US Cleaning the House Consumer Report 2025
Despite stagnant consumer behaviors and financial constraints impacting spending, household care products' stability is grounded in its functional and essential nature.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Market predictions
- What consumers want and why
- Opportunities
- Biotechnology can bridge the gap between effective and eco-conscious solutions
- The next evolution of antibacterial will favor biotechnology
- Lean into preventative positioning
- Smart hack trend: friend or foe to the category
- Create fun activations to boost engagement
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market context
- Cleaning primarily falls on one person’s shoulders
- Graph 1: cleaning responsibility – trended, 2020-25
- Graph 2: shared responsibilities, 2025
- Nearly everyone is involved in the category; the majority are solely responsible
- Graph 3: shopping responsibility – trended, 2022-25
- Market drivers
- Regulations as a form of hidden competition: be ahead of it
- Cooling inflation will bring little relief to shoppers
- Graph 4: Consumer Price Index change from previous period, 2007-24
- Increased prices can be a both a threat and benefit to the category
- Graph 5: MULO sales of select private label household care products, by leading companies, 2023-24
- Proposed tariffs will directly, and indirectly, impact industry spend
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Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Cleaning frequency and activity
- Habits remain unchanged
- Graph 6: cleaning frequency – trended, 2020-25
- The majority are cleaning 45 minutes or less per day
- Tailor solutions to boost engagement
- Graph 7: time spent cleaning daily, by gender and generation, 2025
- Finances and time commitments are not always linked
- Graph 8: time spent cleaning daily, by financial situation, 2025
- Changes in shopping and cleaning behavior
- Ingredients and claims influence purchase decisions
- Graph 9: change in shopping behavior over the past year, 2025
- Young shoppers look beyond the label
- Health and safety are nonnegotiable for moms
- Versatility can build value
- Graph 10: changes in shopping habits, by cleaning frequency, 2025
- Attitudes and behaviors toward cleaning
- Shoppers are paying attention
- Graph 11: attitudes and behaviors toward cleaning, 2025
- Simplify routines, maximize results
- Graph 12: select attitudes toward cleaning, by time spent cleaning daily, 2025
- Get ahead of safety concerns with education that is concise and clear
- Graph 13: select attitudes toward ingredients and claims – agree, by generation, 2025
- Attitudes toward sustainable behaviors
- Reduce the perceived dichotomy between effective, sustainable and affordable
- Graph 14: attitudes toward sustainable behaviors, 2025
- Promote the efficacy of “green chemistry” actives to win over moms
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
- Launch activity and innovation
- Packaging that’s beautiful and sustainable
- Sustainability needs to work well in practice
- AI will help with household chores
- Biotechnology poised to become more prominent in ingredient sourcing
- Bio-based brands focusing on performance, accessibility
- Henkel’s “future of clean” is smart dosing
- Get a competitive edge with accessible packaging
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Appendix
- Market definition
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
"The essential nature of the category provides market stability. Boost value propositions with eco-friendly, science-backed features that keep convenience intact."
Rebecca Watters - Associate Director, Household & Health
US Cleaning the House – Trends and Insights
- Despite financial constraints and stagnant consumer behaviors, household care products remain stable due to their functional and essential nature. With consumers dedicating an average of 29 minutes daily to cleaning, there is a universal demand for affordable, time-saving solutions.
- The household care category is embracing innovations that enhance ease of use, cost-efficiency, and sustainability. Technologies like biotechnology are revolutionizing product formulations, manufacturing, and delivery to meet modern consumer needs.
- While the benefits of biotech-derived ingredients are not yet widely recognized, they hold the promise of combining high performance with ethical responsibility. This innovation is reshaping the industry, sparking curiosity among consumers about the products they use.
- To remain competitive, brands must focus on educating consumers about the technical advantages of biotech-derived and lab-grown ingredients over traditional options. Highlighting these incremental benefits is key to driving adoption and trust in these innovations.
- Communicating the value of transitioning to lab-grown ingredients is essential for the success of the household care category. By emphasizing their superior performance, sustainability, and ethical benefits, brands can align with evolving consumer expectations and secure long-term growth.
Key Issues Covered in the Report
- Market factors impacting shopping and the household cleaning category
- Shifts in shopping and cleaning behavior and frequency, including time spent cleaning daily
- A look at how consumer cleaning and shopping behaviors have changed in the past year
- Understanding how consumers approach cleaning and their attitudes toward cleaning the home
- What behaviors consumers exhibit in an effort to be more sustainable
Report Scope
This report examines consumer attitudes and behaviors toward housecleaning and shopping for cleaning products. The following cleaning tasks are covered: cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the oven, vacuuming floors, mopping/sweeping floors, polishing/dusting items, cleaning the bathroom, toilet cleaning, window cleaning, cleaning upholstery/fabrics.
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