The average busy Brit currently has 12 jobs which need doing around the house, new research revealed. A lack of time, forgetfulness and being daunted by the prospect of starting them are the main reasons that tasks such as cleaning the oven and scouring the bath are languishing on the ever-growing ‘to do’ list.
Other ‘get round to it’ jobs include removing hair from plugholes, sorting through the fridge and wiping skirting boards.
With 12 jobs needing attention in every house, a staggering 316 million ‘little household jobs’ are waiting to be carried out across the UK.
A spokesman for Oven Pride, which carried out the research, said:
”We all lead such hectic modern lives that it’s sometimes hard to keep on top of everything.
”Of course the longer you leave a job, the worse it usually is when you finally get round to facing it, but making sure you have the right tools for the job can make household chores less of a nightmare.
”When it comes down to it, the thought of doing a job you’ve put off is usually a lot worse than actually getting it done.”
Half of the 2,000 people studied admitted they struggle with the nightmare of maintaining a modern home while balancing work and family life.
The same number have a job they know they should tackle, but have tried to forget it completely rather than attempt it.
While cleaning the oven came top on Britain’s to-do list, cleaning cooker hoods, descaling the kettle and dusting also make the list of jobs that are most commonly avoided.
The prospect of having to iron shirts dampens the spirit for many, also featuring inside the top twenty most disliked chores.
A defeated 55% of people have attempted a chore but found it so daunting or difficult that they’ve abandoned it mid-way.
Staggeringly, a tenth of people have a job at home that they’ve put off doing for over five years, while three in ten have put a job off for at least a year or two.
A cheeky 48% will actively avoid doing a job in the hopes their partner will do it for them.
However, a stressed out 45% of people admit to being kept awake at night over a job that they haven’t been able to cross off the to-do list.
But a visit from the mother-in-law spurs one in ten to conquer their cleaning, while one in four can no longer put it off when it starts ruining the look of a room.
An all or nothing one in five say their approach is to let things mount up for a few weeks before tackling it all in one massive spruce up.
The Oven Pride spokesperson added:
”The results show it’s not uncommon to put off a job even for years at a time.
”What’s important to consider though is whether leaving these things will impact the quality of your lifestyle or bring about long term damage that might cost you in the long run.
”While many find the prospect of oven cleaning a nightmare, using Oven Pride provides a simple and effective all-in-one solution for this most dreaded of household chores.”
BRITAIN’S TO DO LIST- TOP 20 MOST AVOIDED CHORES
1. Cleaning the oven
2. Cleaning the windows
3. Painting walls – touching up scratches/marks
4. Dusting
5. Vacuuming the stairs
6. Sorting out a bedroom cupboard
7. Defrosting the freezer
8. Cleaning the skirting boards
9. Moving furniture to clean behind
10. Hoovering under the sofa cushions
11. Cleaning cooker hoods
12. Organising the garage
13. Mowing the lawn
14. De-scaling the kettle
15. Cleaning the bathroom
16. Cleaning out the fridge
17. Painting a fence
18. Ironing shirts
19. Cleaning the toilet
20. Scouring the bath
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