A new survey has found that Brits’ biggest fear is guests criticising the cleanliness and tidiness of their house – and it’s having a real impact on how they spend the big day
A survey of 2,000 adults revealed that nearly one in five (19%) said their greatest festive worry is guests criticising the cleanliness and tidiness of their home – placing it above concerns about how the Christmas dinner tastes or the quality of presents beneath the tree.
This concern is genuinely affecting how Brits experience the big day, with the typical host spending over two hours cleaning and tidying on Christmas Day itself – compared to just an hour and a half actually sitting down and enjoying their Christmas dinner. It’s hardly surprising, then, that 15% believe making their house spotless before guests arrive is the most stressful aspect of the festive season.
The research, commissioned by Unilever, discovered that for those dreading comments from judgemental guests, it’s their own mum (25%) or mother-in-law (22%) they fear most.
Chet Henderson, head of consumer insights at Unilever Home Care, which has also launched a new Cif multi-purpose spray specifically formulated to provide a longer-lasting clean on a range of surfaces, said: “Our homes have become increasingly important to us as they reflect who we are and how we live.
“This is even more evident during the festive period when we invite friends and family round to celebrate, and fear of judgement on the cleanliness of our home means we spend more time cleaning than eating Christmas dinner.”
To manage, hosts resort to cleaning ‘hacks’ to maintain their homes. After receiving the ‘we’re on our way’ text, hosts will spend an average of 14 minutes doing a rapid ‘festive spruce’ before guests’ arrivals.
The most favoured shortcuts involve exclusively cleaning visible areas (28%), concealing mess in wardrobes (25%), and employing all-purpose cleaners for everything (24%).
Almost one in five (18%) simply shut doors on untidy rooms, whilst 10% of Gen Zs light a candle and cross their fingers – or reduce lighting to conceal the chaos (9%).
The tidying continues even after guests have arrived. Over a quarter (26%) request guests remove their shoes at the door, and 9% dodge preparing foods like cranberry sauce or gravy due to potential spillages.
A further 19% avoid buying decorations based on their mess potential, like a needle shedding tree. While 9% of respondents polled via OnePoll.com have even neglected to invite guests round who have a reputation for being messy.
The UK’s favourite Christmas cleaning tasks were also revealed as decluttering cupboards (19%), hoovering (16%) and cleaning the fridge (16%).With the most dreaded being cleaning the oven (32%), removing black mould (19%) and scrubbing bathrooms (17%).
Chet Henderson added: “It’s clear that during this busy time of year people are turning to cleaning hacks for quick results, which is where using the best product for the job also cuts down on cleaning time.”