One in three women secretly enjoys household chores

One in three women secretly enjoys household chores

7th Jun 2012

How do you like to unwind?

Is it curling up on the sofa with a glass of wine and catching up on your favourite television shows? Or maybe you prefer to de-stress with a vigorous run, followed by a protein shake.

While many of us would say that chores like hoovering, doing the washing up and hanging out the laundry do not top our list of favourite things, it turns out that one in three women find putting on a PVC apron and partaking it a bit of tidying up can be a 'relaxing', 'satisfying' or even 'therapeutic' activity.

The research comes from Zoflora disinfectant, which questioned 2,000 women, also discovering that many experienced a sense of 'achievement' after they had finished cleaning, particularly because they wouldn't have to worry about welcoming surprise visitors into a messy home.

Chartered psychologist Dr Jane McCartney, who is a consultant for Zoflora, explained: "There is the therapeutic routine or sense of control in creating a home environment but also, perhaps, that homes also make a personal statement - cleanliness and choice of fragrance adding to their overall sense of personal pride and satisfaction."

She added: "The sense of achievement is an important factor in a person's well-being and cleaning is an area where this achievement can live beyond the actual task itself."

The survey examined which household tasks were most enjoyable and it  turns out the top ten favourites included wiping surfaces clean, changing the sheets and dusting, as well as ironing and mopping the floors - things that left the house noticeably clean and smelling fresh.

Meanwhile, the chores women disliked, or even left to their partners to take care of, were the ones that were time consuming or described as 'disgusting'. These included taking the rubbish out, cleaning the oven, defrosting the freezer and scrubbing the toilet, shower and bath.

On average, women spent around four hours a week doing housework and most said they shared their cleaning responsibilities with their other half. However, four out of ten also admitted that they kept their love of cleaning a secret from their partners.

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