Americans Would Give Up Eating Out for a Perpetually Clean Bathroom

A recent survey conveyed by content publisher website talker.com of 2,000 U.S. adults has found that 25% of its participants would give up going to a restaurant or getting takeout in order to never clean a bathroom again.

Other sacrifices they’d be willing to make included giving up the following:

• Coffee (24%)
• Their favorite food for a month (24%)
• Their favorite TV show or series (23%)
• Their favorite outfit (23%)
• Watching their favorite sports team (22%).

But perhaps the most shocking sacrifices included giving up two-ply toilet paper (22%), internet access for a year (22%), their washer and dryer (20%), half of their annual salary (20%), and even their sense of taste (20%).

The survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Microban 24, also found that more than a third participant (34%) found bathrooms to be the most challenging room in their home to clean. But leaving it as is was not an option for more than a third surveyed, as 39% would be embarrassed if their bathroom was dirty for their guests and 40% would be as stressed out by guests seeing their home dirty as they would a day at their work.

In fact, 60% said knowing that guests would soon be coming over is the only time they bother to sanitize their home. But during cold and flu season, almost as many (59%) claimed to proactively sanitize their residences more often.  

“People’s homes see a lot of traffic throughout the year, so it’s important to keep surfaces sanitized both before and after having guests over,” said Microban 24 Scientist Maria Striemer. “That’s especially true during cold, cough, and flu season, when homes are most susceptible to bacteria.”

The survey also explored the bathroom habits participants found most annoying. They included:

• Leaving toothpaste or makeup stains on the mirror or sink (30%)
• Forgetting to flush the toilet (29%)
• Urinating on the seat or around the toilet (29%)
• Leaving hair in the sink or tub drain (28%)
• Forgetting to replace the toilet paper (27%)
• Leaving the toilet seat up (25%)
• Clogging the toilet (25%).