By SWNS staff
New York office - 646-873-7565 / usnews@swns.com
In the warmer months, the average American does 53 hours of manual labor around the house and yard every month, according to new research.
A new study of 2,000 Americans found that when it comes to home and lawn upkeep, Americans put the work in.
Nearly a full day every month (21 hours) is devoted just to home-related tasks, while even more (32 hours) goes into keeping the yard looking fresh.
The survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Cub Cadet, found that with all the labor Americans do a month, they would net $384.25 if they were paid according to the federal minimum wage ($7.25/hour).
So where do all these hours come from? The average American reported that during the warmer months, they will spend six hours every month just mowing the lawn.
On top of that, they spend three hours edging the yard per month, four hours pulling weeds, four more hours tending to the garden, three hours laying mulch, four hours watering the lawn, and eight hours doing additional miscellaneous tasks -- equaling 32 hours in total.
When it comes to house chores, the average American spends four hours per month cleaning the bathroom, four hours cleaning their bedroom, five hours on laundry, four hours washing dishes and four hours vacuuming — totaling 21 hours.
Household and lawn upkeep takes a lot of time, and Americans are already struggling with free time as it is. According to the poll, the average American only has five hours of actual free time every week — only 45 percent of Americans feel that is enough.
Not only that, four in ten Americans admit to actually putting off mowing the lawn because it is too time-consuming. However, Americans do take a lot of pride in their lawn, as 66 percent say that they ‘feel embarrassed’ if their lawn isn’t up to par with the rest of the neighborhood.
“We know that while homeowners take pride in their lawns, they’re also short on time and want to minimize lawn-related hassle,” said Trevor Oriold, Business Segment Director at Cub Cadet. “So we created the Cub Cadet LT42 e battery tractor which cuts down on maintenance and the time it takes to care for the lawn. Because of the lithium-ion technology, this rider is both hassle-free surprisingly quiet, meaning your neighbors will love it too. You may even find yourself looking forward to yard work.”
The average American also takes three hours a week just thinking about their lawn.
The survey also found that while Americans take pride in their lawn and yard work, there are just some tasks that they just plain don’t like.
Taking the crown for most disliked chore is, perhaps unsurprisingly, pulling weeds, with 43 percent of survey respondents saying they don’t like doing it.
The second and third place titles are going to cleaning the bathroom and edging the lawn, respectively.
“Battery-powered operation means refueling is a thing of the past and without oil or belts to mess with, upkeep is simple. We want to help homeowners find the time to enjoy the outdoor space they’ve created for themselves,” said Oriold. “With the help of the LT42 e, we’re looking to give homeowners a few hours of free time back each month while still allowing them to have the lawn they want – and even having a little fun while doing it.”
HOURS SPENT ON CHORES PER MONTH
Mowing the lawn 6
Edging the lawn 3
Pulling weeds 4
Tending to garden 4
Laying mulch 3
Watering the lawn 4
Misc. yard/patio cleaning 4
Other yard tasks 4
Cleaning the bathroom 4
Cleaning the bedroom 4
Doing laundry 5
Washing dishes 4
Vacuuming 4
TOP 10 MOST DISLIKED CHORES
Pulling weeds 44%
Cleaning the bathroom 34%
Edging the lawn 33%
Laying mulch 32%
Mowing the lawn 31%
Washing dishes 31%
Laundry 28%
Tending to the garden 28%
Vacuuming 28%
Outdoor cleaning (yard/patio) 27%
