Looking after a house can sometimes feel like a full-time job. Between washing dishes, putting laundry on, and keeping kids’ and pets’ belongings at bay, it can put a strain on even the best of relationships. Whether you’re feeling overworked, underappreciated, or both, it can be frustrating when our partners don’t pull their weight around the house.
Recent research by fitted furniture specialists, Hammonds, found that 22% of us argue with our partners over them not doing their part when it comes to chores, making it the most common cause of arguments. If you’re longing to have a better split of things to do in your relationship, here are some top tips.
Set expectations
It’s important to make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to chores and the same standards! If you both don’t have the same idea of how things should be cleaned, show your significant other, so it doesn’t always result in an argument, or you need to do their chore as soon as they’ve finished! According to research, 15% of Brits complain about others not cleaning things to a high enough standard.
Among the other significant disagreements is other people making a mess again as soon as you’ve tidied (16%). To combat this, it’s worth cleaning down for the day once children have gone to bed or doing a big clean on the weekend before you all head out for the day. That way, when you wake up the following day or come back from your day out, your home is clean and tidy!
Set a rota
If one person is regularly responsible for doing most of the chores, it can lead to an unfair balance and instill bad habits. While men favor tasks such as sorting out the recycling (8%) and doing the washing up (8%), women prefer to do laundry (16%) and putting the food shop away (8%). Why not shake things up a little and rotate chores between yourselves? That way, one person doesn’t feel as though they’re doing bigger tasks than the other.
You could even write it on a notice board or calendar in the kitchen. There’s plenty on the internet for you to choose from, whether you’d prefer something neutral or a design that stands out!
Switch up the jobs
Don’t let one person get saddled with the worst or biggest chores. It’s likely to cause tension that could lead to arguments, and no one needs that! Switch things up and tackle the big jobs together. You may find you enjoy doing chores when you’re spending more time with each other!
