TIMETABLE OF TIDYING
Just as we are a nation which loves watching cookery programmes while increasingly eating ready meals, so the rise in popularity of cleaning gurus, both online and on television, may not be completely reflected in the population’s diligence over household tidying.
A survey by a Londonbased cleaning company asked members of the general public how often they carried out regular chores, and compared this to how often experts recommend.
Apparently, tasks can be divided into those that should be carried out daily, weekly and monthly, and failing to meet the targets can have serious consequences. We risk respiratory, immune and skin issues by not cleaning regularly.
Of the daily recommended tasks, the cleaning chore the fewest people complete every day is wiping down bathroom surfaces – only a quarter of respondents said they do this.
Next in line is wiping kitchen surfaces, which can host potentially deadly bacteria. Only a somewhat concerning 69 per cent manage to complete this task on a daily basis.
Four out of five of us do the dishes every day. Perhaps the rest just move
round the table, like the guests at the tea party in Alice in Wonderland.
Of weekly tasks, only a third of us dust, less than half change beds and only three-quarters give the bathroom a good scrub and mop the floors each week.
Tasks recommended to be carried out monthly are a bit of an eye opener. Apparently, we should dust light fixtures and blinds, wash curtains, clean the oven, dishwasher and washing machine.
Faced with revealing how often these chores are carried out in my household in a survey, I would struggle if there wasn’t a tick box somewhere between less than once a year and never.
It appears I’m not alone. Less than a fifth of us wash curtains or dust lampshades once a month.
There was no mention of the much-discussed (by me) disadvantages of having a very clean house, such as the rise in allergies which some put down to living in sterile environments and exposure to cleaning chemicals.
Or, indeed, the time wasted cleaning unseen rooms in the house which could be better spent doing almost anything else.
In my home, we have no such worries, although pernickety guests may not want to look too closely at the carefully curated collection of dog hairs under the beds.
Perhaps a clue to the most honest response as to when these tasks are completed is in the name of the company that carried out the survey – the End of Tenancy Cleaning Service.
The time when our homes will be at their most pristine will be the moment we are handing over keys for the last time, whether we are renters looking to get our deposit back, or homeowners hoping to secure the best price.
Pernickety guests may not want to look at the collection of dog hairs under the beds