The coronavirus seems to have everyone on a cleanliness kick. Grabbed the mail? Wash your hands. High-five a friend? Douse yourself in hand sanitizer.
This newfound obsession with personal hygiene also extends to our home environments, and might have you wondering how your cleaning regimen compares with others’. A new survey by home improvement site ImproveNet has the dirt.
How often do people clean their homes?
For the ImproveNet survey of 4,326 people across the country in January 2020, “We asked residents about a spectrum of cleaning activities representative of both their time invested and the level of detail at which they work,” according to the study researchers.
For starters, the survey asked how much time people spend every month cleaning their homes. On average, people clock eight hours on this task, while a strict 13% slave 16 hours monthly (or more!) scrubbing every germ-ridden corner.
Survey respondents were also asked more detailed questions about how often they change their bedsheets, disinfect their bathrooms, and even wipe down their TV remotes. Here are a few stats in case you want to see where you stand:
- 4 in 10 clean and swap out their bedsheets every two weeks
- 28% sweep or vacuum every couple of weeks
- 1 in 4 hasn’t cleaned their fridge in six-plus months
- 37% wear shoes in their homes
- 6 in 10 have dirty dishes in the sink at any given moment
So, which cities are the cleanest?
By questioning residents about these cleaning habits, researchers were also able to come up with a ranking of the cleanest and dirtiest homes by city, based on the frequency and duration they spend keeping their homes pristine.
Curious about where the cleanest homes in the country are? Surprise, it’s Las Vegas! These residents spend the most time on a variety of cleaning tasks, followed by Charlotte, NC; Detroit; and San Francisco.
Out of a surveyed 21 cities, Milwaukee came in last, followed by San Diego and Indianapolis.
How can you keep your home clean?
While this survey doesn’t give advice for the best cleaning practices or recommend how much time you should spend cleaning your house, it’s certainly eye-opening to take a look at what other people are doing—and how often.
But will any of this work on keeping the coronavirus at bay?
Stephen Morse, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center, toldNPR that the COVID-19 virus can likely be killed by most household cleaners like bleach, alcohol, and even soap and water. So, spending a little extra time washing your hands and disinfecting your surroundings could indeed make a difference. Here’s more on how to coronavirus-proof your house.
