The UK lags behind the US, France, and China when it comes to cleaning our homes, research has revealed.
A survey of more than 12,000 people across 11 countries found just 28 per cent of UK households clean their homes five to seven times per week – below the international average of 32 per cent.
People living in Turkey (41 per cent), Italy (38 per cent), China (34 per cent), France (32 per cent), the US (30 per cent) and South Korea (30 per cent) all get their homes ship-shape more frequently than Brits.
This is despite a surge of British adults tending to housework in the previous year, rising from 24 per cent in the year prior to 28 per cent in 2021.
Watch now: Five hacks for easier spring cleaning
Read more: The one thing you are cleaning too much at home, according to a professional
Only Japan (27 per cent), Spain (25 per cent), Australia (23 per cent) and Germany (21 per cent) clean their homes less often than UK households.
Dyson's Global Dust Study found 95 per cent of the 12,309 people polled are cleaning just as much, if not more, than they did last year, as many continue to be concerned about the cleanliness of their home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking about the findings, Monika Stuczen, research scientist in microbiology at Dyson, said: “It is a cause for concern if people only clean when they spot visible dust on the floors, as many dust particles are microscopic in size.
“In fact, by the time people spot visible dust in the home, it is highly likely that there are dust mites in your home.”
The surge in cleaning in the UK may in part be due to a rise in pet ownership, as 3.2 million households adopted a new pet in 2020.
More than half of UK homes now have a pet – but Britain remains far below the 65 per cent of those in the US to have one.
Furthermore, over half of UK pet owners (54 per cent) do not restrict where their animals can roam – including into the bedroom, on the sofa, and all areas of their house.
This is despite two in five knowing their pets may harbour dust mites, and a third knowing about the presence of house dust mite faeces.
Read more: What's new in Aldi this week, including garden furniture and hot tubs
Despite the UK not cleaning their homes as regularly, they did come out top when it comes to the percentage of homes which use a vacuum (90 per cent) – far more than China (51 per cent).
The average time spent vacuuming in the UK stands at 29.6 minutes, above the average of 24.2 minutes across all 11 countries polled.
When it comes to getting rid of dust, Ms Stuczen said: “Despite a wet cloth remaining the most popular cleaning tool to remove dust, our research shows a vacuum with effective filtration and sealing technology is the most effective method to make sure the dust doesn’t get released back into your home.
“Using a wet cloth to clean surfaces is fine, but the sequence of cleaning tools matter.
“Dampening dust on floors – even fine dust invisible to the naked eye – could mean that you’re creating a habitat more favourable to dust mite and mould proliferation.”
Watch now: How to keep dust mites away naturally
Additional reporting by SWNS
