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Household cleanser update 2004: after a tough year, household cleanser marketers are hoping to sweep up the pieces and revive the category.

Article Excerpt
IN 2004, household cleaning product marketers expected to clean up.

Instead, the category was a washout. For the 52 weeks ended Oct. 3, 2004, nearly every sub-segment of the U.S. household cleaners category reported a loss in sales.

According to Information Resources, Inc., Chicago, for the 52-week period, all purpose cleaners and disinfectants fell 4.3%. to $417 million; glass cleaners declined 3.9% to $186.4 million and abrasive tub/tile cleaners suffered a 5% loss, to $102 million. As a whole, category sales declined 3.8% to nearly $1.6 billion. (These figures do not include Wal-Mart sales.)

Yet, industry experts insist consumers are more worried about home hygiene than ever, and seek products that clean surfaces, floors and even the air. In a germ-obsessed nation, why aren't cleanser sales stronger? Part of the reason may be that chores are just that: chores. Two-income families are more pressed for time than ever, with little time to spare at the end of the week for cleaning. Families with one stay-at-home parent also have their hands full to overflowing as kids are more involved in extracurricular activities than ever before.

Not to worry. Time-saving, easy to use products are cropping up in the household cleanser category as marketers attempt to meet the needs of a health conscious but busy society. New innovations promise to make consumers' chores easier and, hopefully, boost cleanser sales in the process.

A Household Name

Recently, Procter & Gamble (P&G), Cincinnati, decided to investigate the reason why consumers don't clean as often as they would like in particularly dirty areas of the home, such as the bathroom.

The company discovered that most folks dislike cleaning such areas because: 1) it is physically difficult, involving bending, stretching, kneeling and scrubbing; 2t it is "disgusting" to touch such areas and 3) too many products--buckets, tools, sprays, scrubbers--are required.

P&G came up with a product that does it all: the Mr. Clean Magic Reach, due out in stores late next month.

As...