Clorox Claims "Cleaning Is A Rite Of Passage" For Latina Women

“In the Hispanic community, a clean home is a happy home, but during the holidays, it is critical for the home to be reluciente — or sparkling clean!” So says a bizarre and misguided press release issued by Clorox.

Clorox commissioned a study of “Hispanic females between 25 to 54 years old from all parts of the U.S,” presumably as part of an effort to sell more Clorox products to them. Here are some of the study’s, um, findings:

— “43 percent of Latinas report their significant others as helping with household cleaning — a surprising find, considering the long-standing myth that cleaning is a role predominantly performed by women.”

— “cleaning is a rite of passage, taught by mothers and grandmothers and meant to influence present-day routines and brand choices.”

— “Music is an integral part of the cleaning routine with Spanish pop being the favorite playlist among 53 percent. Four in ten Latinas listen to the same type of music as they clean as their mothers.”

— “cleaning is also a necessary tool in germ reduction with bleach, soap and water as the “holy trinity” of cleaning products, especially during the holidays.”

That “holy trinity” bit is apparently a quote from “highlighted blogger, Maria Amelia Badzekis,” but the rest is pure Clorox — which leaves us wondering, who at the cleaning conglomerate thought this was a good idea? Was nobody worried about playing into stereotypes about Latina women as maids and cleaning ladies? Did nobody think that trying to position Clorox products as part of some kind of Latina matrilineal tradition was kind of cynical and insulting? Irrespective of all this, didn’t anybody read the press release and notice it was just plain weird? Maye the Clorox PR department has been inhaling a few too many bleach fumes lately.

New Study Finds Cleaning Is A Family Affair And Peaks During The Holidays [PR Newswire]