A recent survey has confirmed what we always suspected: outer cleanliness affects inner calmness. A whopping 74% of Americans said that clutter in their homes increases their mental clutter. Around 24% even agree that having a clean home improves their mental health.
The survey also uncovered that we are not taking enough advantage of this simple trick to achieve more calmness, focus, and mindfulness. Although the average person cleans their home once a week, they declutter or spring clean only three times a year. If just decluttering one’s home helps improve inner peace, it should be done more often.
On this front, residents of Idaho and Maine are doing better than others. They spend the most time per session cleaning their homes – around 59 minutes. People of New York, on the other hand, usually have the quickest cleaning sessions – only 45 minutes on average.
As per the frequency of cleaning, Oklahomans clean their home the most often, averaging 4.3 times monthly, compared to Hawaiians, who clean 3.4 times a month.
No matter the cleaning habits, almost all Americans value a clean home; 9% of us would even trade a family member in exchange for having their homes regularly cleaned by a professional!
We know that cleaning tasks can be hard, especially when you’re trying to balance family, work, personal health goals, maintaining a social life, and more. 44% believe they’d have more time for the things they love doing if they didn’t spend as much time cleaning.
On top of that, household chores, like cleaning, are not particularly enjoyable. Especially cleaning the bathroom — with 36% of Americans saying it’s their least favorite room to clean. Despite difficulties, it’s also important to find joy in the task, just like around 52% of the survey respondents who turn on the tunes while cleaning.
It’s also important to get all the help you can to keep your house clean and clutter-free. As Raychel Leong-Sullins, president of Maid Brigade, said in a recent interview, “it can be difficult to find time to keep the house orderly unless we have some help. It can be very stressful trying to ‘do it all,’ and that stress can take a toll on how we interact with others.”
Then, there are additional challenges in ensuring the use of safe and eco-friendly cleaning equipment and practices. Sixty-three percent of respondents say it’s important to use natural cleaning supplies. However, maintaining good cleaning habits is not always possible, as 68% also say they’re likely to use the same cleaning materials, like mops and cloths, across different rooms, which poses the risk of contamination. That’s why at Maid Brigade, we always use color-coded cloths to avoid cross-contamination among various surfaces. The safety and health of your home and family is extremely important to us.
In light of these enlightening survey findings about our cleaning habits, we can see that Americans are doing everything in their power to live a clean and healthy life, but the challenges are also very demanding. So, it’s important to remember that we are together in this fight against dust, grime, and clutter, and Maid Brigade is always by your side!
Contact your local Maid Brigade and look forward to your clean house in no time!
Survey methodology: This random double-opt-in survey of 100 Americans from each of the 50 states was commissioned by Maid Brigade between Feb. 12 and Feb. 21, 2024. 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).
