It’s safe to say that the British are a house proud nation and new research backs this up. A study from Yale found that the average person spends 493 hours every year cleaning their home. That’s a lot of wiping, mopping, vacuuming and scrubbing. The research discovered that a third of people feel “incredibly proud” of their homes and half said that it takes hours at a time to ensure it is well-presented. As much as £144 goes on cleaning products annually, which may be why so many people are keen to find cleaning hacks to make the job easier.
Learning a few shortcuts can save precious minutes, which over the year can add up to hours. Some cleaning jobs can only be achieved with good old elbow grease, however, but the results are worth the hard work in the end when the house is sparkling clean. Whether we want to keep the place looking spick and span for our own peace of mind or because we know friends and family always pop by unannounced, it’s a big job. Sometimes, it feels like we’ve only just got to the last room that needs cleaning and it’s time to start again from the beginning. And when the time isn’t being spent cleaning, a large proportion of people are thinking about getting the job done.
Four hours a week are spent worrying about cleaning and DIY that is required, according to the survey of 2,000 homeowners. When asked about the phrase “an Englishman’s home is his castle,” six in ten agreed and since 86 per cent of people say their home is their biggest investment, it’s important to look after it. Simple cleaning jobs can become mammoth tasks when not tackled regularly and small marks can become ingrained when not cleaned immediately. Some homeowners put rules in place for all occupants and visitors to follow in order to keep cleaning to a minimum. These range from not allowing shoes to be worn in carpeted areas and no food to be taken upstairs.
While these ideas can help to minimise stains and spillages, it is unlikely they will avoid them altogether. There are a number of different ways to approach cleaning, with households dividing up the 493 hours in ways that suit them. In some cases, one member of the household will take the lead on the cleaning, coaxing others to lend a hand. Some parents withhold privileges like TV or video games from kids until they have completed their chores.
Within couples, there are usually specific jobs that one partner prefers over the other, so they are divided this way. For anyone who loathes spending their free time cleaning or is constantly battling to fit it in, there’s always FastKlean. From rug cleaning and stain removal to oven cleaning and after party cleaning, there’s a service to suit your needs.
Do you think you do 493 hours of cleaning at home a year? Or are you even more fastidious? Let us know in the comments how house proud you are.
© MillaG5
Wow, that is a long time! But I’m not surprised – having a clean environment is so important to wellbeing and happiness. I wonder about time spent on cleaning outside of the home. Many office and schools are cleaned daily so I wonder what all the time adds up to! Brits really are dedicated to creating clean environments and I think that’s great – even better if they can get professionals to do a great job for them.
I can totally relate to feeling like you’ve just finished one room, only to start over again. It’s a never-ending cycle! 😅