ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

MOULDY cups of tea, toothpaste-encrusted bathroom sinks and food rotting in the fridge are among the 'cleaning sins' committed by busy Brits, according to new research.

For example, six in 10 full-time workers consider themselves too busy to clean each week. One in eight hasn't vacuumed at all this year so far, a fifth never polish or dust their home and a quarter have never cleaned their windows before.

The survey of 2,000 employed people, commissioned by Kärcher, also found more than 30 per cent never iron, while other rarely completed tasks include vacuuming the stairs and cleaning the bath.

Defrosting freezers, wiping the windows and skirting boards and clearing out the fridge also ranked highly on the list of jobs they are currently avoiding.

In fact, the report found the majority of full-time workers (84 per cent) only find time to do a proper clean of their house once a month or less, with the most hated jobs being cleaning the oven, windows and vacuuming the stairs.

Phil Springall, Kärcher UK Home and Garden marketing manager, said: "For many people, workloads are increasing and weekly routines are often hectic.

"We've seen that more than ever, full time workers are juggling their careers while trying to stay on top of the chores at home and clearly it's a battle that many admit they fail to win.

"The result of that is that standards at home slip and that means a less welcoming environment after a hard day's work.

"It's important people have the ability to maintain their homes as well as they wish, without having to spend all their free time doing chores."

Britain's top 40 most common cleaning 'sins'1. Food stains from splattering

2. Finger marks on the mirror

3. Leaving dust on the skirting board and on the bannister

4. Toothpaste stains on the sink

5. Leaving expired food in the fridge

6. Letting dust gather on the shelves

7. Dust piling on the TV

8. Stacks of washing up in the sink

9. Coffee ring stains on the work top or coffee table

10. Leaving hair in the plughole

11. Leaving exploded food in the microwave

12. Leaving splashes on the kitchen hob

13. Only changing your sheets once a month

14. Not wiping down the kitchen hob and its buttons

15. Letting limescale build up in your kettle

16. Not vacuuming the stairs

17. Leaving dirty washing lying about

18. Over-flowing bins

19. Food rotting in the fridge

20. Not sweeping the floor when food has fallen onto it

21. Not wiping the surfaces after you have cooked

22. Overgrown garden full of weeds

23. Storing lots of items on the stairs that have yet to be taken upstairs

24. Dog or cat hair all over the sofa

25. Giving your chopping boards a quick wipe instead of soaking them

26. Not rinsing out the sink/bath after you've shaved

27. Mouldy mugs

28. Letting dirt gather on the carpet

29. Letting limescale build up on your shower glass door

30. Not washing your bath mat

31. Leaving the rubbish bags by the door because they are yet to be taken out

32. Mouldy tea bags left stacked up on the side

33. Washing your towels once a month

34. Leaving stains on the carpet

35. Not covering up meat in the fridge

36. Re-using dirty trays

37. Mould in the microwave

38. Full tray of cat litter

39. Not bathing the dog

40. Not washing your tea towels

The 30 most hated job

1. Clean the oven

2. Clean the windows

3. Vacuuming the stairs

4. Defrosting the freezer

5. Iron shirts

6. Dust

7. Removing hair from plughole

8. Clean the bathroom

9. Unblocking the sink or plughole

10. Clean the skirting boards

11. Moving furniture to clean behind

12. Cleaning out the fridge

13. Mending broken floor tiles

14. Polishing silver/ornaments

15. Fix/sew/repair an item of clothing

16. Sort out a bedroom cupboard

17. Painting a fence

18. Fix a toilet flush

19. Mowing the lawn

20. Chuck out old food tins

21. Organise the garage

22. Fix a leaky tap

23. De-scaling the kettle

24. Vaccuming under the sofa cushions

25. Mending broken wall tiles

26. Painting walls - touching up scratches/marks

27. Clean out the dish washer

28. Organise the garden shed

29. Fix a squeaky floorboard

30. Mend a broken door bell