Six in ten working Brits consider themselves too busy to clean each week, a new study reveals.
Results showed one in eight full time workers haven’t vacuumed at all this year so far, a fifth never polish or dust their home while just over a quarter have never cleaned their windows before.
And as busy workloads take their toll British front doors are hiding all manner of sins behind them – leaving stacks of washing up in the sink, mouldy mugs of tea lying around and food rotting in the fridge emerged among Britain’s top 40 ‘cleaning sins’.
The research of 2,000 employed people, commissioned by Kärcher, also found over thirty per cent never do ironing, while other jobs falling down the to-do list are vacuuming the stairs and cleaning the bath.
Defrosting freezers, wiping the windows and skirting boards and clearing out the fridge also ranked highly on the list of jobs we’re currently avoiding.
In fact, the report found the majority of full-time workers (84 per cent) only find time to do a proper clean of their house once a month or less, with the most hated jobs being cleaning the oven, windows and vacuuming the stairs.
Phil Springall, Kärcher UK Home and Garden Marketing Manager said: “For many people, workloads are increasing and weekly routines are often hectic.
“We’ve seen that more than ever, full time workers are juggling their careers while trying to stay on top of the chores at home and clearly it’s a battle that many admit they fail to win.
“The result of that is that standards at home slip and that means a less welcoming environment after a hard day’s work.
“It’s important people have the ability to maintain their homes as well as they wish, without having to spend all their free time doing chores.”
Mountains of washing up, coffee rings on surfaces and overflowing bins also made the top 40 most common cleaning sins Brits held their hands up to.
Not wiping the hobs and cooker surfaces, letting limescale build up on the shower door and dumping stuff at the bottom of the stairs until someone carries it up were other common signs of negligence.
But the slip in standards is forgivable – 45 per cent are regularly held back trying to juggle work and keep a good standard of living at home.
More than half of those polled (55 per cent) have to neglect doing things around the home in order to focus on their work – with cleaning and vacuuming the first things to fall by the wayside.
More than a quarter (26 per cent) only do any form of housework if they absolutely have to.
When those in relationships were asked whether the chores were split evenly, women were much less likely to feel their partner pulled their weight.
Phil Springall added: “The odd coffee ring stain, toothpaste spill or dusty surface is clearly fairly common, especially in busy working households, but it’s important the home remains a place to relax and reenergise and we’re happy to help make that easier for everyone.”
BRITAIN’S TOP 40 MOST COMMON CLEANING ‘SINS’
1. Food stains from splattering
2. Finger marks on the mirror
3. Leaving dust on the skirting board and on the bannister
4. Toothpaste stains on the sink
5. Leaving expired food in the fridge
6. Letting dust gather on the shelves
7. Dust piling on the TV
8. Stacks of washing up in the sink
9. Coffee ring stains on the work top or coffee table
10. Leaving hair in the plug hole
11. Leaving exploded food in the microwave
12. Leaving splashes on the kitchen hob
13. Only changing your sheets once a month
14. Not wiping down the kitchen hob and its buttons
15. Letting limescale build up in your kettle
16. Not vacuuming the stairs
17. Leaving dirty washing lying about
18. Over-flowing bins
19. Food rotting in the fridge
20. Not sweeping the floor when food has fallen onto it
21. Not wiping the surfaces after you have cooked
22. Overgrown garden full of weeds
23. Storing lots of items on the stairs that have yet to be taken upstairs
24. Dog or cat hair all over the sofa
25. Giving your chopping boards a quick wipe instead of soaking them
26. Not rinsing out the sink/bath after you’ve shaved
27. Mouldy mugs
28. Letting dirt gather on the carpet
29. Letting limescale build up on your shower glass door
30. Not washing your bath mat
31. Leaving the rubbish bags by the door because they are yet to be taken out
32. Mouldy tea bags left stacked up on the side
33. Washing your towels once a month
34. Leaving stains on the carpet
35. Not covering up meat in the fridge
36. Re-using dirty trays
37. Mould in the microwave
38. Full tray of cat litter
39. Not bathing the dog
40. Not washing your tea towels
THE 30 MOST HATED JOBS
1. Clean the oven
2. Clean the windows
3. Vacuuming the stairs
4. Defrosting the freezer
5. Iron shirts
6. Dust
7. Removing hair from plug
8. Clean the bathroom
9. Unblocking the sink or plug hole
10. Clean the skirting boards
11. Moving furniture to clean behind
12. Cleaning out the fridge
13. Mending broken floor tiles
14. Polishing silver/ornaments
15. Fix/sew/repair an item of clothing
16. Sort out a bedroom cupboard
17. Painting a fence
18. Fix a toilet flush
19. Mowing the lawn
20. Chuck out old food tins
21. Organise the garage
22. Fix a leaky tap
23. De-scaling the kettle
24. Vaccuming under the sofa cushions
25. Mending broken wall tiles
26. Painting walls – touching up scratches/marks
27. Clean out the dish washer
28. Organise the garden shed
29. Fix a squeaky floorboard
30. Mend a broken door bell
ENDS