Spring Cleaning Has Sprung! Three-fifths (59%) of Canadians Can Be Expected to Engage in Spring Cleaning this Spring
Pandemic Vigor: As Many as One in Four (26%) of those Who Engage in Spring Cleaning Are Doing So More Vigorously, in Response to the Pandemic
Toronto, Ontario, March 22, 2022 — A new Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of Libman Company reveals that three-fifths (59%) of Canadians engage in Spring Cleaning, every spring, of which as many as one in four (26%) are doing so more vigorously, in response to the pandemic. Being home more often (25%) and concerns related to the virus entering the home (18%) top the list as the most commonly cited reasons for Spring Cleaning more vigorously compared to pre-pandemic times.
Virtually all (94%) Canadians who engage in Spring Cleaning say they feel a strong sense of accomplishment after it has been completed and very few (10%) see it as being a waste of time. In fact, two-thirds admit that feeling a strong sense of accomplishment (66%) as well as feeling as though they have a healthier home (67%) once Spring Cleaning is complete is important (8-10 on 10-pt scale) to them. Of course, finding time to do a proper Spring Cleaning of the home concerns (8-10 on 10-pt scale) many (39%), as does having the right household cleaning tools at-hand to tackle Spring Cleaning (38%).
The vast majority (92%) claim to feel more relaxed when they have a clean home, think it is important to Spring Clean their home every year (89%), and believe having a clean home is important for mental (90%) and physical health (89%). Despite these sentiments, nearly half (42%) admit that they do not enjoy Spring Cleaning their home. And only fifty-seven percent (57%) say they feel it is important (8-10 on 10-pt scale) for them to Spring Clean their home annually.
Spring Cleaning conjures many emotions, both positive and negative, for those who engage in it. On balance, however, the mood is positive, with far more eliciting positive (69%) than negative (50%) emotions, when asked to think about how Spring Cleaning makes them feel. Most notably, nearly two in five (37%) indicate that it makes them feel comfortable, three in ten (29%) feel confident, one in four (25%) feel inspired and one in five (21%) are eager. On the negative side of things, one quarter (26%) admit that Spring Cleaning overwhelms them, two in ten (20%) are stressed, seventeen percent (17%) are anxious, while one in ten (9%) are apathetic.
Washing windows is a pain point
When asked which Spring Cleaning task they would offload to someone else, if they could, by far the highest proportion (27%) would give up washing windows, followed at a great distance by thoroughly cleaning the bathroom (15%) and scrubbing large kitchen appliances (13%). It follows that washing windows ranks as the most challenging Spring Cleaning task (46% rank 1/2/3; 22% rank 1 – most challenging task), though cleaning the bathroom (42% 1/2/3; 12% rank 1) and scrubbing large kitchen appliances (44% 1/2/3; 15% rank 1) are not far behind on this metric.
Washing windows, while important, does not rank as the top Spring Cleaning priority. Three in ten (30%) rank this task as representing one of their top 3 priorities and twelve percent (12%) rank it as the top priority, figures which put it in the middle of the pack, when it comes to priorities. Decluttering (40% rank 1/2/3; 26% rank 1 – highest priority) and thoroughly cleaning the bathroom (48% rank 1/2/3; 16% rank 1) rank as the top priorities by considerable margins.
Getting the job done right: paying more for quality and sustainability
The survey offers evidence that there is an appetite for paying more for cleaning products, if they are of high quality and/or promote sustainability. At one in three (33%), a considerable proportion say it is important (8-10 on 10-pt scale) to pay more for household cleaning tools that are reusable, washable, and environmentally minded while three in ten (29%) think it is important to pay more for high-quality cleaning tools.
Conversely, one in five (21%) claim saving money, even if it means sacrificing quality, is important, when shopping for cleaning products. And yet twice as many (42%) think using washable/reusable cleaning tools when cleaning their home is important. Having effective and reliable household cleaning tools is viewed as being important, by a majority (58%) of Canadians who engage in Spring Cleaning.
While sizeable proportions (37%) are concerned (8-10 on 10-pt scale) about the affordability of household cleaning tools, equally as many express concerns about the environmental impact of single-use household cleaning tools (37%), the quality (40%) and effectiveness (39%) of reusable household cleaning tools.
About the Study
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between March 2 and 4, 2022 on behalf of Libman Company. For this survey, a sample of 1,001 Canadians aged 18+ were interviewed. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ±3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians aged 18+ been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.
For more information on this Factum, please contact:
Sean Simpson
Senior Vice President, Ipsos Public Affairs
+1 416 324 2002
[email protected]
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