By Steve Taggart
Nobody likes household chores (well some do, but then some people like Slipknot) but they have to be done, unless you have a house keeper; then life is a breeze and you will have time to read this article, as someone else is tidying up.
However, the rest of us have to keep their homes in order, well, unless you are a man who have found a range of tricks to get out of it. A new study has discovered that lazy blokes admit to deliberately messing up household chores so their other halves don’t ask them to do it again.
Researchers found three in ten guys regularly do a bad job of the washing up or cleaning the bathroom in the hope their partner gives up asking them for help and just do it themselves.
Men admitted to just chucking a bit of bleach down the toilet instead of cleaning it properly, leaving smears on shower glass, windows and mirrors and dusting around objects instead of moving them.
Cleaning the bath and shower, washing up and even hanging clothes out to dry are among the chores men are most likely to botch to avoid having to do them again.
As a result, it also emerged two thirds of women don’t trust their partner to do the cleaning, with six in ten even claiming they would rather their other half left it to them to take care of.
A spokesman for Victoria Plumb said: ‘’Most guys will admit they don’t always pull their weight when it comes to the cleaning, but it’s worrying to see so many purposely do a bad job.
’Hardly anyone enjoys cleaning, especially the most hated chores like cleaning the bathroom, and it’s likely to your partner wants to avoid having to do it as much as you do.
‘’But intentionally doing something wrong, or half-heartedly in the hope you won’t get lumbered with the task again in the future is a risky game.
‘Your partner could see right through your plans and end up asking you to help out more often as a punishment.
‘’The easiest solution is to share the chores, without doing a bad job of them, so that everyone is happy.’’
The study, of 2,000 people who live with a partner, found 43 per cent of guys admit they usually do a bad job of the household chores.
Four in ten of those wanting to get it done as soon as they can so they can do back to what they were doing. Another 34 per cent just can’t be bothered to spend much time on it; while more than a quarter are only doing it to keep their wife or girlfriend happy.
Almost one in ten even claim they don’t need to put much effort in as their other half will only go over it again anyway.
But 30 per cent of guys admit to deliberately messing up the chores in their hope their partner will stop asking them to help out.
Almost a third of those admit to just squirting bleach down the toilet instead of actually scrubbing it, while another one in four just rinse out a bath or shower with water rather than using cleaner.
Nineteen per cent also owned up to just spraying cleaner around the bathroom and kitchen and leaving it to soak away, while one in ten even leave dirt on plates when washing up.
Others admit to sweeping crumbs from the side onto the floor instead of into a bin, pushing rubbish further down in the bin rather than emptying it and just throwing the quilt over a bed to avoid making it properly.
And the study found that for the majority of men, their plan worked, with one in four saying they never get asked to help out nowadays, with another 64 per cent saying they only get the occasional request.
But eight in ten blokes reckon their partner knew what they were up to, with 29 per cent even saying their other half called them out on it.
Thirty-one per cent also admitted that as a result, their bad cleaning has caused arguments between them and their partner.
It also emerged women spend more time cleaning than men – averaging around three hours and 37 minutes a week on the chores, compared to a bloke’s two hours and 31 minutes.
And when it comes to cleaning the bathroom, women will spend almost nine minutes a week making sure it’s spic-and-span compared to a man’s six minutes.
Top 10 jobs men are most likely to deliberately do badly:
1.Cleaning the bathroom
2.Cleaning the toilet
3.Cleaning the shower
4.Washing up
5.Loading/unloading the dishwasher
6.Hanging clothes up to dry
7.Ironing
8.Making the bed
9.Clothes washing
10.Vacuuming
Top ten tricks:
1.Just squirting bleach down the toilet instead of cleaning it
2.Just rinsing out the bath/shower instead of cleaning it
3.Leaving the shower glass all smeary
4.Leaving smears on mirrors and windows
5.Spraying cleaner around the bath/shower/sink and just leaving it to soak instead of scrubbing
6.Dusting around objects instead of moving them
7.Swept crumbs onto the floor instead of into the bin
8.Pushing rubbish down further into the bin instead of emptying it
9.Don’t wash dishes properly
10.Just throw the quilt over the bed instead of making it properly
