New Survey Gets the Inside Dirt on Spring Cleaning, Reveals Most Americans See Spring Cleaning As an Overwhelming Chore
Memphis, Tenn. (PRWEB) March 28, 2014 -- In celebration of National Cleaning Week, Merry Maids, the nation’s leading home cleaning company, today reveals the findings from its recent online survey to uncover how consumers really feel when it comes to tackling seasonal cleaning projects. The leading home cleaning company gets the inside dirt on spring cleaning to reveal that most Americans are not quite satisfied with their homes’ current “state of clean.”
According to the survey, the vast majority of consumers across the country (88 percent) believe their homes could always be a little bit cleaner, but for more than two-thirds (68 percent), spring cleaning is thought to be an overwhelming and time-consuming chore. In fact, more than one-third of consumers polled (35 percent) say some rooms in their homes are so messy they avoid cleaning them altogether.
“Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a daunting project,” says Debra Johnson, home cleaning expert for Merry Maids. “If you make a to-do list, take it one room at a time and share responsibilities, the process will feel more manageable and it may even help you finally tackle those rooms that are otherwise ignored.”
It’s important to share responsibilities within households so that not all the cleaning falls to one person. The survey reveals that women are 23 percent more likely than men to say the bulk of household cleaning falls to them, but there are some cleaning jobs that both men and women agree they will not likely conquer.
Few baseboards would pass the white glove test, as scrubbing baseboards is the one cleaning activity consumers say they are least likely to do (47 percent), followed by cleaning behind or inside appliances (44 percent) and cleaning the window sills (37 percent).
According to the survey, moms and dads also don’t always see eye to eye when it comes to determining who takes the lead with household cleaning. Moms are only 12 percent more likely than dads to say the bulk of cleaning responsibilities falls to them. Johnson suggests making spring cleaning a family affair so it becomes a part of the routine, allowing families to share the responsibilities and spend more time together while getting the tasks done. But beware: the survey reveals that nearly half (49 percent) of all parents admit their children will only help them clean if they pay them to do so.
Johnson has several expert spring cleaning tips to make the process more manageable and to help consumers tackle all their cleaning activities – even the ones they enjoy the least:
• Make a to-do list and take it one activity at a time, instead of trying to accomplish the whole house in one day. Most people don’t want to spend their whole Saturday cleaning and might get overwhelmed by the thought. The Merry Maids spring cleaning check list can help when preparing a list of your own.
• Make sure you have the right cleaning supplies and organize them in an easy-to-carry caddy so you aren’t running from room to room. If you need supplies, make a shopping list so you get everything in one trip.
• Determine the cleaning activity that bothers you the most and start there. You’ll likely feel good about your accomplishment when you’re finished and be motivated to tackle the next project.
“People have been inside all winter and are ready for a fresh start,” Johnson adds. “With spring weather approaching, new fashions appearing and bright colors blooming, people want that fresh feeling in their homes, as well. By taking on spring cleaning one task at a time, tackling those activities that often get ignored, and finding ways to make clean-up fun for the whole family, you’ll have a cleaner home in no time and more time to spend enjoying the warmer weather days.”
Americans who do not have time to tackle their own spring cleaning are not alone. In fact, nearly a third of consumers (30 percent) say hiring someone to help clean the house is more of a necessity than a luxury. Merry Maids can help all consumers spring into clean, with more than 450 locations across the U.S. that offer a wide range of home cleaning services. A trustworthy team of Merry Maids cleaning specialists will create a home cleaning plan customized for each household’s needs and ensure a consistent, reliable and thorough cleaning process every time. To find the Merry Maids location nearest you, visit merrymaids.com. For more information and to stay up-to-date on the latest Merry Maids news, visit merrymaids.com, “Like” the brand’s Facebook page or follow Merry Maids on Twitter.
About Merry Maids
Merry Maids is the largest home cleaning franchise network in the world. Merry Maids provides services in 49 states and the District of Columbia through approximately 70 company-owned locations and 390 franchised outlets. The company also provides home cleaning services in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom and has licensing arrangements whereby licensees provide these services in Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and Australia. Through its company-owned and franchise locations, Merry Maids employs more than 8,000 home cleaning professionals that service homes on four continents, including more than 325,000 homes in North America every month. Merry Maids is a business unit of The ServiceMaster Company, LLC, one of the world's largest residential and commercial service networks. The company’s brands include Terminix, American Home Shield, ServiceMaster Clean, ServiceMaster Restore, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic and AmeriSpec. Go to http://www.merrymaids.com for more information about Merry Maids or follow us at twitter.com/MerryMaids and facebook.com/MerryMaids.
About the Survey
The 2014 Merry Maids Inside Dirt on Spring Cleaning Survey presents the findings of an online survey conducted by Toluna from March 19-21, 2014 among a sample of 1,022 adults in the U.S., comprising 483 men and 539 women 18 years of age and older. The margin of error for a sample of this size is ± 3% at a 95% level of confidence.
Andrea Salzman, Merry Maids, +1 617-939-8433, [email protected]
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