Author: Laura Mahecha Director, Professional Cleaning, Kline + Company
As part of Kline’s regular study on the industry, Janitorial and Housekeeping Cleaning Products, we have recently completed a U.S. survey of more than 1,000 professional cleaning decision makers across healthcare, foodservice, education, office buildings, industry, hospitality, and government facilities. Among the many topics revealed from this research, we learn that cleaning product performance and trusted brands are the most important purchase factors, though there is some variation by end-use segment. Nursing homes look for products that offer superior performance from brands they know and trust. Given the sensitive patient populations at nursing homes and the problems that occurred during the pandemic, the performance of cleaning products for nursing homes is paramount.
Full-service restaurants, on the other hand, are also concerned with price and using products that save employees time and offer labor-saving benefits. Staff shortages and rising costs of food and operations are key challenges faced by restaurant owners.
Green certification on their cleaning products was rated important by 39% of our sample overall but scored higher among nursing homes (48%), K-12 schools (42%), and assisted living facilities (41%).
Respondents were asked to choose the single-most important purchase factor when buying cleaning products. Product performance was the single-most important purchase factor among all decision markers. The next highest purchase factor was “product helps keep workers and building users safe,” and this was particularly appreciated by those in office buildings, restaurants, K-12 schools, and nursing homes.
The results of our survey provide deep insights into a wide variety of topics including:
- product usage
- brand preferences
- packaging and product forms used
- dilution control
- recent changes in antibacterial hand soap usage
- expected changes in facility flooring
- frequency of floor care
- purchase channels
- online buying habits
- green cleaning
To learn more about how our research can inform your business strategy, please contact us.
