Most time-consuming tasks for holiday hosts

Sixty-five percent of holiday hosts are cleaning their home until the second before their guests arrive, according to a new study.

The poll of 2,000 Americans, who plan to host guests for the holidays, found that hosting can be stressful when it comes to having enough time. For many, time is often not on their side — 45% don’t think they’ll have enough time to prepare for hosting guests this year.

According to respondents, the source of stress has to do with the tasks they have to complete in preparation. The most time-consuming task, by far, is preparing meals (40%), followed by shopping for groceries and essentials (16%) and cleaning the kitchen (10%).

This stress has led six in 10 to feel like they sometimes have to neglect tasks around their home when preparing for guests — like putting self-care (44%), home improvement tasks (35%) or washing dishes (24%) on the backburner.

Facing these time constraints, a quarter of respondents find hosting guests for the holidays to be “extremely” or “very” stressful (26%), particularly worried about cleaning before they arrive (55%) and afterward (64%).

Commissioned by FINISH Jet Dry, a dishwasher rinse aid, and conducted by Talker Research, the study found that according to hosts, first impressions are important — especially when it comes to their cooking (69%), how meals are presented (43%) and how shiny their glassware/dishes are (17%).

From beautiful tablescapes to sparkling dishes, table settings matter. Three-quarters of hosts also want to ‘wow’ guests with their table setting (76%), while 68% care to impress them with sparkling dishes and glasses.

Looking at guest accommodations, this year, 44% will have guests that stay with them and aren’t feeling shy about getting them involved in holiday prep: 68% would ask guests to help with dinner preparations while in their home, and another 60% would ask for help with cleanup.

The secret to being the perfect guest? Hosts shared that they’d appreciate help with setting the dinner table (35%), washing dishes (26%) and taking out the trash (22%).

The number one worst thing a guest can do, according to hosts, is invite someone else without letting them know (55%).

Keeping in line with good guest etiquette, be sure to thank your host (47%) and finish the food you take (35%).

“We know that hosts are responsible for a lot — especially during the holidays. When you find the right products to take care of the little things, it frees up time for what truly matters: spending time with loved ones,” said Alexis Chatzialexiou, vice president of U.S. marketing for FINISH at Reckitt.

Although hosts appreciate help from their guests, more than a third admit they don’t trust them to do the dishes as well as they normally would (35%).

Spending time at the sink may be unavoidable, though, as 72% find themselves having to do chores more frequently when guests are in their home — especially the amount of time they spend cooking (63%), washing dishes and glassware (63%) and wiping down surfaces (55%).

The average American surveyed has about five full sets of dishes in their home — including plates, cutlery and glassware — but half are likely to have more guests than they have full dish sets for (49%).

To keep enough dishes in rotation for their guests, nearly a third of those surveyed estimate they’d need to do dishes at least three times throughout the night (29%).

It’s all worth it in the end, as hosts want to pull out all the stops for their special guests: 61% are likely to have a formally set dinner table when guests are over.

To really make the experience, half of respondents have a set of better-quality dishes specifically for guests that they do not use for themselves.

For a dinner to feel formal, hosts would also prepare multiple courses of food (58%) and beverages (41%), and present the varying foods (38%) and beverages (39%) in different kinds of glassware.

“We believe that the first impression sets the tone for a memorable gathering,” said Chatzialexiou. "Amplify your tablescape and create an impressive environment for your guests with polished flatware, sparkling glasses and dishes. This will ensure your guests are not just in awe of the food, but the entire environment you created showcasing the care and effort you put into your special event.”

PRE/CLEANUP CHORES HOSTS WOULD ASK GUESTS FOR HELP WITH

1. Setting the dinner table — 35%
2. Washing dishes and glassware — 26%
3. Taking out the trash/recycling — 22%
4. Wiping down surfaces — 20%
5. Preparing meals/cooking — 20%

IT’S RUDE IF GUESTS…

1. Invite others without notice — 55%
2. Not say “thank you” — 47%
3. Waste food — 35%
4. Leave the sink running — 35%
5. Don’t offer to help with dishes — 20%

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans who plan to host during the holiday season; the survey was commissioned by FINISH and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Nov. 20 and Nov. 26, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.