This is how Europe cleans – the Swiss often “forget” something

Happy birthday, vacuum cleaner! 122 years ago today, Hubert Cecil Booth presented his patent for a vacuum cleaner in England. In the twentieth century, the world had a purification problem. The dust spread everywhere and pathogens immediately felt at home.

The British railway company came up with a solution: the dust had to be blown out of the trains. But Booth was convinced vacuuming up the dust would be the better solution. The first ‘vacuum cleaner’ was the size of a carriage and had to be pulled by horses.

In 1907, William Henry Hoover presented the first small edition. Even today, “vacuuming” means “vacuuming” in English. So much for a short excursion into the history of vacuum cleaners. But how do you actually clean today?

The annual ‘Dust Study’ answers this question. The makers write that the goal of the study is to investigate the effects of dust on the well-being and cleaning habits of nearly 34,000 people in 39 countries. These are the findings:

The vacuum cleaner was originally invented because England had a health problem due to pathogens in the dust. Today, 41 percent of study participants are aware that there are viruses in the dust. In Switzerland it is 35 percent.

In the 11 European countries surveyed in the study, about half of the participants say that most viruses live in the bathroom and toilet. The bedroom was only mentioned by about a third.

Although 4 in 10 respondents have a cleaning routine, more than half use the cleaning device when doing housework (38 percent in Switzerland) when the dirt/dust is just noticeable (52 percent in Switzerland).

For about 20 percent, an announced visit is the reason for cleaning, in Switzerland 17 percent also clean because they “want to achieve something”, 11 percent to organize their thoughts.

The main reason why the Swiss clean is that they want to keep germs away from themselves and their fellow residents (30 percent). A quarter say they like to keep things clean and tidy. After all, 9 percent clean so that they can be proud of their home.

The mirror is the object most frequently cleaned during cleaning routines. The TV set and the workplace follow closely behind.

Bedding follows with 68 percent. The Swiss are less precise. Only 62 percent mention bedding – less than in Belgium of the countries surveyed.

40 percent – ​​and therefore clearly the majority of participants – clean their apartment with the classic vacuum cleaner with a dust bag. This is followed by the handheld vacuum cleaner and a canister vacuum cleaner without a dust bag (each about 25 percent).

Vacuum cleaner robots are used by 12 percent in the eleven countries. In Switzerland, this share is 16 percent, the second highest after Spain (20 percent).

Before we get to the cleaning tips, let’s take a look at what is usually forgotten when cleaning. Or maybe it can’t really be forgotten, but it’s simply “too hard” and we feel a little guilty afterwards.

“Behind the heating radiators” (23 percent) is the most frequently mentioned here. Followed by the classic: high and hard-to-reach places (19 percent).

Finally, we come to the cleaning tips. About four in ten respondents get them from family and acquaintances.

About a third watch YouTube videos and a quarter google a specific cleaning tip. Social media such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook will follow afterwards.