***This random double-opt in survey was conducted by OnePoll, a market research company and corporate member of ESOMAR and adheres to the MRS code of conduct. For more information about OnePoll’s research in the media, navigate to their portfolio here: http://www.onepoll.com/in-the-media/
STORAGE WARS
NEWS COPY - with video & infographic: https://we.tl/3VhRaa2lZH
In Friends, it was Chandler’s Barcalounger. In When Harry Met Sally it was the ‘wagon wheel’ table.
Millions of Americans are locked in stand-offs with their partners - over items of contention, according to a new study.
Chandler and Joey’s friendship probably peaked with their mutual love of their TV chairs but when Chandler started seeing Monica, it became clear she was not a fan.
And a discussion about a coffee table becomes a heated row about divorce in a scene from the 1989 rom-com When Harry Met Sally.
A new survey of 1,000 couples who live together by home storage and closet organization leader ClosetMaid.com reveals that feuds around our belongings, tidiness and organization habits are definitely not restricted to fiction.
46 percent of people in relationships say there’s a particular item that belongs to their partner they would love to be able to get rid of for good.
One in five has even tried to throw away a partner’s belongings without them knowing because they ruined the look of the home. While the average person has trashed 13 items belonging to their partner because they really can’t stand them.
Scruffy or outdated clothes, books that take up too much space and art or wall décor that’s an eye sore are the most common items belonging to our partners that we try to get rid of.
Kitchenware that doesn’t have a proper place, coffee tables that don’t fit the room and couches that are ugly or tatty also made the list of items we wish our partner would let us chuck out.
And 69 percent of couples say they regularly argue about messiness, not putting things back in the proper place or one partner being too disorganized.
In fact, one in four couples argue as regularly as at least once a week or more about things being messy or disorganized in the home.
Women regarded themselves as far better at having systems for storing items, being more organized and maintaining higher levels of tidiness overall.
Yet, somewhat ironically, men are more willing to break up with their significant other over their messy habits with eight percent feeling a disorganized and messy partner would have them questioning the relationship.
And it seems there’s something to be said about people growing used to each other’s ways- the younger a couple is, the more likely they are to argue about issues around tidiness and organization.
47 percent of couples aged under 25 argue once a week or more about tidiness or the state of the home, compared to just 17 percent of couples in their fifties.
“It’s inevitable in even the closest of relationships, that opinions and ways of doing things might differ among partners,” said Valerie Cavallaro, ClosetMaid’s VP of digital commerce.
“Whether it’s our taste in home furnishings or how tidy and organized we are, there will always be things that partners can’t quite see eye to eye on,” she said. “Having effective ways of making the most of the space we have will ensure a smoother home life and anything that can aid in helping us to stay on top of being organized will always pay off in the long run.”
PARTNER’S ITEMS WE MOST WANT TO THROW AWAY
1. Clothes
2. Books
3. Art (paintings, posters, wall hangings)
4. Pots and pans
5. Couch/loveseat/sofa
6. Photos
7. Lamp
8. Sports/exercise equipment
9. Collectables
10. Bedding
11. Rugs/carpets
12. Stereo equipment
13. Chairs
14. Lawn furniture
15. Dinner table
16. Coffee table
17. Jewelry
18. Window treatments (curtains, blinds, etc.)
19. Dressers
20. Gaming systems
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