New York office - 646-873-7565 / usnews@swns.com
NEWS COPY w/ VIDEO & INFOGRAPHIC
A third of Americans have ended a relationship over cleaning and chore responsibilities, according to new research.
And the survey of 2,000 people who live with a partner, roommate or family member found that seven in 10 would refuse to date or marry someone who was messy.
Results also revealed that almost half of respondents admitted to getting frustrated over the lack of contributions from their fellow living companions.
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Durgol, the survey examined the division of chores between respondents and those they live with.
Forty-two percent said they share the chore responsibilities in the home, but that doesn’t mean it always works out as it should.
Messiness definitely gets to people, seeing as the average respondent recleans two items a week that someone else tidied first.
Sometimes that cleaning frustration spills over into fights. Sixty-seven percent admitted to getting in an argument about chores —and the average respondent bickers about cleanliness just over three times a week.
There’s all sorts of little things that can under people’s skin, but 45 percent named leaving dishes in the sink as the number one pesky, messy culprit.
Other common annoyances included: leaving the toilet seat up (38 percent), leaving cabinet drawers ajar (37 percent), forgetting to completely close the fridge (29 percent) and leaving caps off items in the fridge (27 percent).
Leaving cups and dishes around the home (26 percent), forgetting to turn off the lights (25 percent), not closing chip bags (25 percent), overloading the garbage can (25 percent) and playing loud music (25 percent) rounded out the top 10 irritants.
Bernard Schnacke, Durgol distributor and coffee expert said, “Who does what and who does more are common concerns about household chores. That’s why I recommend using the right products and doing it right the first time. It simplifies cleaning and reduces stress.”
But there's another cleaning blind spot in people’s homes: the coffee machine.
Forty-three percent said they clean their machine inside and out once a week, but not everyone has the same definition of what it means to keep the brewer clean.
Over three in five consider running through the machine’s cycle once with just water to be enough to keep things tidy, while 57 percent run it through with soap and water.
Fifty-two kick it up a notch and send vinegar for a run through their machine before considering it a job well done. Less than half (47 percent) actually use a coffee machine cleaner.
Schnacke added, “Father always told me, ‘take care of your stuff and it takes care of you.’ When you keep your coffee machines clean and clear of de-scale, they’ll last longer and perform better.”
ANNOYING THINGS PARTNER/LIVING COMPANIONS DO
1. Leave dishes in the sink 45%
2. Leave the toilet seat up 38%
3. Leave cabinet drawers open 37%
4. Leave fridge door ajar 29%
5. Leave caps off items in the fridge 27%
6. Leave cups/dishes around the house 26%
7. Leave lights on when leaving a room 25%
8. Don’t close chip bags 25%
9. Overload garbage can/bin 25%
10. Play loud music 25%
11. Leave silverware on sink edge 23%
12. Leave shoes in doorway 23%
13. Leave food out 22%
14. Leave toothpaste in sink 21%
15. Leave hair in the sink or drain 21%
16. Don’t clean toilet seat 21%
17. Eat food that isn’t yours 21%
18. Have loud phone calls or use speaker phone 21%
19. Don’t clean crumbs/spills off counter 20%
20. Talk to him/herself 20%
21. Use all the hot water 20%
22. Be loud early in the morning/late at night 20%
23. Leave bread bag open 20%
24. Won’t empty dishwasher 19%
25. Host uninvited/inappropriate guests 19%
26. Don’t replace garbage bags 19%
27. Leave moldy/expired food in the fridge 17%
28. Hog bathroom 16%
29. Don’t clean coffee machine after using 16%
30. Delete others’ items from DVR 16%
HOW PEOPLE CLEAN COFFEE MACHINES
1. Run through cycle with water 64%
2. Run through cycle with soap and water 57%
3. Run through cycle with vinegar 52%
4. Run through cycle with coffee cleaner 47%
