Side effects of cleaning

A study reveals the stressors that cleaning professionals face.

CloroxPro™ recently released the 2022 Clean Index study, which revealed that cleaning professionals are under pressure to disinfect better, while consumers are skeptical.

According to the survey of over 500 cleaning professionals and nearly 1,200 consumers, 80% of professional cleaners feel increased pressure to clean and disinfect public places. Meanwhile, less than half of consumers (48%) believe the industry can protect the public from germs.

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The study also discovered a disparity between what cleaning professionals believe are clean and what the general public believes are clean. Cleaning professionals, including building service contractors, facility managers, health care environmental service workers, and infection preventionists, were more likely than the general population to rate spaces as clean in most cases. For example, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 representing a very clean and germ-free environment, 84% of cleaning professionals rated hospitals at least a 4, while only 69% of the general population did.

However, it appears that the cleaning industry has a large number of consumers on its side who are willing to help. When it comes to keeping public spaces clean, 70% of those polled believe they share responsibility. Furthermore, 65% have disinfected an office, conference room, desk, or other publicly used item at work.

Customers felt most secure when they could see that an area was clean when cleaning was out of their control. More than half (61%) said they pay more attention to cleaning visual cues now than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic. Even more (75%) said having disinfectant wipes on hand makes them feel safe.

Another trend identified by the study was environmental awareness. One-third of consumer respondents wanted eco-friendly cleaners to be used in all public spaces. Restaurants and schools were identified as the top two locations where both consumers and professional cleaners wanted to see green cleaners used. Cleaning professionals, on the other hand, want to make certain that the cleaners are effective. Two-thirds of respondents stated that eco-friendly cleaners must disinfect in addition to traditional products.