Survey Reveals Cleaning Pros Embrace “Doing More With Less” Amid Economic Downturn

On February 1, Procter & Gamble Professional released the findings of its “Cleaning in a Down Economy” survey, showing that 85 % of cleaning professionals have adopted a “doing more with less” mindset in response to the current economic climate.

The survey, targeted at managers of in‑house and contract cleaning services across healthcare, education, retail, commercial, foodservice and hospitality, reveals how decision makers have reacted to recent business pressures.

Respondents report that the same volume of work is now being handled by fewer staff, forcing a sharp increase in labor productivity and cleaning efficiency. 76 % say upper management has been pressing them to reduce operating costs over the past six months, prompting cutbacks—nearly nine in ten respondents have trimmed staff and other resources. Yet 97 % of the decision makers feel they have successfully contained expenses, and 90 % say they will continue with a “doing more with less” approach even when the economy improves.

“Managers were squeezed by tighter budgets at the same time the H1N1 outbreak was unfolding,” says Matt Koloseike, customer development manager at P&G Professional. “They maximized efficiencies across their operations, extracting more from their teams and the products they buy. The past year has highlighted the efficiency gains of simplified routines and multipurpose products—core pillars of P&G Professional’s solutions.”

Product selection emerged as a key lever for cost savings. 22 % of respondents identified “products that get the job done right the first time” as the most valuable, while 56 % judged a product’s worth by its quality and effectiveness, and 36 % by its versatility. Only 5 % prioritized price.

Survey Highlights:

• 90 % of cleaning product decision makers prefer increasing efficiency over raising customer prices.
• 41 % say operating as efficiently as possible with existing resources is their top priority, and 35 % consider customer satisfaction the most critical factor over growth, staff retention or profit.
• 61 % would pay more for a product that lets employees finish jobs in one pass, and 43 % would invest in a single product that can replace several they currently use.
• 81 % believe adding more products to their kit won’t improve performance.
• 68 % identify staff training as the biggest hurdle, a challenge likely to worsen with high turnover during tough times.

P&G Professional will host a webinar on March 3, 2010, titled “Streamline Your Cleaning Operation.” Led by industry veteran David Frank, the session will cover the benefits of simplified routines and strategies for deploying a more efficient cleaning program. Learn more here.

About P&G Professional
Procter & Gamble Professional is the away‑from‑home division of P&G, serving the foodservice, building cleaning and maintenance, hospitality, and convenience store sectors. Leveraging its parent company’s scale and trusted brands—Tide, Dawn, Mr. Clean, Febreze, Swiffer, and P&G Pro Line—P&G Professional offers comprehensive solutions grounded in market insight and consumer understanding.