Survey Confirms What We Knew All Along — This Is The Household Chore Americans Dislike The Most
It shouldn't come as a surprise to most.
Alliance Images | Shutterstock Ever feel like there's just not enough time to do the things you really love? Considering the average American spends a whopping six hours a week doing chores — that number jumps to 14 hours if you include laundry, yardwork, and garbage-related tasks — there really is very little time between work and cleaning house for actual fun.
Although a necessary evil, literally no one has ever been excited about doing housework, but that doesn't mean some tasks aren't worse than others. Seriously, folding clothes while watching Netflix is way better than unloading the dishwasher — that's facts. But I digress. When it comes to the ranking of chores, a survey of Americans has confirmed that one task is way worse than all the rest, and it should come as no surprise what it is.
A survey found that Americans think cleaning the toilet is the worst chore of all.
A survey conducted by Cinch Home Services asked 1,020 Americans about their chore habits and found a common pattern between all of them, and, drumroll, please ... they all involve the bathroom.
Highwaystarz-Photography | Canva Pro
When asked what their least favorite chore was, 41.6% of respondents claimed that cleaning the toilet was the chore they dreaded doing most. Honestly, who can blame them? Toilets are gross when it's just your own mess, but having to clean a toilet that an entire household uses?! That's cruel and unusual punishment.
Unlike vacuuming or dusting, cleaning toilets involves direct interaction with something people want to do everything they can to avoid. It’s also not the easiest chore since it requires you to be on your hands and knees, armed with rubber gloves and strong cleaners.
Removing hair from drains came in as a close second in the least-favorite chore rankings at 38.4%, and cleaning bathrooms took third at 34.2%. When respondents were asked which chores they put off the most, 21.8% reported that cleaning the bathrooms — obviously.
Sadly, even though bathroom chores like cleaning the toilet are unappealing to basically everyone, it's still important to stay on top of them to prevent the buildup of germs and bacteria and keep you and anyone you live with healthy.
Experts say that toilets should be cleaned at least once a week.
Logan Taylor, a cleaning professional and founder of The Dazzle Cleaning Company, explained that toilets that are used throughout the day should get a deep clean at least once a week. This includes the inside of the bowl and tank, the exterior of the bowl, the handle, and all around the seat.
"Speed up cleaning the outside of the toilet bowl by wiping away any debris, hair, or condensation with a dry cleaning cloth," Taylor recommended on Martha Stewart’s blog. "Next, spray the outside of the bowl with your favorite disinfectant spray, and note that many all-purpose cleaners do not disinfect. I like to keep it simple by spraying the outside of the toilet bowls with hydrogen peroxide, which both brightens and disinfects."
Pixel-Shot |
If you have stubborn stains or gunk that won’t budge on the inside of your toilet bowl, some experts even recommend pouring Coke soda into a spray bottle and saturating the stain with it. After letting it sit for a few hours, you should be able to easily scrub it away with a toilet brush.
Dirt and bacteria build up in our bathrooms more quickly than we realize. Even if it feels like wasted time, cleaning our toilets is essential for our overall hygiene and peace of mind. That certainly doesn't mean we have to enjoy it or we can't complain about doing it!
Megan Quinn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing. She covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on justice in the workplace, personal relationships, parenting debates, and the human experience.
