Swiss households keep a 'chaos drawer': 75% have one, Sotomo and IKEA survey finds

Entering the home

A survey by the Sotomo institute, commissioned by IKEA Switzerland, questioned 2,410 people in Switzerland between 13 and 30 April 2026. Some 92% of respondents take off their shoes first when they come home. About half also change clothes, mainly for comfort, while city dwellers more often cite hygiene. Sitting on the bed in street clothes is taboo for nearly 60% of respondents, though a quarter of those aged 18 to 35 do it regularly.

Only half of respondents lock the front door right after entering, according to the survey. Lone residents are more likely to lock up, at close to two in three, while in families the figure falls to four in ten. Sound habits also differ by region, with television in Ticino, radio in German-speaking Switzerland and music in French-speaking Switzerland.

Tidy kitchens, cluttered cellars

The kitchen is the tidiest room, with almost everything in its fixed place in 86% of kitchens. Michael Hermann, director of the Sotomo institute, told RTS that the disorder people see is often hidden elsewhere: "On range simplement les choses là où on ne les voit plus", he said, which in translation means that things are simply put where they are no longer seen.

“Behind appearances, there is sometimes chaos. We simply put things where we no longer see them.”

About three in four households have a clutter drawer. Respondents mostly store electronics and devices, office supplies, and tools or sewing material there. A similar pattern applies to the clothes chair: 58% put worn clothing that is neither dirty nor clean enough for the wardrobe on a chair or armchair, and a further 28% use a clothes ladder.

Clutter drawer75%

Clothes chair58%

Clothes ladder28%

Clutter drawer

75 %

Clothes chair

58 %

Clothes ladder

28 %

Data from the article text

Where order breaks down

The cellar and the attic are the hardest areas to keep in order, with 29% of respondents naming the cellar and 21% the attic. Just over half resolve to clear them at least once a year, but only 38% actually do so. Documents, post and digital files are also put off, with 43% delaying digital files such as photos, music or emails.

Among 18 to 35-year-olds, post is left lying around for nearly seven in ten. Only 23% of respondents say they have no disorderly area at home. A third of people living with others admit hiding objects from other household members, a share that rises above four in ten in families.

Does clutter cause conflict

According to the Swiss reports, 66% of respondents can only relax at home once everything has been tidied, and 63% say their home is in fact orderly in daily life. Men and women see tidying differently in mixed couples. 65% of men say both partners share the task equally, while 57% of women see themselves as mainly responsible. Women are also more often irritated by the disorder of other household members, with 37% saying so.

Cellar29%

Attic21%

Plan to clear cellar or attic yearly52%

Actually clear cellar or attic yearly38%

Cellar

29 %

Attic

21 %

Plan to clear cellar or attic yearly

52 %

Actually clear cellar or attic yearly

38 %

Data from the article text

Rest and relaxation

The sofa is the preferred place to unwind for 80% of respondents, and about one in four falls asleep on it unplanned at least once a week. In Ticino the share exceeds one third. Ninety-five per cent say they like being at home, and the survey found that 96% have a place where worn clothes are stored temporarily.