Children and young adults slow to start helping with cleaning

As we enter the third week of the state school summer holidays, those that aren’t escaping to all-inclusive resorts for six weeks will soon begin to feel the effects of having their kids home round the clock. New data from Mintel reveals just how little children and young adults help out around the house…

Parents of children under 18 have revealed that they contribute very little to household chores and cleaning. British parents state that only 11% of children under 18 make a proper contribution to the cleaning of their home, with 38% doing very little cleaning. Half (51%) of UK parents say that their children under 18 do nothing at all.

The picture is not much brighter amongst young adults living at home. Indeed, parents of those aged over 18 revealed that 40% don’t do any cleaning at all and 31% very little. Just a fifth (18%) share some responsibility and help with household chores.

With the majority of people (84%) attaching a high importance to a clean and well-cared-for home to create a positive impression on others, but 63% seeing household chores as thankless tasks, getting the children involved, at least in terms of tidying their own rooms, could ease some of the pressure on the time of busy parents.

However, it is not only aesthetics that matter. Some 73% think that maintaining a clean home is a good way to stay healthy. This factor becomes especially important to those with young children, rising to 83% of those with children aged 5 and under

With children and young adults still living at home contributing very little to household cleaning, and even some of those who have flown the nest getting help from mum, room exists to increase the involvement of the whole family to develop these important skills.

There is clear potential here for cleaning brands to boost the number of children and young adults helping in the home. For example, they could run a campaign aimed at getting the whole family to share cleaning responsibilities, including encouraging children to get involved with individual tasks by making them fun. A rewards system could be established either as a branded wall chart or on a smartphone app, with rewards tailored for each family member. This would help to establish good cleaning habits among the young (thorough and regular cleaning to keep healthy), thus benefiting future sales of cleaning products.

For more information on Mintel’s Cleaning the House – UK 2014 report, click here

Richard researches and writes Mintel’s Household Care reports. He has also worked as a Senior Analyst on Mintel’s household retail reports. Before Richard joined Mintel in 1998, he was Senior Editor at Key Note, a publisher of market information reports.