How long do you spend cleaning a week?
Did you know that 3 in 10 (28%) Brits spend more than 3 hours a week cleaning? This adds up to 470 days over a working lifetime – which is the equivalent of an extra 34 fortnight breaks.
And did you know that 1 in 5 Brits (19%) clean because it makes them happy? With this in mind, it’s no surprise how the likes of cleaning guru’s Mrs Hinch and Marie Kondo have transformed the world of cleaning into an aspirational lifestyle.
But despite the cleaning and decluttering hype, there are still chores that Brits detest. Here are some of the unexpected cleaning hacks that can make you more efficient.
Revealed: Brits Top 10 Most Hated Chores
- Cleaning the oven – 35.20%*
- Ironing – 13.90%
- Washing/ drying dishes – 9.20%
- Cleaning the windows – 6.00%
- Dusting the blinds – 5.80%
- Unclogging the sink – 4.20%
- Doing laundry – 4.00%
- Cleaning the fridge/ freezer – 3.80%
- Scrubbing the toilet – 3.60%
- Changing the bed sheets – 3.10%
*% = number of Brits that chose the chore as their least favourite.
The most loved chores
In comparison, the most loved chore is vacuuming with 28% of Brits claiming to enjoy the task.
The research also revealed that 1 in 8 Brits (12%) spend up to £30 a month on cleaning products. This amounts up to £360 a month – a pretty hefty price tag with the average housekeeper being paid £7.70 per hour in the UK. With this in mind, Brits could consider using their £30 monthly cleaning budget on a cleaner instead – securing a cleaner for an hour a week, for around the same price.
The most time consuming chores
To uncover which of the most-hated tasks were the most time-consuming, research by Tombola also asked UK households how much time they spend on cleaning each week:
| The Most Time-Consuming Chores Chores are rated 1-10 in order of the most time spent, in total, per chore. * | |||||
| Number | Chore | Time spent in mins per week | % of total cleaning time spent on chore | ||
| 1 | Doing laundry | 65 | 23% | ||
| 2 | Washing/Drying dishes | 53 | 19% | ||
| 3 | Ironing | 34 | 12% | ||
| 4 | Scrubbing the toilet | 32 | 11% | ||
| 5 | Cleaning the windows | 23 | 8% | ||
| 6 | Cleaning the fridge/ freezer | 22 | 8% | ||
| 7 | Unclogging the sink | 18 | 6% | ||
| 8 | Dusting the blinds | 16 | 6% | ||
| 9 | Changing the bed sheets | 10 | 4% | ||
| 10 | Cleaning the oven | 7 | 3% | ||
| Total | 280 mins | 100.00% | |||
*Oven and changing the bedsheets are divided by 4 as they were per month. 150 respondents in total.
Top 10 Unexpected but Efficient Cleaning Hacks
To help combat the most hated and time-consuming chores, take a look at this handy list of 10 time-saving cleaning hacks:
Expert Quote
“A messy environment divides our attention with so much clutter around us and causes us to feel overwhelmed. As a result, our body’s cortisol level rises leading us to feeling much more stressed. By cleaning the environment we’re living and working in, we naturally feel much calmer, relaxed, confident, creative and productive. Cleanliness leads to a massive increase in personal motivation which helps us feel great within ourselves and improves mental health and wellbeing.” Raghav Parkash, High Performance and Life Coach
