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The sophomore year of the American Cleaning Institute’s (ACI), Class of Clean is now in session. The” College Student’s Guide to Cleaning” aims to educate college students on proper cleaning, laundry and hygiene practices.

According to new data from ACI and Wakefield Research, while nearly all college students (92 percent) recognize a clean room helps them feel their best, both mentally and physically, nearly 3 in 4 (72 percent) were less than completely prepared to clean on their own upon first arriving to college.

Today, many students cite a lack of motivation (53 percent) and time (50 percent) as the top two challenges for cleaning. Yet, more than 1 in 5 say a lack of cleaning supplies or cleaning knowledge prevents them from keeping tidy.

“There’s so much to learn when you hit the college campus. Cleaning on your own is often one of those lessons,” said Brian Sansoni, ACI senior vice president, Communications, Outreach & Membership. “ACI’s Class of Clean toolkit equips college students with the tools and resources they need to navigate cleaning and laundering for wellbeing and illness prevention.”

As students head back to school or arrive on campus for the first time, the critical connection between cleaning and health is important to understand and implement into daily routines. It is easy for germs to spread on college campuses due to the high number of people living and learning in close quarters.

But that’s not all – a lack of cleaning can also cause interpersonal problems. In fact, according to new research, 71 percent of survey respondents with roommates argue over how to clean and nearly half (49 percent) of students would be very or somewhat likely to walk out on a date if they saw that their significant other’s room was messy.

For access to the entire survey, click here. 

ACI introduced the Class of Clean toolkit in 2021 as part of its Cleaning is Caring initiative, to further communicate the connection of cleaning with health and safety. As the leading voice of the cleaning products industry, ACI provides consumers with the tailored guidance, tools, and information they need for keeping themselves healthy, clean and safe.