The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
Americans are spending more time at home. What was a necessity during the pandemic became a preference enabled by technology. With home at the center, how people spend their time and how they care for their environment is changing.
New research from The Clorox Company suggests cleaning is becoming more frequent, more emotional, and more closely tied to how people view time and wellbeing. Engagement with cleaning is record high — in fact, many Americans report cleaning more now than they did even at the height of the COVID pandemic. Motivations have shifted, too: Cleaning is increasingly linked to self-care. Consumers find joy in the process and seek emotional rewards. In a volatile world, people turn to home care for stress relief, a sense of control and accomplishment.
These are among the many findings in the Home Care Redefined report, a comprehensive look at how life at home is evolving and what that means for the future of related Consumer Packaged Goods categories. Drawing on proprietary insights and broader industry data, the research explores how people are spending time at home, what they value in their spaces, and how domestic routines are adapting to new functional and emotional needs.
The takeaway: Cleaning is moving from the background of daily life to something more engaging and meaningful.
According to the report, Americans continue to spend more time at home than they did before the pandemic, even as offices and social calendars have reopened. Homes are now workplaces, gathering spaces, gyms, entertainment venues and places of recovery — often all in the same day. That shift is reshaping home care.
One notable change is the rise of what is described as “in-the-flow” cleaning. Cleaning time now averages 25 minutes daily — more than during the pandemic and a new high. Instead of setting aside large blocks of time for chores, many people are tackling small tasks throughout the day: wiping down surfaces between meetings, refreshing spaces before guests arrive or tidying up to reset between activities.
This behavior reflects a deeper shift in motivation. Cleaning is no longer just about meeting expectations or maintaining standards. It is increasingly about how people want to feel in their homes.
Consumers frequently describe cleaning as a source of accomplishment and calm. In an environment defined by constant demands on attention, it offers a rare sense of completion and control. The importance of emotional payoff, from reduced stress to improved mood, has for the first time in our tracking surpassed the functional result.
For the industry, that shift opens the door to new types of innovation. Solutions that support flexible, intuitive, bite-sized, sensorially rich cleaning are better aligned with how people live today.
As time at home has grown more central to daily life, so has awareness of how the home environment affects our overall health.
People increasingly view their homes as a foundation for holistic wellbeing, spending an additional 5.6 hours per week cleaning. That includes managing germs, allergens and air and water quality, but also creating spaces that feel calm, safe and restorative. A clean home is not just about hygiene; it’s about peace of mind. According to the Home Care Redefined report, up to 93% of respondents said they feel good about themselves when their home smells good.
Confidence and reassurance are emerging as powerful drivers of behavior. Many people want to feel certain they are protecting their family’s health and making responsible choices, prompting greater interest in solutions that balance efficacy with ingredient transparency and align with personal values.
Younger generations are helping accelerate this shift, with many Gen Z influencers creating content that “rebrands” common household tasks — like calling dishwashing “bath time” for their plates. Rather than reacting to messes, they are approaching cleaning as preventive care — part of a broader wellness mindset that includes nutrition, fitness and mental health. Cleaning routines are increasingly seen as one piece of a larger self-care system.
For manufacturers, that evolution raises expectations. Performance remains essential, but so do trust, clarity, and emotional resonance. Products must deliver results while also supporting confidence and comfort in the home.
Convenience has long shaped the home care category, but its meaning is changing. Speed still matters, but consumers are placing greater value on ease, flexibility, and even enjoyment. Convenience is also about simplicity, as evidenced by the three out of four consumers who prefer multi-purpose cleaners like wipes and sprays to specialized ones.
Many are looking for products that simplify decisions, serve multiple purposes, and reduce friction in everyday tasks. That demand is fueling interest in multi-use solutions and services that bring products directly into the home, helping people reclaim time and mental energy.
At the same time, a few long-standing frustrations persist. Laundry stands out as a category where satisfaction is relatively low and expectations are high. People want better results with less effort — and often feel the process is more demanding than it should be. Those gaps represent both a challenge and an opportunity for reinvention.
Social media is also shaping perceptions of convenience. According to a survey from American Home Shield, 58% of respondents said they consumed social media about cleaning, housework, or chores. Cleaning routines, product hacks and dramatic “oddly satisfying” transformations have become a staple of online content, influencing how people approach tasks at home and raising expectations for results and ease.
Taken together, these shifts suggest home care is becoming more central to how people manage their time, health and daily lives. What was once considered routine maintenance is increasingly seen as part of a broader effort to create homes that support wellbeing and productivity.
That has implications beyond product performance. It points to a category that is more closely connected to culture, emotion and everyday experience than ever before.
As homes continue to evolve, the meaning of home care will continue to evolve with them. The question is no longer just how people clean, but why — and what role those routines play in the way they live today.
This story was produced by The Clorox Company and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
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