One man in Malaysia was able to turn his luck around and make his somewhat niche job into something sought out heavily during the pandemic.
Shaharul Hisam Baharudin once made his living as a clown, hired for parties and special events before COVID-19. Now, he’s bring a little of that joy into people’s homes as a professional cleaner—with a twist.
Baharudin soon began using the smoke machine he previously employed during events to disinfect homes. Another thing he brought from his old gigs? His clown costume.
In a video from Wyoming-based Local News 8, which has been translated, Baharudin said that while disinfecting services are common nowadays, “my style is different.”
“My emphasis is more about trying to create a fun atmosphere,” he explained.
Baharudin is apparently known in Malaysia as the “fogging clown” and families delightedly watch him while he disinfects their homes. In one clip shown by the news outlet, he even stopped to make balloon animals for children after he finished cleaning.
“Since the children cannot go out or go to the mall and they are spending more time at home, maybe they feel stressed,” Baharudin said.
While at work, he forgoes the typical face masks and swaps it out for a white mask aptly adorned with a big, red clown-looking grin.
“I can make them happy, even if it’s just for a short time,” he said.
Baharudin gets an average of three orders a week to disinfect homes, malls and shops, according to Reuters.
As of September 20, Malaysia is listed as Level 4 or having a “very high” level of COVID-19 throughout the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that, so far, there have been over two million cases of COVID-19 in the country since January 3, 2020. In early August, the country relaxed some tighter restrictions in eight states that had been in place since early June.
