Clean up or break-up Messy partners put strain on relationships

Research of 2,000 adults in a relationship revealed 47 per cent argue on a weekly basis about clutter in their home, with 30 per cent claiming the amount of clutter their other half builds up gives them the ‘ick’. And 23 per cent have admitted their partner’s approach to tidiness has put a strain on their relationship.

The most common messes that fuel arguments include piles of random items sitting around, stacked up dirty plates and wet towels left where they were last used.

The research was commissioned by local-sharing app Olio, to encourage people to pass on their unwanted possessions to those who live nearby, to help declutter their space this Bank Holiday weekend.

Master KonMari, consultant and professional home organiser, Sue Spencer, who is working with the brand, said, “We all have different levels of ‘clutter tolerance’ and this can inevitably cause some frictions in relationships if your partner’s view of a tidy home isn’t in line with how you’d like your home to look and feel.

to children’s belongings. However, 18 per cent admitted the issue lies with them. Over a third would be embarrassed for other people to see the state of their home on an average day.

A quarter of adults rate themselves as the indecisive type, while 24 per cent consider themselves a sentimentalist and 19 per cent struggle to prioritise having a tidy. One in five of those polled, via OnePoll, declutter their home once a year or less, though 34 per cent do so every three to six months.

Tessa Clarke, co-founder and CEO of Olio, which has given away eight million household items and 95 million portions of food since its launch globally in 2015, added, “As the research has shown, clearly different people have different levels of clutter tolerance.

“By giving away items you no longer need, not only are you doing a good thing for your community and the planet, you could also be saving your relationship too – unless you’re giving away your partner’s possessions without checking of course.”

• To find out what your ‘clutter type’ is, take the Clutter Quiz at https://olioapp.com/en/olio-updates/whats-your-clutter-type/ which will give you some insights from Master KonMari, consultant and professional home organiser Sue Spencer on what could be causing your clutter and how to tackle it.

The most annoying types of household messiness

• Piles of random items left sitting around

• Dirty plates stacked up

• Wet towels left lying around

• Used tissues not chucked away

• Used breakfast bowls left lying around

• Drinking glasses left in the living room from the night before

• Worn clothes left in the bathroom

• Empty crisp packets lying around

• Socks left everywhere

• Old cups left to go mouldy

• Piles of opened letters

• Pants strewn across the floor

• Bagged up items for the charity shop that never leave the house

“The environment we live in impacts our emotions and moods and therefore when things at home aren’t aligned it can cause arguments and resentment – neither of which are good for a joyful life.

“When you aren’t comfortable in the way your home feels you are less likely to relax, connect and spend quality time with each other – especially if one of you feels they are constantly tidying up the space.

“Clutter has been shown to impact on cortisol levels so if you are sensitive to the level of clutter in your space you are more likely to feel stressed.”

The study also found toys never tidied away, bagged up items for the charity shop that never leave the house and used breakfast bowls and old drinking glasses are among the major irritations.

Messy living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms were the rooms proven to wind people up the most. But despite the bust ups, 15 per cent reckon their home is tidied to a satisfactory level. Almost half feel there is a lot of clutter in their home, with 40 per cent blaming their partner and 22 per cent putting it down

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