Half of Americans pretend not to see a mess so others can clean it: poll

Have you been procrastinating your spring cleaning? You’re not alone — 90% of Americans say they get anxious cleaning their home.

A poll of 2,000 US adults revealed the areas that make people the most anxious when they think about cleaning them: floors (54%), carpets and rugs (52%) and refrigerators (52%).

Roughly three-quarters of respondents (72%) admit they’re not as thorough as they should be when it’s time to clean, and areas of their home will often go neglected because they’re either too hard to reach (44%), are difficult to clean (39%) or they don’t have the time to clean (38%).

And Americans aren’t necessarily the most diligent cleaners, the survey found. Half (53%) either “always” or “often” cut corners when cleaning. Only nine percent claim they never cut corners.

Similarly, 49% admit to “always” or “often” pretending to not see a mess so someone else can clean it instead.

Commissioned by Casabella and conducted by OnePoll, the study found 84% of people have some kind of cleaning routine at home, but two-thirds spend less than 40 minutes in any given room when cleaning it.

According to the findings, most of the time spent cleaning takes place in the kitchen (39%), bathroom (25%) and bedrooms (18%).

A third (33%) are most likely to deep clean — disinfecting, scrubbing, or cleaning hard-to-reach areas — only before hosting guests. Similarly, 26% only do it before a holiday comes up and 22% do it seasonally.

“While deep cleaning your home can be an overwhelming task, there is a lot you can do to make the process more enjoyable and help you to achieve a more thorough clean,” said Tom Barber, SVP Marketing & Product Development at Casabella. “Because floors, specifically, make up the largest area of the home and can take a longer time to finish, you’ll want to make sure that you are being most effective with your routine for a more sanitary clean, like having separate buckets for clean and dirty water when mopping.”

But it might all be in vain. The average person’s home only lasts 12 days after being cleaned before it starts to get dirty again, making a plea for daily cleaning.

Merely one in five (21%) of people said they clean their floors every day, more than bedrooms (17%), bathrooms (17%) and closets (13%). Similarly, 24% believe floors should be cleaned every single day.

A large majority (84%) felt confident in their abilities to tell whether something in their home is truly clean or not — claiming their home only feels clean once it lacks dirt particles (60%), smells sanitized (58%) and lacks stains (52%).

When it comes to floors specifically, people said they know how to clean carpets best (62%), followed by tile (61%), hardwood floors (53%) and linoleum (48%).

A majority appear to be precise when it comes to their floors — 79% said they’re aware of dirt being mopped up from the floor goes into the bucket and then back to the floor again, making messes messier.

Four in five (83%) believe having separate buckets for clean and dirty water is a more effective and sanitary way to clean.

“Confidence in your cleaning ability is key, but so is having the right equipment,” continued Tom Barber. “Having products that bring harmony to your home and life and that make it easier to clean can be a game changer for many — allowing for more convenient use and taking less time to clean, which ensures the time spent isn’t in vain.”

TOP 9 ANXIETY-INDUCING AREAS TO CLEAN
Floors - 54%
Carpets/rugs - 52%
Refrigerators - 52%
Windows - 50%
Dishwashers - 48%
Microwaves - 47%
Closets - 47%
Sofas/couches - 34%
HVAC systems - 21%

Survey methodology:
This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 general population Americans was commissioned by Casabella between April 10 and April 11, 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).