Britain’s Relationship with Cleanliness

From Mrs Hinch’s hygiene tips, to addictively satisfying cleaning videos on TikTok - there is something calming and reassuring about maintaining a clean living space. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, even greater importance has been placed on hygiene in our homes and cleanliness in general. Sanitiser and antibacterial products were proven to help reduce the spread of the virus and ultimately save lives.

We surveyed the British public to see how their attitudes and approach to cleanliness has differed since the start of the pandemic and what our overall view towards hygiene is now.

Our 1,000 respondents answered questions on the cleanliness of their homes and habits in public spaces such as workplaces, restaurants, and hotels, providing us with an overview of how we perceive cleanliness and what pushes us to the edge.

We discovered that around 1 in 3 Brits clean their homes to improve their mental health and make them feel better. Decluttering can have huge benefits to our mental health, serving as a metaphor for decluttering our worries and anxieties. By spending so much time at home, feelings of isolation and high anxiety have become a common place for all ages, and often the most manageable thing we can face is cleaning the space around us. Pre-pandemic we would spend 1-2 hours on average scrubbing, washing and brushing our homes, however post-covid just over 10% of respondents are spending over 4 hours cleaning. That’s more than 2 football games or half of a series of Line of Duty.

One in six respondents also said that the biggest motivation to clean their home was to protect those in their homes from illness, including Covid-19.

Not only does uncleanliness affect our ability to relax in our homes, but it can also disrupt our ability to work. When asked how an unclean work environment makes our respondents feel, anxious (42%), stressed (40%) and disgusted (40%) were the predominant responses.

Offices have reopened across the country, with many operating a flexible working policy, but are Brits ready to return to the office? Do we still prefer the comfort (and cleanliness) of our own homes?

Our respondents expressed concern regarding the level of cleanliness at their workplace, with 16% of them having raised it with their employer. In contrast, 39% of respondents said the level of cleanliness in their office was good and satisfactory.

When asked whether their employer provided guidance on cleaning and any new health and safety measures, only 45% said that guidance has been good, meaning over half (55%) of workplaces might not be updating their employees correctly.

Before going out for a meal there are a lot of things to consider, from the menu choice, to the location and we often spend some time researching before we book. One thing that is hard to determine before arriving at a restaurant is its cleanliness.

Over two thirds of our respondents said that they are more likely to check for comments/ reviews around cleanliness and the hygiene rating of a pub/restaurant since Covid-19.

Unsure of how a venue’s hygiene rating is determined? Hygiene inspectors consider the following factors and will give the venue a rating out of 5. This information should be displayed in the venue windows and available online.

• How hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, re-heated, cooled and stored
• The physical condition of the business – including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, pest control and other facilities
• How the business manages ways of keeping food safe, looking at processes, training and systems to ensure good hygiene is maintained. The officer can then assess the level of confidence in standards being maintained in the future

We also revealed that 65% of Brits would consider leaving a restaurant if they believed hygiene standards were not met in their opinion. Restaurants need to be more careful than ever, as only 6% would leave a tip if they found a sign of uncleanliness.

The top things that will turn people away from a pubs/restaurants is:

• Dirty Tableware
• Bad Smells
• Bad personal hygiene from staff and customers
• Unhygienic toilets
• No visible cleaning

Similarly, 76% of Brits would leave a hotel before their stay finishes if they discover their bedding was dirty, along with unclean bathrooms (61%), dirty towels (63%) and bad service (53%).

Our use of public transport has changed dramatically over the past 18 months. For many, the daily commute on the tube, bus or train is a thing of the past with offices adapting to flexible working and home becoming our main place of work.

Therefore, we asked our respondents whether the pandemic changed how they used public transport. Almost half (47%) said they do their best to avoid touching any surfaces, whilst 29% said they were more likely to wait for a less crowded bus or train.

As travel restrictions also start to ease and more countries get added to our green list, flights abroad have become more of a possibility, but are they a health risk? 69% of Brits say they will wear masks on flights and bring spares, whilst another 40% say they will take their own cleaning products and wipe the surfaces the next time they board a plane.

As our routines change again and we begin to spend more time outside of our homes, finding time for cleaning can be difficult. However, it is important to stay on top of keeping our homes sanitised in order to benefit our mental health and feel happy in our own spaces.

After years of research and technological advancements, we now offer a range of tiles that have antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-polluting properties, without compromising on style, durability or technical performance. Tiles are already a hygienic surface to have in the home, as they are easy to keep clean and don’t absorb bacteria, but this added layer of protection can provide greater peace of mind for all the family.