He Said, She Cleans...CLR Chore Wars Survey Uncovers Men vs. Women Household Battles

Relationship Expert Dr. Robi Ludwig Offers Advice for Keeping Your Marriage (and Home) In Order

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Apr 27, 2010, 08:00 ET

SKOKIE, Ill., April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Can a happy marriage erupt in hostility over housework? Fact is husbands and wives argue like crazy when it comes to who does the most work around the house -- a battle that is likely heating up across the country right now during spring cleaning season.

The CLR Chore Wars Report, a new national survey that examines how the opposite sexes clean, commissioned by Jelmar, LLC, reveals that men and women have very different ideas when it comes to sharing household duties and least favorite chores. Relationship expert Dr. Robi Ludwig explains why and offers expert advice.

Sharing is caring

When it comes to chores, 69 percent of women say they do most of the housework. Yet, 53 percent of men disagree, saying the to-do list is equally shared.

Nearly all couples who share chores equally (97 percent) say their marriage is happy. Conversely, people who believe they do all or most of the work in their homes admit they argue with their spouses about it often. One-in-five Americans admit they argue about housework on a monthly basis.

"Arguing over household chores is a common problem and can be very disruptive to a marriage," said relationship expert Dr. Robi Ludwig. "By embracing each other's differences and learning to understand their preferences, couples can be happier and even make household chores enjoyable time spent together." Dr. Ludwig recommends assigning appropriate tasks to each partner by stating, "If each couple sticks to chores they enjoy, this will cut down on the resentment factor." Ludwig also tells consumers to remember to compliment your partner when he or she does something you appreciate. After receiving positive feedback, the chances they will do it again in the future will increase.

Breaking the glass ceiling at home

Although most married couples (91 percent) agree women have come a long way when it comes to working outside the home and serving as an important financial provider, two-thirds of people still believe women should do more work around the house than men.

"Women's changing roles can be both a help and hindrance. While today's working wives are taking financial stress off their husbands, they might be pushing their men away by placing other demands on them," adds Ludwig. "One way to reduce stress is by having a healthy discussion about daily and weekly housework, instead of just handing your spouse a to-do list."

"As a mom and woman business owner, I understand how maintaining a home can be a strain on a family," says Alison Gutterman, president of Jelmar, LLC. "That's why we teamed up with Dr. Lugwig to shed national spotlight on the men versus women chore wars and offer simple solutions to keep families happy and their homes properly cleaned!"

Most dreaded room of the house

More than half of all Americans (55 percent) say cleaning bathrooms is the household chore they dread the most. Scrubbing difficult surfaces is the second most hated chore, according to 37 percent of people. To make these tasks more pleasant, married people, especially women, look for cleaning products that multi-task (70 percent), are fast-acting (56 percent) and smell good (52 percent).

"Our CLR family of cleaning products tackle the worst cleaning jobs quickly and easily," adds Gutterman. "We design our cleaners with both men and women in mind - offering high quality solutions for guest-ready cleaning inside the home, generally preferred by women, and major outdoor cleaning projects, which men tend to tackle."

Additional survey highlights include:

Most can do it alone, but some need a nudge – the majority of married Americans (85 percent) tackle the household workload on their own, with fewer needing to be prodded.
One-fifth (19 percent) admit that they usually wait for their spouse to remind them about things that need to be done in the house, with men more likely than women to tell a white lie to avoid doing their least favorite chores.

For more information on the different ways men and women clean, visit www.clrchorewars.com. Once there, take the Cleaning Personality Quiz and receive customized tips based on your cleaning style. You'll also find relationship tips from Dr. Robi Ludwig to help your family avoid the Chore Wars. And, watch video footage from Dr. Ludwig's one-on-one counseling session with a couple in the midst of their own Chore Wars battle.

About Jelmar

JELMAR is a vibrant and growing manufacturing company with a broad household cleaning product line including CLR® and Tarn-X® brands of products. Flagship CLR products include CLR Calcium, Lime and Rust Remover, CLR Bath & Kitchen Cleaner and CLR Septic Treatment and Drain Care. With its unique formula, the CLR brand gets the cleaning job done in virtually every area of the home. New products introduced in March are CLR Stone Cleaners and CLR Stainless Cleaner, designed with the modern kitchen in mind.

CLR Chore Wars Survey Methodology

The CLR Chore Wars Survey was conducted among a national sample of 2,500 Americans 18 and older, balanced to the Census. The results detailed reflect only married respondents, with a sample consisting of 1,505 married Americans. Fielding was carried out by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS Global) and the survey has a margin of error of +/- 2.63 at the 95% confidence level (1,505 married Americans).

SOURCE Jelmar