The subject of the article is a reflection on the presence of the dirt-cleanliness dichotomy in autobiographical novels about childhood, that are a part of the narratives on the Swedish welfare state. By referring to anthropological (M. Douglas) and historical (G. Vigarello) reflection on the moral aspect of cleanliness and to the works of Swedish ethnologists (J. Frykman, O. Löfgren) who did research in the upbringing process of an ideal inhabitant of the sociodemocratic “common home” (the Swedish folkhem), I discuss some chosen examples from the works of K. Andersson, S. Alakoski and J. Gardell. A significant point of reference is the sociodemocratic narrative of success where cleanliness is identified with welfare and progress, whilst dirt remains a synonym of poverty and backwardness, but also a symbol of a more or less conscious rejection of the collective patterns of a good life endorsed by the state. By analyzing the situations and behaviour of the characters, I also mention the counternarrative on exclusion from the community and stigmatisation of those individuals who are recognized as not accommodated socially and hence undesired. Such persons are contrasted with exemplary citizens and often perceived as disgusting or even revolting, dirty in both physical and moral aspect