new york – Do you hate coming home to a messy house after a fun trip? Do you get annoyed when your favorite suitcase gets scratched? You're not alone. In fact, three in four Americans say they always have to clean their house before leaving for summer vacation.
With the busy summer travel season upon us, a new survey of 2,000 U.S. travelers looked into their pre-trip habits. One thing is clear: it's important to prioritize cleaning your home before you hit the road. Over 75% of respondents said they prefer to clean their entire home before heading out. In fact, the average respondent starts preparing for a trip more than two weeks in advance. Before traveling, they tend to focus on laundry (77%), washing dishes (66%), bathrooms (58%), and sweeping and mopping (56%).
The survey, commissioned by Mr. Clean for the launch of its new Magic Eraser Ultra line and conducted by Talker Research, found that 66% of people are so excited about their next trip that it inspires them to clean before they leave. While the anticipation of your next trip is a great motivator for getting cleaning done, it can also be stressful for summer travelers, with over half (51%) saying they “dread” the thought of having to clean when they get home from a long holiday.
“Cleaning before your vacation means you can come home to a clean home so you can relax and enjoy your holiday even more,” said Lydia Jo, brand director for Mr. Clean, in a statement. “But the time before the holidays is especially busy, so it's important to have an all-purpose cleaner that can easily remove tough stains in and around the home.”
In addition to cleaning their homes, travelers also take the time to clean their most used travel items, such as luggage (40%). On average, Americans bring luggage on seven trips, and 26% of respondents cleaned their luggage in the past week alone.
Getting these items in shape is important because many people have felt “embarrassed” while on vacation because some of the items they brought, like clothes (20%), shoes (19%) or luggage (18%), looked old or worn. It's no wonder that many destinations offer brand new suitcases for sale to travelers.
To avoid this, 55% of travellers make it a “top priority” to check the condition of these items before leaving on a trip. While respondents always clean their luggage (40%) and travel bags (39%) before traveling, the survey found that even more travellers only clean them once they get home.
Research Methodology:
The randomized, double opt-in survey of 2,000 traveling Americans was commissioned by Mr. Clean between April 30 and May 6, 2024, and conducted by market research firm Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Marketing Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Public Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
