Women secretly love being homemakers

One in three women find doing housework 'relaxing', 'satisfying' and 'therapeutic', a new study has revealed. Many women admitted to researchers that they love cleaning because it gives them a sense of 'pleasure' and 'achievement'. It also makes them feel better about receiving surprise visitors who wouldn't see the house in a mess. However, almost four out of ten of those who love cleaning admitted that it was a secret passion - and that they would never tell their other half they enjoyed getting to grips with the housework. The admissions emerged in a survey carried out among 2,000 women by Zoflora disinfectant. "There are a growing number of common misconceptions about cleaning however, women can and do get a great deal of satisfaction from cleaning," the Daily Mail quoted Dr Jane McCartney, a chartered psychologist and consultant to Zoflora, as saying. "There is the therapeutic routine or sense of control in creating a home environment but also perhaps, that homes also make a personal statement - cleanliness and choice of fragrance adding to their overall sense of personal pride satisfaction. "Taking on tasks that you have a realistic chance of completing can provide immediate positive feedback; the undertaking and completion of the task will allow you to have a sense of control," she said. Dr McCartney further said that the sense of achievement, which the women felt after completing the chores, was an important factor that attributed to a person's well being. Also cleaning is an area where this achievement can live beyond the actual task itself. The study found vacuuming, tidying up and wiping surfaces clean are three household chores women enjoy. But cleaning the oven, the toilet and doing the ironing were the ones they were most likely to hate. Household tasks, which required too much time, too much effort or were labelled 'disgusting' were most likely to be left to their other half. But chores that left their house looking noticeably clean were the ones women preferred and enjoyed, like dusting and washing up. Making sure their house smelt clean and fresh was also a priority for women, with more than three quarters admitting that they would judge someone with a bad smell in their home, or look at them in a negative light. "Not only is it just unpleasant to be near a bad smell, this also stems from our basic evolutionary development too," Dr. McCartney said. "In the past unpleasant smells would signify a danger to survival, in as much as they indicate contamination, illness or even death," Dr. McCartney said. The study also found that the average women spends just over four hours a week cleaning, with the majority of women cleaning soon after they made a mess, rather than leaving everything until later. 40 percent said that they did all the cleaning themselves - but most said that their partner was equally responsible for the chores. Incredibly, one in ten of the women love cleaning so much that they go as far as to clean other people's homes because it makes them feel good. Top ten favourite chores - Vacuuming - Tidying - Wiping surfaces clean - Putting the washing on - Hanging things on the line - Changing the sheets - Dusting - Washing up - Ironing - Mopping the floors Tips to shop from another's closet - Cleaning the oven - Cleaning the toilet - Cleaning the shower - Cleaning the bath - Defrosting the freezer - Cleaning the fridge - Sweeping the floors - Washing up - Taking the rubbish out - Vacuuming the stairs