- Survey shows many new parents could use help on cleaning and disinfecting routines when a new baby arrives
- Kitchen cleaning, bottle cleaning, disinfecting surfaces among new parents’ top cleaning priorities
- See All Survey Findings Here
- Access the Toolkit Here
Washington, DC, June 27, 2023 – The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) launched its “Clean First Steps: A Guide for New Parents” toolkit, providing easy-to-understand tips and guidance on adjusting moms’ and dads’ cleaning routines to welcome a new addition to the family.
Life changes when a baby arrives, and it can be hard for new parents to feel prepared to navigate it all. The new resources for parents come in response to a recent survey conducted by Wakefield Research for ACI that found nearly 3 in 5 new or expecting parents (57%) felt less than completely prepared to use cleaning products properly and safely around a new baby.
ACI’s free resources were developed to help parents better understand proper cleaning and hygiene practices to keep babies and young children safe and healthy. The resources are also mobile-friendly, which will allow parents to access them while on the go.
Parents ranked cleaning the kitchen and preparing for bottle cleaning/sterilization as the two most important cleaning and hygiene priorities, followed by disinfecting surfaces and deep cleaning and dusting.
The Clean First Steps resource includes materials on these topics and more, including:
- A Guide to Newborn Laundry:Highlights best practices and is designed to support parents navigate changes to the laundry routine
- A Healthy Home Resource:Use this tool to establish a manageable cleaning routine throughout the home
- A Guide For Clean Bottles: Includes a step-by-step process for cleaning and sterilizing bottles
- Preparing for Parenthood Starts with Safety: Features helpful reminders to ensure all cleaning products are stored properly and safely to prevent accidents in the house
- The Clean Diaper Change Routine Checklist: Serves as an easy-to-follow tool for keeping the diaper changing routine clean
“Becoming a parent is an exciting and life-changing time, but it can also be overwhelming. For first-time parents, it is almost impossible to feel completely prepared for the responsibility of caring for a child,” said Brian Sansoni, Senior Vice President, Communications, Outreach & Membership. “Our hope is that the Clean First Steps resource will serve as a valuable tool for parents that will make the adjustment to caring for a child a little easier.”
In addition to the Clean First Steps program, ACI offers tailored resources and recommendations for a variety of audiences including parents of K-12 students, college students and childcare facilities on proper cleaning, hygiene, and disinfecting protocols to ensure a healthy and safe environment for all. To learn more, visit www.cleaninginstitute.org.
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The American Cleaning Institute® (ACI – www.cleaninginstitute.org) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $60 billion U.S. cleaning product supply chain. ACI members include the manufacturers and formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and chemical distributors. ACI serves the growth and innovation of the U.S. cleaning products industry by advancing the health and quality of life of people and protecting our planet. ACI achieves this through a continuous commitment to sound science and being a credible voice for the cleaning products industry.
Methodological Notes: The ACI Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 500 US Expecting Parents/Those Who Delivered a Baby in the Past 6 Months, between April 13th and April 19th, 2023, using an email invitation and an online survey. Data was weighted to ensure an accurate representation of expecting and new parents.
Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 4.4 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.
