What you need to know

Never before have household surface cleaners experienced this level of attention and popularity. Cleaning has become one of the essential ways of preventing disease-causing germs, benefitting every segment as these products have become a vital part of consumers’ survival strategy. As long as the virus still poses a risk, consumers will continue to focus on home hygiene and germ elimination, sustaining demand for disinfectants while the less versatile and more labor intensive smaller segments, like furniture polish, will once again be challenged to prove value in the home, particularly amid a recession.

Key issues covered in this Report

  • The impact of COVID-19 on consumer behavior and the household surface care market

  • How the recession will impact household surface cleaners

  • How shopping for household surface cleaners will evolve

  • Which pandemic-driven shifts in behavior will have longevity

This Report was written August-October 2020.

Definition

For the purposes of this Report, Mintel defines the household surface cleaner market as consisting of the following segments:

  • All-purpose cleaner/disinfectant

  • Toilet/tub/tile cleaners (abrasive tub/tile cleaner, nonabrasive tub/tile cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, lime/rust remover)

  • Specialized surface cleaners (drain cleaner, glass cleaner, spray disinfectant, oven/appliance cleaner, metal cleaner/polish)

  • Household cleaner cloths

  • Floor cleaners/wax removers

  • Furniture polish

COVID-19: Market context

The first COVID-19 case was confirmed in the US in January 2020. On March 11, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global health pandemic, and on March 13, President Trump declared a national emergency in the US.

Across the US, state-level stay-at-home orders rolled out throughout the months of March and April and remained in place through May and in some cases June. During this time, referred to as lockdown, nonessential businesses and school districts across the nation closed or shifted to remote operations.

During reemergence, all 50 states have relaxed stay-at-home orders and allowed businesses to operate with varying levels of social distancing measures in place. The continued spread of COVID-19 infections has driven some states to slow down or reverse course on reopening plans. Mintel anticipates the US will remain in a state of flux through 2021 until a vaccine is available.

Economic and other assumptions

This market forecast has been created by analyzing projected trends in consumer expenditure on household goods and services, internet users (per 100 people), household growth and population growth, which are closely correlated with the value of household surface cleaners in the past, alongside Mintel’s understanding and expectations of the market.

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