Aviva reveals the Nation’s Least Favourite Household Chores
Cleaning the oven, ironing, and house cleaning top the list
Thursday 5 December 2024, Dublin: Love them or hate them, there’s no avoiding the myriad of household chores facing homeowners on an ongoing basis, and this is never more evident than in the run-up to Christmas when we all want our homes to look their sparkling best. Aviva Insurance Ireland DAC (Aviva) has unveiled the results of a recent omnibus survey1, shedding light on the chores that homeowners dread the most. The survey, which polled 1,000 consumers, revealed that cleaning the oven or cooker is the least favourite household task, with 22% of respondents placing it at the top of their list. Ironing followed closely behind at 21%, while general house cleaning came in as the third least favourite task at 13%.
Other tasks around the home that made the list include weeding (11%) and changing and washing bed linen (9%). On the other end of the spectrum, only a small percentage of respondents expressed a strong dislike for washing clothes (3%), mowing the lawn (4%), hoovering (5%), food shopping (6%), and DIY tasks also at 6%.
The Aviva survey found that:
- Those who considered cleaning the oven/cooker as their least favourite household chore was highest amongst the 55+ age cohort at 27%.
- Ironing was high on the list of least favourite tasks for those aged 45-54 at 24% and cleaning the house at 18%.
- For those at the younger age cohort of 18-24, the least favourite tasks included cleaning the oven/cooker (19%), weeding (18%), and food shopping at 13%.
It's interesting to see how certain household chores consistently rank as the least favourite amongst homeowners. Tasks like cleaning the oven and ironing are often seen as time-consuming and tedious, which likely explains their top positions on the list. Understanding these preferences can perhaps help us all find better ways to manage our time and perhaps even make some of these chores a bit more bearable.
Commenting on the findings, Julie Frazer, Aviva said
“If possible, sharing the burden among all members of the household can make a significant difference. When everyone pitches in, it not only lightens the load but also helps reduce the amount of time that it takes, giving everyone the opportunity to spend more time doing the things that they enjoy. And, at the end of it all, there is I think the satisfaction of a job well done…. that is until the task needs to be done again,” concluded Julie Frazer.
1 Undertaken by iReach Insights on behalf of Aviva