Men are (a lot) filthier than women, but both genders don't clean enough, report reveals

The cleaning habits of men and women revealed... Are you sitting down?

cleaning stains from a carpet
(Image credit: Getty)

To judge by our much professed Internet obsessions, we're all Marie Kondo converts, doing nothing but cleaning whenever we get a spare minute. But how frequently do we clean in real life, and does this frequency correspond to what cleaning experts recommend?

A new survey* reveals the cleaning frequencies of men and women, and then compares them with the cleaning frequency recommended by professionals. The results are disturbing, and, as much as we hate to reinforce a gender stereotype, men's habits are shown to be far more unhygienic than women's. 

For example, when asked how often they changed their sheets, men replied 'once a month'. Grossed out? Women didn't do that much better, answering 'twice a month'. It should be every week, according to experts.

Cleaning windows? Women said they did this once a month, while men only bothered once a year. The expert recommendation is that windows should be cleaned one every two weeks – although we do have to say, who has the time for that?

Scrubbing the oven? This universally hated cleaning task is performed once a year by women, and – are you ready? – never by men. Ovens should be cleaned about every six months.

And, just in case your levels of disgust with the human race haven't risen high enough, when asked how often they brush their teeth, while women gave the expected answer of twice a day, men replied 'once a day'. We must confess, we didn't see that one coming. 

Feel like cleaning your house really thoroughly after this? Head to our cleaning hub page. 

* A survey of 2,842 UK adults conducted by Hillary's

Anna is a professional writer with many years of experience. She has a passion for contemporary home decor and gardening. She covers a range of topics, from practical advice to interior and garden design. 

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