilet paper, refilling hand soap — go gentle. Angus & Julia Stone, Bon Iver, even Fleetwood Mac. You’ll get lost in the rhythm. You’ll contemplate your ex. You might cry. But the towels will be folded immaculately.
5. Afrobeat, Funk, and Latin for Energy Reboots
Sometimes, you hit a wall mid-clean — especially after lunch. That’s when you hit play on Fela Kuti, Santana, or James Brown. Funk rhythms keep you moving. Horns lift morale. We once got through a 3-storey stairwell just by looping “Get Up Offa That Thing.”
6. The Forbidden Zone: Sad Indie Ballads
DO NOT listen to Radiohead, The National, or anything acoustic and brooding while scrubbing. Your productivity will plummet. You will find yourself staring into the distance holding a squeegee, wondering where it all went wrong. We’ve lost cleaners this way. Protect yourself.
7. Team Picks — No Judgment
Miguel (Operations): “ABBA. Specifically ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ It turns toilet scrubbing into performance art.”
Sarah (Client Care): “Tame Impala. Cleaning feels like a lucid dream. I once deep cleaned a hair salon and forgot where I was.”
Parand (Floors): “Beyoncé. Just all of Renaissance. Makes me move faster and feel rich.”
Liam (Admin): “Kendrick Lamar. If I’m vacuuming to ‘Alright’, it will be clean.”
8. The Secret Sauce: Curated BPM
Want to clean like a pro? Match your music’s BPM (beats per minute) to your cleaning pace:
100–115 BPM = General wiping and light tasks
120–130 BPM = Mopping and scrubbing
140+ BPM = End-of-day hustle, heavy vacuums, post-party chaos
✅ Want a Cleaning Crew That Brings the Rhythm and the Results?
Ultrix Cleaning offers commercial-grade cleaning services across Sydney’s Inner West, always done with focus, passion, and the right playlist in our ears.
🎶 Eco-friendly, detail-obsessed, and always on beat
📍 Offices, gyms, clinics, salons, and everything in between
💻 Book today at www.ultrixcleaning.com — because we clean like no one’s watching. But also like we’re in a music video.