Who Keeps the Home Cleaner: Men vs. Women

You’ve finally tied the knot with your other half, and are moving in together soon. Your parents have stopped nagging at you, and you’re no longer the subject of awkward questions from your relatives. You couldn’t have asked for more, right? But as you’ll gradually find out, living together with your spouse isn’t always a bed of roses – it takes some getting used to!

After all, you and your partner grew up in different households with different habits. Coming together under the same roof for the first time, it’s unlikely that all your mannerisms will instantly fall in line with your significant other’s. So unless you want to be on the receiving end of some nagging (again!), it’s better to be prepared for what your spouse may or may not do!

Infographic: homeadvisor.com

It turns out that men are more likely to do the dishes right away and leave the toilet seats up. But if you’re (yes, guys, I’m talking to you) planning to do – or are already doing – the latter, be ready to change your etiquette lest you wish to sleep on the sofa at night. Women also prefer to keep their beds tidy (take note!). Thankfully, both sexes tend to see eye to eye across the other categories.

One area of great contention is who gets to control the air conditioner. Even without your spouse, it’s reasonable to believe that you have had plenty of experience jostling with your parents and siblings for the controller. But it’s about to get rougher!

Infographic: homeadvisor.com

Whether you’re in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s or even 60s (okay, maybe you’re not in your 50s or 60s, but we all need a reason why grandpa and grandma are always complaining about the temperature at home), you (we!) are uncannily programmed to want a slice of the controller. So the next time your spouse grabs the controller, don’t forget to give him or her a little leeway.

Do you agree with the results? How would you split household chores between you and your spouse? Let us know in the Comments section below or tell us about your experience in our forum.

For a further breakdown of the statistics, including who is most likely to fall asleep with the TV on, check out the full survey here.