Have you postponed your spring cleaning? You’re not alone: 90% of Americans say they get anxious when cleaning their house.
A poll of 2,000 American adults revealed the areas people most fear when they think about cleaning them: floors (54%), carpets and rugs (52%), and refrigerators (52%).
About three-quarters of respondents (72%) admit they are not as thorough as they should be when it comes time to clean, and areas of their homes are often neglected because they are too hard to reach (44%), difficult to clean (39%) or don’t have time to clean (38%).
And Americans aren’t necessarily the most diligent cleaners, the survey found. Half (53%) cut back on cleaning “always” or “often”. Only nine percent claim they never cut back.
Similarly, 49% admit to “always” or “often” pretending not to see a mess so someone else can clean it up instead.
Commissioned by Casabella and conducted by OnePoll, the survey found that 84% of people have some sort of cleaning routine at home, but two-thirds spend less than 40 minutes in a given room cleaning it.
According to the findings, most cleaning time takes place in the kitchen (39%), bathroom (25%) and bedrooms (18%).
A third (33%) will be most likely to deep clean – disinfect, scrub or clean hard-to-reach areas – just before receiving guests. Similarly, 26% only do it before a holiday comes up and 22% do it in season.
“While deep cleaning your home can be an overwhelming task, there’s a lot you can do to make the process more enjoyable and help you get a more thorough clean,” said Tom Barber, SVP of Marketing & Product Development at Casabella.
“Because floors in particular make up the bulk of the home and can take longer to finish, you’ll want to make sure you’re doing your routine as effectively as possible for a more hygienic cleaning, such as having separate buckets for clean and dirty water when mopping.”
But maybe it’s all in vain. The average person’s home only lasts 12 days after it’s been cleaned before it starts to get dirty again, which is a case for daily cleaning.
Only one in five (21%) of people said they clean their floors every day, more than bedrooms (17%), bathrooms (17%) and closets (13%). Similarly, 24% think floors should be cleaned every day.
A large majority (84%) were confident in their ability to tell if something in their home is really clean or not – claiming that their home doesn’t feel clean until there are no dirt particles (60%), no more dirt particles (58%) and no more spots (52%).
When it comes to floors specifically, people said they know how best to clean carpet (62%), followed by tile (61%), hardwood floors (53%), and linoleum (48%).
A majority seem to be accurate when it comes to their floors — 79% said they are aware that the dirt that is mopped off the floor ends up in the bucket and then ends up back on the floor, making the mess messier.
Four in five (83%) believe that having separate buckets for clean and dirty water is a more effective and hygienic way of cleaning.
“Confidence in your cleaning skills is essential, but so is having the right equipment,” continues Tom Barber. “Having products that bring harmony to your home and life and make it easier to clean can be a game changer for many – making them more convenient to use and less time to clean, which ensures that the time you spend on it is not in vain.”
TOP 9 ANXIETY-INDUCING AREAS TO CLEAN
- Floors – 54%
- Carpets/rugs – 52%
- Refrigerators – 52%
- Windows – 50%
- Dishwashers – 48%
- Microwave ovens – 47%
- Closets – 47%
- Banks/Banks – 34%
- HVAC systems – 21%
Survey methodology:
This random double opt-in survey from 2,000 Americans overall was commissioned by casabella between April 10 And 11 April, 2023. This was done by a market research agency OnePollwhose team members are members of the Market Research Association and his corporate membership in the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPO) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
