It's time for spring cleaning and Monica Potter is here to help!

Although Potter's probably best known for her role as Kristina Braverman on NBC's fan-favorite Parenthood, her career has run the gamut of genres--from touchy-feely comedy-dramas (Patch Adams) to bloody horror flicks (Saw), and even quirky romances (Head Over Heels). And now the actress is showing yet another side to her to already diverse repertoire.

Earlier this month, Potter teamed up with Viva Paper Towels to help the brand kickoff its nationwide "Unleash the Clean" initiative, where she helped host an event in Ventura, California that showcased the paper towels cleaning power by revamping neglected old household items, which were then donated to needy families.

It's just the latest example of Potter's passion for DIY and homemaking. In 2012, she launched her own line of home goods and beauty essentials, along with a company store in 2015, and recently signed a deal with HGTV for a show that follows Potter and her sisters as they renovate the Cleveland area home where they grew up.

Enstars got the chance to chat with Potter during the event and talked about the partnership, how she became a cleaning expert and what it's like to play roles in nearly every category of film.

Enstars: What drew you to your partnership with Viva?
Monica Potter: Many things. I love to clean...and I just love the fact that Viva and the Boys and Girls Club are partnering to unleash cleaning and just literally give families in need household items basically taken from local stores...I'm all about reusing and reducing and recycling, so it's a good partnership and we're having a lot of fun.

You seem to have a strong passion for homemaking and cleaning. Do you think that because you're a celebrity fans would assume you're not interested in that?
Maybe, but I grew up where my mom was a cleaning lady so that never leaves you. I started working as an actor and model when I was 12, so it's always been a job for me....I'm able to afford doing things like creating a business so I can realize the dreams I still have. My day job is acting, but to do all this other stuff, to work with the community and Kimberly Clark [the parent company of Viva], are really important to me...and I'm just very grateful that I can be a part of it.

Any tips for spring cleaning that we can use?
I have a lot. One that I do daily: don't use harsh chemicals on things, obviously. Go back to your grandmother's recipes....and try to not overuse paper [products]...that's what I love about Viva...they're soft yet strong and you can use them over and over...And get your kids involved! Because when I learned how to clean I was very young and it's become a passion of mine.

Can you talk a bit about how your upcoming show on HGTV came about?
In 1987, we sold our house. My parents moved down to Alabama and at the time we couldn't afford to move all of our furniture and whatever...So I bought the house about a year-and-a-half ago and when we went back in, my sisters and my mom went inside and saw that everything we had left was still there. So I just started filming and got footage of the house and the neighbors. And I edited it and put it together and sent it to HGTV who said it was fantastic to have a story about family, just sifting through memories...it's going to be a great little journey.

This is the first time where you're just being yourself in front of the camera. Was it a strange transition going from fictional characters to just being you?
That's a really good question. I think when you play a character, you hide. I would say it's more difficult to be yourself on camera because it's like, "How much do you want to expose?" I'm producing this for HGTV, so I'm able to make sure the edits are okay. It'll be interesting especially with my three sisters; their personalities are going to be very funny, very heartwarming, very feisty.

Do you feel like you share a lot of the same qualities with your character Kristina on Parenthood?
I think that as time went on, there were things we shared where she was me and I was her. It just became a character that has been my favorite character I have ever played. When I first signed on to do it, it was like, "I don't know if I want to play a wife on a television show." And I didn't know [series creator] Jason [Katims] very well or the writing team and we collaborated a lot...so by the end of the series, [we all thought], "Oh god, if we go another year, what is Kristina gonna do next? You've already done everything and covered it."

Your acting career had been really a diverse, whether it's Head Over Heels, Along Came a Spider or Saw. Do you have a favorite genre?
You've done your homework...but you know what? No, I like all of them. Because when you're in a drama, you find comedy. When you're in a comedy, there's heartfelt moments, so I look at them kind of all the same.

[This interview has been edited and condensed.]

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