40% of Brits avoid hosting to dodge the post-party clean-up
New research from Karcher has revealed that a whopping quarter of Brits choose to avoid hosting seasonal gatherings to avoid the inevitable clean-up afterwards.
As we venture into autumn and ever closer to the holiday season, hosting friends and family for dinners, parties and other occasions becomes more commonplace, but not for all of us it seems.
The study, which surveyed 2,000 adults, pinpointed incidents such as red wine ruining new carpets and Birthday cakes taking a tumble before the party begins.
Festive Fiascos
When it comes to occasions to avoid entertaining, Christmas topped the list with 32% of those surveyed admitting to not wanting to deal with the chaos the big day brings.
In second place were family parties at 24% and Birthdays 21%, with those three occasions leading to the most mess being made around the home.
The leading causes for mess included the aforementioned red wine staining the carpet (17%) and Birthday cake landing upside down as guests arrive (15%).
Adding to that a DIY disaster that ends in chaos (21%), puppies getting overexcited and leaving puddles (20%) and glitter blanketing the room during a craft session (16%).
Laughing through the chaos
Almost 29% of the Brits surveyed admitted to feeling frustrated when a memorable mess occurred. However, a similar portion of the population (28%) have found the incident so funny they couldn’t stop laughing.
Rosie Kinsey, marketing retail communications manager at Karcher UK told us: “Sometimes when a mess is so chaotic, all you can do is laugh. It’s in the flour-dusted kitchens, the accidental upholstery spillages, and the living rooms that aren’t always polished to perfection, that real family life happens.
“These messes aren’t signs of disorder – they’re evidence of creativity, connection, and shared joy.
“Every spill tells a story, every stain marks a moment, and when we look back, it’s not the tidiness we remember – it’s the laughter that came alongside the chaos.
“There’s something beautifully human about a home that’s lived in – where cushions are never quite in place and fingerprints decorate every surface.
“These messes are the backdrop to bedtime stories, weekend crafts, and dinners that run late into the night with friends and family.
“They’re not problems to fix, but proof that life is being lived fully. In the end, it’s the clutter of shared experiences that makes a house feel like home.”
How to minimise the damage
Minimise the chaos and keep the fun going even during a big clean up operation by making sure you have the best tools for the job.
Karcher have a huge range of indoor and outdoor cleaning solutions that will tackle stains quickly and effectively.
For red wine spillages: The SE 3 compact spot cleaner (£139.99, karcher.com) is perfect for tackling nasty red wine stains and is great to have on hand.
Doing intense mopping: The FCV 3 (£239.99) will cut your cleaning time in half with its combined vacuum and mopping capabilities to tackle any clean up.
For puppy accidents: The SC 3 Deluxe Home (£149.99) will tackle puppy accidents in record time.
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