A new survey of Americans who host winter holiday gatherings has found a stark disconnect between the joy of the season and the reality of preparing a home for guests, according to findings commissioned by smart home cleaning company Roborock and conducted by Talker Research.

The survey of 2,000 Americans who host for the winter holidays found that 49% say they spend more time cleaning than enjoying their guests' company, while 58% say hosting stress dampens their holiday spirits.

The 20-Hour Hosting Hurdle

According to the findings, hosts spend an average of 10 hours cleaning before the gathering and another 10 hours after it is over. The combined effort equates to roughly 20.6 hours, which the survey describes as more than two full eight-hour workdays.

For half of respondents, the cleaning burden falls entirely on their shoulders.

A Missed Connection

Trying to stay on top of messes leaves 56% of hosts feeling like they miss out on quality time with loved ones. The survey notes that for those who only see extended family once or twice a year, this lost time is especially painful.

Instead of visiting with family and friends or creating new memories, hosts sacrifice the ability to relax, converse with their guests, and enjoy a meal, with 36% citing each of those losses.

The pressure to portray a perfect home is such that one in seven hosts have delayed an event's start time because their home was not clean enough. Additionally, half of all respondents admit they are often still tidying up while their guests are in the house.

"As a mom, I know firsthand the pressure we put on ourselves to make the holidays magical and our homes spotless before guests arrive,“ said Roborock spokesperson Jessica Naziri, tech expert, creator, and founder of TechSesh.co. ”But when you're running around trying to clean every last corner, you end up missing out on the actual magic. A welcoming home isn't about achieving perfection; it's about being fully present for the moments and relationships that matter most."

Last-Minute Frenzies

When identifying the specific chores that pull hosts away from their families, last-minute floor cleaning drives significant anxiety. Vacuuming and mopping at the last minute has a quarter of respondents, or 25%, in a frenzy, and nearly a fifth, or 19%, have found themselves frantically clearing traces of pet hair from floor and furniture just before the doorbell rings.

Even with extensive planning, nearly a third of respondents, or 29%, say holiday hosting only goes to plan less than half the time. One respondent recalled missing out on the party because they kept finding “dust bunnies all over the house that I missed,” while another “spilled a dish right as guests arrived and had to panic clean.”

When asked what they would want help with most, 14% of hosts specifically noted they would appreciate extra hands for chores like vacuuming.

The survey found that 62% would host more frequently if less pre-event cleaning were involved.

"Hosting is ultimately about bringing people together, and having a spotless home shouldn't come at the expense of those shared experiences,“ said Naziri. ”My biggest hack for surviving the holiday rush is to let smart home technology take the repetitive tasks off my plate. With a Roborock device helping me handle floor cleaning, that's one less thing I have to worry about when hosting. The goal isn't to do it all yourself. It's to use the right tech so you can actually sit down, relax, and enjoy the celebration."

Naziri recommends focusing on the spaces where guests will actually gather, sharing responsibilities where possible, and finding ways to automate routines with smart home devices before the celebration begins.

About the Survey

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans who host for the winter holidays who have access to the internet. The survey was commissioned by Roborock and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 8 and Oct. 15, 2026.

Roborock describes itself as a smart cleaning brand and states it became the best-selling robotic vacuum cleaner brand for the first half of 2026, according to IDC. The company says it is headquartered in Beijing with strategic subsidiaries in markets including the United States, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Poland, and the Netherlands.