Cleaning is more than just removing dirt and dust from surfaces.It also makes your home an all-around more comfortable place to live, while enhancing the health and safety of the living space where you and your family spend the most time.It can even play a role in mental health: According to a 2022 poll by floor care products maker Bona, 90% of Americans say they feel more relaxed when their home is clean.
Over the past few years, as many of us have stepped up our cleaning efforts in response to COVID-19, the benefits of keeping our homes tidy have become more apparent.”During the pandemic, cleaning has become an important part of everyday life, and fast, effective and efficient cleaning routines have been established,” said Leah Bradley, Bona Senior Brand Manager.”Many of these routines are still in place, so while the frequency may be reduced, the focus on how to clean continues.”
As our routines and priorities change, so should our cleaning methods.If you’re looking to update your routine, these are the top cleaning trends predicted by experts that will give homes a new look in 2022.
Reducing waste has become a priority for many households, and cleaning products are beginning to adapt.Clorox’s in-house scientist and cleaning expert, Mary Gagliardi, points to an increase in packaging that uses less plastic and allows consumers to reuse certain components.Think mason jars and other containers that you can use multiple refills instead of tossing when the solution runs out.To further reduce waste, choose washable mop heads instead of disposable mop heads, and swap single-use cleaning wipes and paper towels for reusable microfiber cloths.
The popular pet craze is also a driver of today’s cleaning trends.”With pet ownership growing rapidly in the U.S. and globally, products that effectively remove pet hair and outdoor dust and grime that pets can bring into their homes are prioritised,” said Özüm Muharrem-Patel, Senior Test Technician at Dyson. You can now find more vacuums with attachments designed to pick up pet hair and filter systems that trap pollen and other particles that pets may be tracking inside.Additionally, with increased demand for pet-safe solutions, many brands now offer multi-purpose cleaners, disinfectants, floor care products and other cleaners designed for furry friends.
People are increasingly stocking their cleaning kits with formulas that are safer for their homes and healthier for the planet, Bradley said.According to Bona’s research, more than half of Americans say they switched to more environmentally friendly cleaning products in the past year.Expect to see a shift to plant-derived ingredients, biodegradable and water-based solutions, and cleaners that are free of potentially harmful ingredients like ammonia and formaldehyde.
With the increase in activities outside the home, people need cleaning products that fit into their busy schedules.”Consumers want fast, all-in-one tools that make cleaning easier and more efficient,” Bradley said.Innovative tools like robotic vacuums and mops, for example, are popular solutions that save the effort of keeping floors clean.
For those who prefer to get their hands dirty, cordless vacuums are a convenient, on-the-go solution, and counting.”We often find that after switching to a cordless vacuum, people may clean more frequently, but for less time,” says Muharrem-Patel.”The freedom to cut the cord makes vacuuming feel less like a timely chore and more like a simple solution to keeping your home clean all the time.”
With the pandemic, there has been a better understanding of how cleaning products work and a greater focus on how the products we use may affect the health of our homes.”We’re seeing a growing understanding that a product’s sanitizing claim is regulated by the EPA, so more consumers are looking for EPA-registered products and no longer assume that cleaning automatically includes sanitizing or sanitizing,” Gagliardi said.Armed with greater cleaning knowledge, shoppers read labels more carefully and informedly choose products that best suit their needs and meet their standards of safety and efficacy.