Advertisement

The UK's most hated household chores

A59X7N Woman Cleaning Floor
A59X7N Woman Cleaning Floor

Theresa May's comments about taking out the bins - apparently there are 'boy jobs' and 'girl jobs' - confirm how every one of us has a domestic chore we hate.

And while May has a handy husband for this particular task, many of us don't. Some people just roll up their sleeves and get on with whatever needs doing - but others get professional help.

So which chores do Brits hate doing most?

According to a new survey from Make It Cheaper the most loathed household job is decorating, disliked by just over half.

Ten home maintenance myths

Next comes cleaning, hated by 47% of people, followed by DIY at 42%. Meanwhile, 41% or people hate gardening, and 40% say they can't bear to iron.

But many of those that can afford it are happy to pay for someone else to do their dirty work - in fact, nearly four in ten people say someone carries out chores for them every month.

Homeowners admit to DIY disasters

"It's really interesting to see the kind of tasks that individuals prefer to complete individually, and which services they trust in the hands of others," says Nick Heath, Head of Insights at Make it Cheaper.

"Living in the digital age allows the nation access to a multitude of services instantaneously, helping us to claw back some precious time and trust our own decisions."

Women are far more likely to wash their car themselves - 59% say they do, compared with fewer than one in three men, who prefer to pay somebody else.

DIY or expert advice - which should you choose?

And, unsurprisingly, the poll revealed that 18-34 year olds are more likely to do physical chores such as DIY. While 84% say they do it themselves, that's true of only 44% of pensioners. Similarly, while six in ten young people do their own decorating, fewer than three in ten pensioners do.

However, it seems there are a few gaps in the market, with many people saying there are other tasks that they really wish they could farm out. Anybody able to offer a car-de-icing service or help with kids' homework could find that they're onto a winner.