With longevity powering wellness trends—beauty’s new buzzword for empowerment around graceful aging—consumers mean business when it comes to their health. From the foods they eat, to the personal products they use, to the air they breathe, wellness aficionados are increasingly conscious about their health and the aggressors affecting it. Consequently, healthy habit-forming behaviors begin at home. 

According to a survey conducted by Wakefield Research and distributed by the American Cleaning Institute (ACI), 74% of Americans have modified their cleaning routines to improve their health, and nearly all (97%) view cleaning and hygiene as important for public health and the health of their communities. What’s more, 91% and 84% of survey respondents concurred that cleaning has a positive impact on their physical and mental health, respectively.

“Cleaning is no longer just about appearance; it’s about safeguarding our health,” said Brian Sansoni, ACI senior vice president of communications and outreach. “Our survey shows that Americans understand the critical role cleaning plays in preventing illness and promoting well-being.” 

Hygiene Priorities 

To stay healthy, 61% of surveyed Americans said washing hands was a cleaning priority followed closely by cleaning the toilet and shower at 56% and disinfecting frequently touched areas at 51%. The survey revealed that these so-called clean freaks need to brush up on their dusting. A quick wipe-down with a Swiffer cloth controls asthma and allergy triggers, yet a mere 22% of survey respondents said dusting was high on their cleaning to-do list. 

With all the hype around hygiene, the ACI has declared 2025 the year of “Cleaning for Health,” and homecare brands are making the chore easy-peasy with harder-working products emitting pleasant aromas. 

“Scent plays an important part in our perception of a space,” said Illume and Good Chemistry Fragrance Director and Perfume Expert Greta Pagel. “A just-right fragrance can set the tone for a welcoming, comforting first impression. It’s more than just a pleasant smell—fragrance communicates personality, taste and style, and acts as an invisible, sensory extension of our home décor and interior design preferences.” 

SQUEAKY CLEAN STATS
Check out Circana’s household cleaning sales data for total US multi-outlet (supermarkets, drugstores, mass market retailers, military commissaries and select club and dollar retail chains) for the 52 weeks ended Feb. 23, 2025.

Managing Home Spaces…Safely 

Pagel said consumers taking a holistic approach to home wellness seek quality ingredients. Safely, a homecare brand founded by Kris Jenner and Emma Grede in 2021, caters to their demands. Safely specializes in an assortment of “safe cleaning products” from home fragrance to surface cleansers and dishwashing agents. The brand embraces the adage “mess equals stress” with their belief that a clean house forms the foundation of a calm mind and well-being with safety, of course, at the core.

“Kris was always hearing from her kids, especially Kourtney, that cleaning products aren’t always free of harmful chemicals,” Safely President Jelina Saliu told Happi. “The natural products in the market did not perform well and then it became apparent there was a need for cleaning products that actually clean.”

After Grede realized a void in the market for green cleaning products that produce, she called up Jenner, the “cleanest person she knows,” to get a “clean” cleaning brand they would aptly christen “Safely” off the ground. And timing following the health-conscious craze borne from the historic covid pandemic couldn’t be more apropos. 

“Launching Safely right after the pandemic was like a breath of fresh, clean air,” said Saliu. “Everyone was suddenly super aware of how important cleanliness is, and Safely stepped in with products that were not only effective, but gentle and beautifully scented. It was like the universe needed a little extra sparkle and peace of mind!”

Recruiting chemists who understood their goal of creating effective cleaning products without harsh chemicals, Safely’s products are made with natural ingredients like plant-derived surfactants, essential oils and gentle cleansers. The B-Corp-certified brand’s bestsellers include the Universal Cleanser, a multi-purpose cleaner in a lavender scent called “Calm.” Its formula is comprised of salt- and coconut-derived ingredients to cut through grease while corn-derived alcohol, citric acid and lemongrass leaf oil eradicate bacteria from all surfaces. The Universal Cleanser is currently out of stock, but the brand is working to restock it. 

Calm Dish Soap is another bestseller. Despite its low-suds formula, the concentrated soap is designed to work harder. Plant-derived surfactants help cut down dish time while vitamin E and aloe extract help keep hands hydrated and like they never lifted a finger. 

The brand’s newly launched multi-surface wipes are also flying off the shelves. The wipes, infused with naturally derived surfactants to lift dirt and grime, come in Sunrise, a blend of gardenia and tuberose accented by refreshing mint and soothing sage, and Calm, a fusion of lavender, coconut milk and lemon, layered with warm notes of tonka, rose, vanilla and bois de guaiac woods.

“Safely wants to change the way we think about cleaning,” said Saliu. “It’s not just a chore; it’s a moment to create a calm and happy space. The relaxing scents in the wipes are all about turning cleaning into a mini spa moment. Who knew cleaning could be so Zen?”

The best feedback was from customers who said using Safely products turned a dreaded chore such as household cleaning into a pleasant experience, from the aroma to the beautiful packaging which is on proud display. 

