A professional homemaker has revealed how she found global success among fans as young as 10 by teaching domestic skills – and why onlookers should never mistake her for a tradwife.
Charlie Gray’s West Sussex countryside home she shares with her husband Simon and their three children is by no means in perfect order, but that’s not her goal.
‘It’s about slowing down and taking the time to do small things that end up making you feel better if you’ve had a stressful day,’ Charlie, 44, of Ask Charlie, told Femail.
Small things, she explained, include ditching microwave meals for homemade dishes, planning housework, and taking time to put household items in their rightful place rather than casting them aside after use.
Older generations may consider her tips basic. But, according to Charlie, the mother of Archie, 16, Coco, 15, and Gus, 14, society is witnessing a downward trajectory in home economics skills.
Evidence suggests similarly. Not only is there a takeaway boom, thanks to services like Deliveroo distracting Britons from home-cooked options, but a study by Mintel found 76 per cent of the nation’s parents, with children aged 6 to 17, say that their offspring have zero cleaning responsibilities.
According to Charlie, the trend is resulting in individuals who are unable to adequately care for their homes due to a lack of life experience and education. That’s where she steps in. ‘I teach practical skills, cooking, running a home, making life easier. From batch cooking, to meal planning and organising your time.’
With her values and dedication to a relaxed home, people might be quick to label her a tradwife, but Charlie believes them to be wrong. ‘I don’t want to be associated with them at all. I run my own business. I have my own income. I pay taxes. So I’m not a tradwife.’
Professional homemaker Charlie Gray (pictured), 44, from West Sussex has revealed how she’s found international success by helping people learn to cook and clean
Charlie owes her homemaking skillset to her mother, who equipped her with the necessary skills to have a comfortable home life from an early age.
‘I had an amazing mother who taught my brother and I how to do most things, and I grew up thinking that that was normal,’ she said.
When she became a mother, her husband travelled for work, and so she sought outside help to ease her load of raising three children born consecutively over three years.
The influencer, who has more than 34,000 followers on Instagram, is married to husband Simon, 18 years her senior, whom she met while working as a secretary – she described him in an interview with The Telegraph last month as ‘the most wonderful man I’ve ever met’.
His career, running a successful seafood business, has meant she is able to stay at home and care for the couple’s children, Archie, Coco and Gus.
Charlie said, ‘We didn’t have any family that could come and help if there was a problem, or if I’d had a sleepless night. There wasn’t anyone to call and say, ‘Can you come and be an extra pair of hands?’ So, we had an au pair.’
Though she didn’t know it at the time, that hire would help spark her lightbulb moment for her business because she quickly realised that others didn’t share her level of understanding regarding domestic skills.
‘It was then that I realised that practical skills haven’t been passed down through the generations like they used to be,’ she said.
The mother-of-three teaches her followers via free social media content and online courses starting from £5
Charlie found that younger generations struggle with domestic tasks after hiring an au pair to help with childcare
Charlie believes cooking skills dwindled in the late ’70s when ready meals became a novelty in the UK. ‘It was easy just to pop something in the oven that was frozen, and it was an exciting novelty.
‘Now, there’s a shift in society where people don’t want ultra-processed food, people want to look after themselves. They want to know what they’re eating, they don’t want to eat rubbish, and so I think it’s a circle back.’
By 2018, when her children were a little older, Charlie decided to act on her findings and launched Ask Charlie.
Explaining on her website, she writes, ‘I am very aware that a lot of these practical skills that were passed down from parents have been lost over time. Without home economics lessons being taught anymore, I hope with Ask Charlie I can help.
With her booming social media accounts, where she shares her tips and tricks, comprehensive online courses, and a podcast, Charlie has helped thousands of people across the globe.
Many learn from her for free through social content, and she also offers online courses, starting from £5, as well as a course called Efficient Home, which runs over four weeks and costs £200.
Beneath the surface of teaching how to fold, iron, and bake, Charlie is teaching others how to find comfort in their surroundings.
She said, ‘It’s about finding what’s important to you and what makes you feel comfortable in your home and your environment.
The professional homemaker strives to make people feel more comfortable and safe in their homes
She regularly shares cleaning tips and tricks with her 34,000 Instagram followers from her West Sussex home
‘The world is a crazy place. You listen to the news, and it’s awful, and you need to have some comfort and security. Cooking and nurturing are that for a lot of people.
‘I want to create. I don’t want there to be controversy and angst, I just want people to feel safe and secure in their environment. So, it’s a bit of escapism as well.’
The reception, Charlie said, has been ‘amazing’.
‘I get messages from people daily, saying, ‘Thank you for sharing that. It’s made life easier for me.’ So, it’s been really positive.’
Her client base is dotted around the globe, and she has younger generations soaking up her knowledge, such as how to make sourdough, and becoming fans.
‘The youngest I’m aware of is 10,’ Charlie said before recalling the time the child came up to her and said, ‘I’m your biggest fan. I’ve watched all your videos. I love them, and I find you really inspiring.’
Charlie continued, ‘Then I have a lady in Australia who is in her late seventies. It’s really varied, and there’s quite a few men as well.’
Closer to home, Charlie’s children, Archie, Coco, and Gus, are also learning the ways of a smooth-running home from their mother.
‘I get them involved,’ Charlie said, adding, ‘I think it’s important as a parent that we can teach our children as much as possible, so they’re ready when they fly the nest, and they can cook a meal, wash their clothes, and change a bed.
‘It’s very daunting when you leave home and go off to university, or a first job, or whatever it might be, if you don’t know how to do things. So, I think it’s about preparing them for the future.’
It’s not just her children’s future she’s busy prepping for, but also her own. What that entails exactly, she can’t yet reveal. But she assured Femail that a string of ‘very exciting’ projects are in the works.
