'Constantly cleaning' teenager becomes celebrity car washer

Love Island's Molly-Mae Hague is among Zykiah's clients

A teenager with a passion for cleaning has turned his love of car washing into a successful business with a celebrity client list.

Zykiah, 15, got into car valeting when his family bought him a kit for Christmas after he was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

His clients include influencer Molly-Mae Hague and pundit Gary Neville.

He said he started on family cars, but "I realised it was something I really loved doing" and it grew from there.

OCD is a common mental health condition which causes obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.

It can affect all ages, but it usually starts during early adulthood, and can be distressing and significantly interfere with people's lives, though treatment can help keep it under control.

'One famous car'

Zykiah told BBC Breakfast that he first started by cleaning the cars of family and friends at the weekend before asking if he could clean neighbours' cars.

Hours after his mother posted in a local residents' group about her son's love of car cleaning, a queue of cars had formed outside the family home.

Zykiah now counts Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs as clients after setting up Dirt2Clean Manchester

"I realised it was something I really loved doing," he said.

"I thought I would start a business and I thought it would just be family and friends' cars at the weekends.

"It was mad. I got one famous car and it went from there."

He added that he had found car cleaning therapeutic after setting up the business two years ago.

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His client list now also includes boxer Tommy Fury and Manchester United footballer Scott McTominay, who Zykiah said was "a top lad".

Jo said Zykiah had been "constantly cleaning" from a young age.

"I would buy him Hoovers, little cleaning kits when he was six, seven, eight," she said.

"At 13, he got diagnosed with OCD and I said... he is going to turn it into something positive and that's what he has done."

A spokesman for OCD Action said: "We are pleased that Zykiah found his diagnosis of OCD to be a catalyst to starting a successful business.

"However, we know that for the majority of people who live with OCD, it is a debilitating condition which can cause huge distress. It is also important to know that OCD can get better with the right treatment and support, and we would encourage anybody who is struggling to seek this."

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