“It’s all about making an everyday cleaning task a little more enjoyable,” said Saliu. “Our scents are amazing, and they make you want to keep cleaning!”

Lysol is also capitalizing on the lavender scent with its Brand New Day Collection. Last month, the Reckitt-owned brand’s new collection introduced the Lysol Lavender & Cotton Blossom. Lysol’s Lavender & Cotton Blossom fragrance is available in a suite of Lysol products to disinfect or clean every room in the home, killing 99.9% of germs while leaving behind the beloved scent.

Lysol Lavender & Cotton Blossom captures the scents of a lavender field, blending notes of lavender, jasmine and violet with subtle hints of energizing apple and green pear. Rich, woody sandalwood and white musk, reminiscent of cotton blossoms, round out the scent for a soothing finish, per marketers. Products bearing the new scent include disinfectant spray, disinfecting wipes, toilet bowl, all-purpose and multi-surface cleaners.

As part of the scent launch, Lysol is teaming up with dance lover and Latin icon Roselyn Sanchez to encourage consumers to “Lavanda (the Spanish word for “lavender”) and Dance,” or as the brand puts it, transform otherwise mundane weekend chores into the ultimate dance party. 

“As a lifelong performer, music and dance have always been powerful motivators, helping me to find joy in everyday tasks like cleaning,” said Sanchez. “The refreshing new Lysol Lavender & Cotton Blossom scent inspires me to view cleaning as less of a chore and more like a dance break.”

The Cascade Effect

Another brand dedicated to making cleaning a seamless and joyful experience over a dreadful chore is Cascade. 

Recently, the brand recruited actor Kenan Thompson in its new marketing campaign spotlighting the brand’s New & Improved Cascade Platinum Plus. The ActionPacs feature an upgraded formula designed to remove up to 100% of food and deliver a spot-free shine and dry. With the influx of social media reels depicting consumers’ ambitious cooking creations, the P&G-owned brand saw a need for a cleaning solution to address tougher soils without causing extra work. 

According to a Mintel study called, “Cooking in America/Meal Planning and Preparation, US, 2024,” more than one-third of Americans are now cooking at home four to six times per week, with more than 25% inspired by meal ideas sourced from their social media feeds, per the brand. A recent soil study by Procter & Gamble scrutinizing today’s most popular recipes to ascertain food trends, frequency and cleaning frustration found a substantial rise in the use of complex ingredients like proteins. Meat ranked at the top of the list, while cheese and eggs were in the top five most used ingredients. 

Cascade’s updated formula follows the December 2022 release of Cascade Platinum Plus. 

“Knowing the messes were only becoming harder to clean, we knew we had to level up Cascade’s best formula, and make it even better,” said Cascade scientist Arianna Castro.

Cascade designed its new ActionPacs using a proprietary enzyme designed to work specifically on these traditionally tough-to-clean food combinations (like cheesy, baked on eggs and pan-seared meats) and included the grease-fighting power of Dawn.

The proprietary enzyme allows for:
• 30% more starch and protein cleaning power on complex soils;
• 20% more stain-fighting power to address stubborn stains like coffee, tea and wine; and
• 20% more surfactant cleaning power with two-times the power of Dawn versus previous Cascade Platinum Plus for a “virtually spot-free shine and dry” and an elevated scent experience, per Castro.

In perhaps the cleaning brand’s most comical campaign yet, Thompson hosts a dinner and book club meeting at his home. When his guests leave, his smiley face turns to a frown when he notices the heap of dirt dishes in the kitchen sink. He turns to the help of Cascade’s new ActionPacs with hopes that his book club dinner doesn’t turn into “Kenan-Cleanin’-All-Night-Club.” 

Castro said Thompson grew up with Cascade in his home and witnessed the brand’s evolution in the past 20 years. As an adult, he finds himself juggling a busy lifestyle while making time for elaborate dinner parties for which he’s head chef. 

“His humor and relatability made him the perfect partner to bring this launch to life to help people combat the dreaded pile of dirty dishes, and show that with Cascade Platinum Plus, you can trust the dishwasher to do the job for you,” said Castro.

A Sudsy Sink Party

Another P&G-owned brand aiming to work harder in the sink, so consumers aren’t standing there all night, is Dawn. Per P&G consumer research, the Happi Top 50 Company found dishwashing remains the No. 1 disliked daily chore.

Dawn set out to make cleaning a breeze with its new Dawn Platinum Plus Power Suds. The innovation, introduced in February on grocery and mass retailer shelves nationwide, using Trap & Lock technology remove up to 99% of grease to slide through dishwashing challenges like butter. Plus, the new ingredients help break up soils and prevent grease from re-depositing on the next dish while provides instant-drying action for cleaner, shinier and more spotless dishes.

The new proprietary Dawn PowerSuds formula delivers double the suds with bubbles that trap grease and eliminate residue, allowing consumers to wash a sink full of dishes more effectively with less effort, brand officials said. What’s more, the refillable Dawn PowerSuds EZ-Squeeze bottle conveniently stands on its cap and dispenses from the bottom for less mess. 

