With the weather warming up, the excuses for postponing big cleaning projects melt away like the snow. It’s no longer “too cold” to clean out the garage and wash the windows. And the “I’ll wait until after the holidays to declutter” reasoning is also getting stale.

To learn more about the cleaning plans and habits of Americans, we surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. consumers via Google Surveys (see survey methodology).

Least-liked chores

Many chores steal away time we’d rather spend doing other things. But which chores do Americans hate the most? Never-ending drudgeries like cleaning the toilet, washing the dishes and doing laundry round out the Top 3.

Best month for spring cleaning

The largest contingent of consumers says April is the most motivating month for spring cleaning, with March a close second. A little over 20% of consumers would prefer to put off spring cleaning until May or June.

In your opinion, which is the best month for spring cleaning?

• April – 38%
• March – 31%
• May – 11%
• June – 10%
• February – 9%
• Other – 1%

(Other responses included: “All of them,” “I do mine in the fall when it’s nice and cool” and “When it’s needed.”)

Biggest spring-cleaning challenges

Lack of time is only the second-biggest thing holding Americans back from spring cleaning. The biggest hurdle? Lack of motivation:

What is the hardest part about spring cleaning?

• Finding the motivation – 33%
• Not enough time – 24%
• Cleanliness never lasts – 21%
• Physical effort of cleaning – 16%
• Unsure of what products to use where – 5%
• Other – 1%

Cleaning the house is so dreaded, in fact, that many consumers would be willing to give up some of life’s small joys to avoid it: