Subscription meal kit service HelloFresh and cleaning accessory maker Scrub Daddy kicked off a marketing partnership by releasing results of a survey examining the disconnect between Americans’ love for cooking and disdain for cleaning.
The survey of 1,704 nationally representative Americans, conducted by YouGov on behalf of HelloFresh, revealed, for example, that 1 in 5 (21%) respondents have left a dish or pan soaking in the sink for so long they forgot what was originally in it. That number jumps to nearly a third among Gen Z (31%), according to the survey.
The survey heralds a new collaboration whereby Scrub Daddy sponges and other cleaning products are being included in HelloFresh boxes and will be available for purchase this fall on the HelloFresh Market online store.
“Nobody dreams about the dishes; They dream about dinner,” said Michelle Doll Olson, Head Chef, HelloFresh US. “This survey confirms what we hear from customers every day: people love cooking, but the cleanup is what’s holding them back. That’s exactly why HelloFresh recipes are built around fewer pots, fewer pans, and less mess, so the fun part of cooking doesn’t come with a two-hour cleanup tax.
Other findings from the HelloFresh/Scrub Daddy survey:
- More than half of Americans (53%) said that whoever cooks the meal shouldn’t have to do the dishes, too. Nearly half (47%) said they’ve had to actively negotiate cleaning duties with a partner or housemate.
- Nearly 9 in 10 Americans (89%) have taken some step to cut down on cleanup after a meal. More than half have cooked a one-pot meal (56%), picked something easy to clean up like a bowl of cereal (53%), or reached for paper plates just to skip the sink altogether (53%).
- While a third of Americans overall (34%) have actively avoided cleaning up after a meal, 58% Gen Z have gotten out of cleanup in at least one way, including 38% who’ve left dishes in the sink for someone else to handle, 29% who’ve stayed out of the kitchen altogether, and 24% who’ve made an excuse to get out of it.
- More than a quarter of Americans (26%) go a month or longer between sponge changes.
“A sink full of mystery dishes is one of life’s most avoidable problems, and honestly, so is a gross old sponge. We’re proud to team up with HelloFresh to tackle both ends of the mess, because whoever cooks shouldn’t dread what’s waiting in the sink afterward,” said Aaron Krause, Scrub Daddy’s CEO and founder.
