According to The Soap and Detergent Association’s (SDA) 2008 National Cleaning Survey, conducted by Echo Research (ER), people most commonly use wipes to clean, disinfect or sanitize kitchen countertops and appliances, bathroom fixtures, their hands, face and skin, furniture, children, floors, windows and clothing. The results were released this week at the 2008 World of Wipes International Conference in Chicago.

Of those who use wipes (693 of the 1008 originally surveyed), 77% reported keeping a container of wipes in at least two locations throughout their house, with 17% claiming four or more locations.   

SDA’s research shows that 71% of 1008 Americans surveyed have used a cleaning, disinfecting or antibacterial wipe, which is up from 66% in 2004, when SDA conducted its previous wipes survey.  More than a third (35%) report using wipes once per day or more, with 16% plucking a wipe more than twice per day.   

Acccording to the study, consumers choose their wipes based on cleaning effectiveness (45%), value (22%) and durability (13%).  Other factors include brand name (10%) and package size (8%).  The qualities that provide the most utility for American adults include their portability (28%), ease of disposal (20%), certain wipes’ germ-killing ability (17%), multi-purpose functionality (13%) and their fast-acting nature (11%).  Others (6%) appreciate the fact that there are specialty wipes for certain household jobs, from stain removal to facial cleansing. More information: www.cleaning101.com.