By Vanessa Mangru-Kumar // SWNS
NEWS COPY W/ VIDEO + INFOGRAPHIC
One in six Americans put off cleaning for at least a month, according to new research.
A survey of 2,000 Americans who own appliances looked at their cleaning habits and found that while half claimed the longest they’ve gone without ever cleaning their home is just one month (52%), one in 10 admitted they’ve gone more than six months without cleaning.
Most of those surveyed said they were able to nail down a cleaning routine within the first six months of moving into their home (68%), although 16% admit they still don’t have a routine at all.
On average, it takes two hours to do a “light cleaning” of their home and five hours to “deep clean,” including chores like cleaning their large appliances or washing their windows, which may be why 40% said they deep clean twice a year or less often.
Conducted by OnePoll for affresh® appliance care, the survey found that 39% of those surveyed wish they paid more attention to their parents’ advice when they showed them how to clean.
Still, they’ve come a long way. Only 59% rated their cleaning skills as above average before they lived on their own but 74% would say the same about their skills today.
Nearly half think they’re the best person for the job when it comes to cleaning their home, above other household members or even professionals (46%) and 43% think they’re the cleanest person they know.
Some tips they shared to make cleaning easier are to “do one room at a time, then move on,” have “a cleaning schedule for specific things that get cleaned daily” and do “the hardest job first, then it seems to go easier.”
When tackling cleaning, 60% percent said their home is completely clean by the time they’re finished. However, 65% of Americans admit their cleaning skills could still be improved.
“Everyone’s cleaning schedule is different, so it’s important to pay attention to the ebbs and flows of your family’s routine to help tailor to your cleaning needs,” says Amanda Herman, brand manager for affresh appliance care. “While some parts of the home are easy to see when it’s time to tidy, there are areas we don’t always see that require our attention and should be part of that cleaning routine.”
Although they’ve perfected cleaning their shower (86%) and oven (64%) often, there are other parts of the home they miss out on like under their stove (32%) and their windows (29%).
One in 10 people have never cleaned their dishwasher or washing machine.
Cleaning can be daunting according to 46% of survey-takers, leaving many unsure about how to properly clean parts of their home such as their air conditioning unit (21%) or washing machine (11%).
Some of the most frustrating cleaning mishaps for those surveyed include stains not coming off (42%), ripped trash bags (28%) and running out of cleaning products (25%).
Seventeen percent also don’t like the “wet” smell from their washing machine and 9% are not fans of dealing with the residue in the dishwasher.
Nearly half of Americans would try up to three ways of cleaning something before giving up on it (48%). Others are ambitious, with one in seven claiming they’d try at least 10 different ways.
“For most people, a routine cleaning schedule helps them stay on top of basic tasks like laundry, dishes and other ‘must do’ chores,” said Herman. “When deep cleaning your home, pay particular attention to areas that may be neglected, such as ceiling fan blades and your hardworking appliances that help keep your home running smoothly.”
Survey methodology:
This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 Americans with appliances was commissioned by Affresh between March 2 and March 6, 2023. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).