Do men clean?

When it comes to men’s participation in house cleaning, our guess is many women want to see more involvement and most men think they do plenty.

When it comes to men’s participation in house cleaning, our guess is many women want to see more involvement and most men think they do plenty.

A recent survey from our friends across the pond reveals that men in the UK – while they tend to clean less frequently – clean more thoroughly. Of course they do! When you don’t clean as often, you can do a more detailed job when you do clean. Women are rushed because they typically have 638 things to do in one day.

Also, a survey way back in 1999 conducted by The Soap and Detergent Association revealed cleaning is a major cause of arguments among married couples. According tothis survey, women reported doing 79 percent of the housework, compared to 35 percent of men. Apparently equality of the sexes stops at the laundry room door.

But we don’t want to generalize. There are plenty of men out there who share the chores equally or may even do more around the house than their wives. And there’s a good chance if your hubby is 40(ish) or younger, he knows how to operate a vacuum and where to find a dust cloth. Typically, today’s young families are part of a generational shift in which couples tend to split the household chores.

A bit of proof: Check out the Web site www.CleanLikeAMan.com, from author and cleaner Tom McNulty. The site takes a humorous look at men and cleaning while certainly appealing more to the spouse with the most testosterone with information on how to clean the grill and how to turn cleaning time into something akin to a competitive sport.

And if you need final inspiration, check out this article in the Wall Street Journal. It reports on a new study that finds the more housework women AND men do, the more likely they are spend time in the bedroom – and we don’t mean changing the linens and dusting the nightstand. 

We want to hear from you! Who does most of the cleaning in your house? Have you ever fought about who should do the cleaning?