A shocking number of Americans say keeping their home clean is harder than their full-time job: survey

For a quarter of Americans, keeping their home clean is more difficult than their full-time job, according to a recent survey.

The survey of 2,000 Americans looked at their cleaning habits and challenges, especially when it comes to hosting, and found that keeping a tidy home is harder than 9 in five for nearly one in four (24%).

When they have guests, people will spend an average of an hour, getting up just before they arrive.

Forty-one percent said they worry that guests will notice dirty nooks and crannies while they’re done, and almost half (48%) admit they don’t realize how dirty their home is until they have guests over, but once When company comes home, they can’t see their cleaning blind spots.

Most (57%) revealed they feel embarrassed when visitors come over and their home is less clean than they would like, and most (80%) admitted they want to impress their visitors with how tidy it is their house.

In fact, 29% went so far as to say they would forego buying new clothes for a year in exchange for a clean, dust-free home, and a third (34%) admitted that their social schedules around them. cleaning schedules.

Conducted by Talker Research and commissioned by BISSELL for the launch of the Steam Shot OmniReach Handheld Steam Cleaner & Sanitizer, the study found that parents will spend four hours a week cleaning their homes, while non-parents will spend three hours to do so, on average. .

Revealing some of their cleaning hotspots, the study found that the least cleaned places in the home are window blinds (29%), baseboards (27%), fans (23%) and window walls (24%).

And although a quarter (24%) have yet to perfect their cleaning routine, 71% said it is important to them to disinfect and clean their home without harsh chemicals.

According to the results, it is even more important for parents than non-parents (72% vs. 69%).

Nearly a fifth of parents (19%) reported using all-natural cleaning products before having children, and another 38% said they started doing so after becoming parents.

“The best cleaning session is quick, satisfying and effective,” said Vana Kokkinos, steam cleaning brand manager at BISSELL. “If you haven’t already perfected your cleaning routine, start fresh in 2025 with tools that make the job a breeze. To help with this, look for brands and cleaning products that prioritize your time and health as much as you do, are environmentally friendly, and can quickly eliminate germs and bacteria.”

When deciding which cleaning products to use at home, 83% of parents said their children’s health is a top consideration.

Other motivators for choosing one cleaning product over another include efficiency (92%), ability to kill germs and bacteria (90%), versatility (86%) and the product’s environmental impact (68%) according to respondents.

Revealing the price of ineffective cleaning products, respondents estimated that they have wasted an average of more than $600 on useless cleaning products and tools over the years.

And although most people (59%) plan to keep their homes cleaner than ever in the new year, 79% wish they had a magic cleaning wand to help them.

But without such a tool, respondents shared some of their best cleaning tips and tricks such as “clean up as soon as possible,” “don’t let the small jobs pile up,” “always dust and wipe before you clean and clean”, “steam”. Clean the microwave, wash the windows, iron the carpet stains” and “always play music”.

“The survey results show that motivations for keeping a clean house go beyond peace of mind. According to the study, health and wellness along with social perceptions and community building are also top of mind when tidying up,” said Kokkinos. “There are ways to make sure that cultivating a healthy and clean home is not so scary and having the right tools can really make a difference when dealing with some of the toughest problems.

“Things like using a steamer make it easy to quickly clean and disinfect build-up and grime on appliances, window sills, baseboards and other hard-to-treat places, giving you more time during the day to spend with loved ones.

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans of the general population; the survey was commissioned by BISSELL and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between December. 10 and December. 13, 2024.