A study has revealed millions of Brits claim they’re ‘too busy’ to clean their homes.
In all honesty, I think we’ve all used that excuse at one time or another. It’s easy to be ‘too busy’ when being busy involves going out for a drink, binge-watching a TV series or catching up with friends; it’s much less exciting to busy yourself with housework.
But the research, commissioned by home appliance brand Beko, has revealed that the demands of modern life, such as balancing working hours with looking after children, means a third of adults struggle to find time to dust away the cobwebs.
Out of 2,000 adults polled, only half set aside time each week to clean their homes, while three in 10 only manage to squeeze in chores at the weekend.
38 per cent of adults believe the ‘spring clean’, typically carried out annually, is dying out, and 45 per cent think previous generations had more time to take care of household chores.
While the average adult spends around four hours a week cleaning and tidying their homes, one third only spend an hour or two on the housework.
Rather than using a bit of elbow grease to scrub the floors, Brits are starting to rely more on technology to do the dirty work.
Keval Shah, from Beko, explained:
With such busy modern lives housework isn’t a priority for many of us anymore. While we all like to be house-proud, it’s difficult to find the time.
Our research shows time saving is an important issue, especially with people working longer hours than in the past and enjoying busy social lives. As a result, traditional housework is taking a back seat.
Keval continued:
Thankfully, modern technology is helping us to save time in all aspects of our daily activities, including cleaning.
Being able to control devices remotely means families can multitask and hopefully feel less pressure and guilt about getting tasks done and sacrificing important family time.
The study revealed almost half of those polled believe the kitchen takes the longest to scrub clean, followed by the bathroom and living room.
But again, that could be down to procrastination:
Around two thirds of people wish there were more time saving solutions for cleaning, while one in five said being able to control appliances through a smartphone is a great time saver.
36 per cent of Brits said developments in technology save time, with self-cleaning ovens, self-cleaning litter boxes for pets, and steam cleaners among the gadgets now being used around the nation.
One in 10 have used a smart speaker such as the Amazon Echo when cleaning to save time, while 40 per cent admitted to relying on the dishwasher four times a week.
40 per cent also blamed a hectic work life for filling up their schedules and preventing them from cleaning. Washing the windows is the task most likely to be neglected, along with wiping down skirting boards and cleaning kitchen appliances such as the oven and fridge.
Unsurprisingly, cleaning the toilet is a task Brits would be quite happy to see the back of.
Keval added:
Innovative appliances such as our new time-saving AutoDose Connected dishwasher make dishwashing even more effortless – simply fill the detergent container and the right amount will be dispensed wash after wash, for up to one month.
Additionally, and with every cycle, people can easily control and monitor their appliance from their smartphone, as well as from any Alexa-enabled device.
I’m sure it won’t be too long until robots can clean our homes for us, but until then it’s good to keep on top of the housework whichever way you can.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to stories@unilad.co.uk.
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.