NEWS COPY - with infographic
Brits will spend almost EIGHT YEARS of their lives doing household chores, a study has found.
Household cleaning, the food shop and even walking the dog means the average adult spends just under three hours a day on household tasks.
This amounts to 20 hours and 55 minutes a week - the equivalent of 45 days a year or seven years and 10 months of the average adult lifetime.
But despite the staggering amount of time already spent on chores, one in five say they would do MORE if they weren’t so busy.
And one in four went as far as to say they ‘enjoy’ doing the housework.
Jenny Questier from cleaning experts Jeyes, which commissioned the research, said: “A few hours of chores here and there might not seem too bad, but when you add it all up over time, it amounts to a large chunk of our lives.
“As a nation, we're known for being quite houseproud and as a result we are often found cleaning or generally tidying up our homes and gardens.
“But it means our spare time is taken up with doing these little jobs to make sure our home and garden is looking its best.”
The study of 2,000 adults found that cooking takes up the most time, accounting for four hours and 13 minutes each week.
Washing up and cleaning the kitchen takes up to an hour and 38 minutes a week, while just over an hour is spent cleaning the bathroom.
Another hour a week is spent ironing, while vacuuming takes up to an hour and seven minutes and laundry accounts for one hour and 42 minutes.
As well as other household chores, Brits also spend an average of one hour and 11 minutes a week walking the dog and one hour and 40 minutes food shopping.
But it’s not just the inside of the home which takes up so much of our time with around an hour and a half spent washing the car each month and an hour and 26 minutes pottering around in the garden.
Sweeping, cleaning and pressure washing the driveway and patio also accounts for three hours a month.
It also emerged that cleaning the oven is the most disliked chore, followed by washing and cleaning the windows, vacuuming the stairs, dusting and removing mould from the shower tiles and grouting.
Defrosting the freezer, ironing shirts and removing hair and dirt from a plug hole also feature, with unblocking a sink and cleaning the skirting boards completing the top 10.
Other chores in the most hated list include cleaning out the fridge, cleaning your barbecue, mowing the lawn and washing down garden furniture.
Researchers also found 68 per cent of people spend more time on indoor chores than they do on outdoor ones, and 78 per cent of people have been put off gardening if the weather looks bad.
But while 47 per cent clean regularly anyway, 84 per cent will go to more effort if they have a visitor coming around.
A lucky one in 20 even said they currently employ a cleaner to do most of the chores for the, with another 49 per cent saying they would do so if they had unlimited funds.
Jenny Questier, from Jeyes, added: “The results of the study highlight how important it is for households in the UK to be properly equipped for all their cleaning needs, and that’s where Jeyes comes in.
“With our expertly designed products, for both inside and outside the home, not only will you be able to clean your home faster and more effectively, you can rest assured that 99.9 per cent of germs will be killed making the home and your outside areas safe and hygienic.”
Time spent on chores per week:
1. Cooking 4 hrs 13 mins
2. Washing clothes 1 hr 42 mins
3. Weekly food shop 1 hr 40 mins
4. Washing up and cleaning the kitchen 1 hr 38 mins
5. Gardening 1 hr 26 mins
6. Walking the dog 1 hr 11 mins
7. Cleaning the bathroom 1 hr 08 mins
8. Hoovering 1 hr 07 mins
9. Ironing 1 hr 01 min
10. Tidying the bedroom 50 mins
11. Changing beds/towels 47 mins
12. Dusting 44 mins
13. Tidying cupboards 39 mins
14. Sorting wardrobe 32 mins
15. Washing the windows 32 mins
16. Decorating 26 mins
17. Cleaning the car 24 mins
18. Sewing/mending clothes 22 mins
19. Driveway cleaning 17 mins
20. Patio cleaning 16 mins
Total - 20 hours and 55 minutes a week on chores
Top 30 most disliked chores in the home
1. Cleaning the oven
2. Cleaning the windows
3. Hoovering the stairs
4. Dusting
5. Cleaning mould from shower grouting
6. Defrosting the freezer
7. Ironing shirts
8. Removing hair from plug
9. Unblocking the sink or plug hole
10. Cleaning the skirting boards
11. Cleaning the bathroom
12. Taking out the rubbish
13. Doing the washing up
14. Moving furniture to clean behind
15. Cleaning glass shower doors and panels
16. Cleaning out the fridge
17. Removing limescale from the shower head
18. Removing limescale from the tiles
19. Fixing a toilet flush
20. Cleaning your barbecue
21. Fixing a leaky tap
22. Mowing the lawn
23. Fixing/sewing/repairing an item of clothing
24. Mending broken floor tiles
25. Sorting out a bedroom cupboard
26. Hoovering under the sofa cushions
27. Polishing silver/ornaments
28. Painting walls - touching up scratches/marks
29. Organising the garage
30. Cleaning garden furniture
ENDS