The brand also leveraged star power by recruiting rapper and social media creator Charlie Curtis-Beard to drum up a jingle. “Double the Suds” is aimed to make doing dishes with this game-changing dish detergent sound cool. “Double the Suds”  underscores the power of suds and gets people singing, not stressing, at the sink. “I can do this thing with ease/ trap and lock all the grease” croons Beard.

“I loved the creative challenge of expressing the new sense of ease and empowerment Dawn PowerSuds now brings into your everyday dishwashing routine,” said Curtis-Beard. “I tried to capture and transform the power and potential of suds into a beat that got people enjoying their time at the sink.”

To extend its cleaning capabilities from the sink to the delicate feathers of birds, Dawn teamed with Jennifer Hudson last September. The “American Idol” alum starred in a TV commercial to share how the brand helps save birds in the wild while the working mother keeps her dishes spotless. For a half-century, International Bird Rescue, an authority on bird rescue and rehabilitation, has trusted Dawn to clean and help save wildlife impacted by sticky oil spills.

“The Dawn ducklings sat by my sink for years, so I was very excited to welcome them into my home and support their wildlife-saving efforts,” said Hudson. 

For a limited time, shoppers and wildlife lovers visited dawnducks.com to download $1-off coupons for Dawn Platinum EZ-Squeeze, after which Dawn donated $1 to the International Bird Rescue, equating to $100,000.

‘Made Clean, Made to Clean’ 

On the topic of environmental good, B Corp certified home care brand Dropps’ UltraWash Plus Biobased Power Dishwasher Detergent Pods combine advanced cleaning technology with an USDA-certified biobased formulation. UltraWash Plus joins Dropps’ suite of reformulated, biobased dish products with curbside recyclable retail packaging. Following its June 2024 debut in Wegmans stores, Dropps’ dish products have expanded into Meijer, Target and Save Mart.

“Dropps’ UltraWash Plus Power Dishwasher Detergent is a testament to our brand’s promise: ‘Made Clean, Made to Clean,’” said Alastair Dorward, CEO of Dropps. “The enthusiastic reception from our new grocery partners, Meijer and Save Mart underscores the growing demand for effective, sustainable and accessible cleaning solutions. We aim to make our customer’s lives easier with products that get the job done right the first time and every time by delivering cutting-edge cleaning power while minimizing waste.”

Dropps’ new triple chamber pod is made without phosphates, chlorine, phthalates, sulfates or dyes. The septic-safe formula contains powerful cleaning agents, including potent surfactants that cut through tough grease; specialized enzymes and oxygen-powered mineral ingredients that target food and beverage stains and remove 24-hour stuck-on grime; and a spot-free rinse aid in lemon citrus and unscented options. 

Tough Stains on the Chopping Block

With dishes washed and counters clean, some formulators turned toward cutting boards. Last fall, interior wood stains brand Minwax segued into the household care category with the introduction of an FDA-compliant food contact-safe wood oil and conditioner for kitchens. The 2-in-1 solution nurtures wood with a blend of natural oils and waxes. It penetrates the wood to protect from moisture, and prevents drying and cracking while leaving no trace of odor or taste while sealing the wood for a refined finish on butcher blocks, cutting boards, wooden bowls and utensils. The conditioner is available at Lowe’s.

“Oiling and conditioning wooden kitchenware typically involves two separate steps using two separate products,” said Andrew Marsden, senior product manager, Sherwin-Williams Consumer Brands Group. “Our goal was to simplify that process with one convenient, yet food-contact-safe option.” 

2025’S Home Scent of the Year

With all the hype around indoor cleaning, one brand is celebrating the indoor fiesta over alfresco dining. For Febreze, 2025 is all about comfort and indulgence. For the home fragrance brand, no other scent encapsulates these fuzzy feelings and deserves the honor of its 2025 Scent of the Year like vanilla suede.

To help consumers embrace the joy of missing out and the comfort of home, Vanilla Suede aims to transform nights spent in humble abodes into a luxurious staycation.

This year’s selection—designed by the Febreze Fragrance Group, a division within P&G’s Innovation Foresight of Fragrance and Ingredients—is from Febreze’s new Blends Collection. The scent features a complex, yet complimentary blend of brushed mahogany, gold amber and smoked vanilla.

“Amidst the chaos of everyday life, we’re seeing a rise in self-indulgence and a desire to take back control of our spaces,” said Febreze master perfumer Rafael Trujillo. “People are looking for reasons to spend more time at home, whether that means hosting friends or curating the perfect night in, and Vanilla Suede helps them do just that: transform any space into a personal oasis.”

For a customized 24/7 scent experience, the Febreze Vanilla Suede Plug-in can be used with the Febreze Plug Scent Booster.

With new product formulas that work harder, brands aim to bring joy into everyday cleaning routines and less dread for a task imperative to good health.

“It’s not just about cleaning; it’s about creating a positive and uplifting experience,” said Saliu. “It’s about making your home a sanctuary one sparkling surface at a time.”