Amir Johnson and the Man Clean movement

theScore: When it comes to athlete partnerships and promotions, this is definitely a unique one - an NBA big man promoting home cleaning products. How did the Man Clean partnership with Swiffer come about?

Johnson: I just thought I was the perfect guy, being in the community so much. On the court, I clean up a lot of rebounds so I thought it was a perfect combination, and I became the Swiffer Man Clean ambassador.

theScore: What exactly is the Man Clean movement? What does it mean to you?

Johnson: Man Clean is basically empowering guys to boast about their Man Clean swagger. Let’s be realistic. Guys don’t clean. When we come into the house, we just throw stuff to the side or sweep stuff under the carpet and call it a day. So I’m trying to preach to guys that it is cool to clean, especially using great tools like Swiffer. It’s easy to use. Growing up, for me, my grandmother says cleanliness is close to Godliness, so you always want to stay clean. I’ve just been around the city, going house to house, showing guys how to clean, and starting this movement.

theScore: You’ve just been showing up to people’s houses out of the blue?

Johnson: Just showing up. We have it all on film. I have my whole Swiffer uniform on and I’m just like, ‘I’m ready to clean your house.’ It’s been fun surprising guys.

[You can watch all of Amir’s surprise cleaning visits at showyourclean.ca]

theScore: What are the reactions like when you show up on peoples’ front door?

Johnson: There’s a lot of cussing and surprise, because who comes to somebody’s house - NBA star comes to your house and wants to clean it? That’s unheard of. I think people will start cleaning their house and using Swiffer since an NBA player does it for them. I think guys will definitely start doing it.

theScore: You mentioned your grandma preaching cleanliness. Was cleaning the house a big part of your chores as a kid?

Johnson: I had a timer, until my mom got back from work, and if it wasn’t clean, I got in trouble and had to do it until it was clean. I definitely had to get down on elbows and knees and scrub around and clean the bathroom. I wish I could’ve used Swiffer back in the day. I did it the hard way. I definitely know how to clean so I was perfect for this, to start the movement.

theScore: So are you more conscious of keeping your own place clean now since partnering with Swiffer?

Johnson: I’m super clean now. I’m making the bed, wiping the counter down, doing everything to stay clean.

theScore: Reading the stats from the Swiffer survey results, many people still feel like ‘Man Clean’ is a critical term about how poorly men clean up. Why do you think there is still a stigma about men and cleaning in 2014?

Johnson: Most of us are lazy when it comes to cleaning. When we do clean, we clean for a reason. Most of the reason is women. You have your house clean and you want to dress nice and look good. If there weren’t women around, we’d probably just be like slobs and throw on whatever’s on the ground that we wore yesterday. It’s very important to stay clean and keep your house clean because it’s basic to impress. And it makes you feel good about yourself. You can sit back and be like ‘Yeah, I did that.’

theScore: Are there any guys on the team where maybe you’ve been to their place and are thinking ‘this guy should keep some Swiffer products in the house?’

Johnson: I would say the cleanest guy on the team is probably Landry Fields. He’s very proper, even folding towels. The worst guy, I’d have to say Terrence Ross. Being one of the youngest on the team, he’ll just let stuff lay there for days. I think we found an Oscar Meyer weiner - like a hotdog - in his basketball shoe - I don’t know how it got there. It was weird. I’m throwing him under the bus. I’ll definitely leave him some (Swiffer) products in his locker.

theScore: The Raptors have their own partnership with Swiffer. Do you notice the Swiffer branding during games?

Johnson: On the floor a lot. They use the Swiffer to collect the dust on the court, because the court can get dusty sometimes. Probably before the game they use the wetjet just to mop it up. It works.