The ‘clean factor’ and relationships
Does cleanliness affect your love life? Could bad domestic cleaning habits be the deal breaker?
Clorox and Yahoo! teamed up to do a survey about how cleanliness and love lives and discovered some very interesting proclivities. Apparently, when it comes to selecting a partner a person's domestic cleaning habits are very important, said a third of the respondents and most people would rather date a clean freak than a complete slob in that area. Some even view cleaning compatibility to be as important as sharing common interests.
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However, when cleaning habits are incompatible, it don’t necessarily mean the death off a relationship. Only 1 in 10 respondents admitted to have ended a relationship over domestic cleanliness incompatibility.
It is possible for a clean freak to find domestic bliss with a sloppy partner, but that combination is one in a million. So if your partner sheds off their clothes everywhere in the house like some snake shedding its skin, it's important to remember that nobody's perfect. Tolerance is a virtue. And for those dating clean freaks, remember to do whatever you can to make your loved one feel safe and comfortable … even if it means making hand sanitizer your new love.
Would you end a relationship based on cleanliness incompatibility?
39 responses to "The ‘clean factor’ and relationships"
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NOPLAYER says:Posted: 12 May 09Wash and Be Clean ! That's in the Bible somewhere! Mama always said a woman's home is a reflection of herself and if it's nasty, more than likely so is she. Back in the day if I really liked a woman and was considering her for a relationship, I'd drop by unexpected, you know the, " oh I was just in the area and I wanted to stop by a say hello and by the way can I use your bathroom"? All the time I'm taking notes and when I get to the bathroom I really check things out and if it looks like she hasn't cleaned in a week, it's pretty much a deal breaker. LOL Now some will say, "well you dropped by without notice and maybe she hadn't got the chance to get things straightend up"! PLEASE ! I know the difference in something not being straightend out and a straight-up mess! I don't care about your looks, college degrees, income, or your job title, if you're nasty, I'm not having ya! Excuse the slang! So once again, "WASH and BE CLEAN!"
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southernmoca says:Posted: 11 May 09Cleanness is definitely a factor. I expect a man to take care of his home and his body with the same attention. I am sorry, however the rules I use at work also apply to this article.If a person is a slob at work, then they are a slob at home. I refuse to believe that a person is squeaky clean with their body and their homes are a mess. At a time in society when 75% of all viral infections can be irradiated if people would just wash their hands with soap and water but do not, clean IS a deal breaker for me. For those who wonder, yes my life partner is just as much as a clean freak as I am. Oh no look at the time...its time to clean my floors..lolol
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homesteader says:Posted: 05 Jan 09
I drove a truck and smelled of diesel fuel for years , alas still showered everyday as run enough miles / to have to fuel everyday for the free shower coupon at truckstops . Now that I am home shower twice a day ; in morning to start fresh and in evening after sweating all day in the hot Texas sun .
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homesteader says:Posted: 05 Jan 09
You aughta seen my old bowl of brownies when she came to meet me . HEHE
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homesteader says:Posted: 05 Jan 09
Did you wash your hands before , you touched this keyboard ?
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fkoi says:Posted: 26 May 08Two people who have completely opposite versions and/or visions of cleanliness and tidiness probably would have problems getting along. For me, it is all about the degree. I wouldn't want to be tidying up after some one all the time. Neither would I want them to feel like they have to do so for me. In a lot of areas in a relationship, some compromise is required. This is one of them. Cleanliness is something else. If your cats have gone feral, your fridge is a petri dish and your dishes have become a permanent installation, we probably won't get along
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MissJamaica says:Posted: 18 May 08
I agree with lizze, and that first post from party1. I have a lot on my plate and don't have time to keep it all the way I would like every day (especially with children!)...hiring housekeeping is the best of both worlds...
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blkbeauty31 says:Posted: 23 Apr 08Hey everyone! I think the "clean factor" is one tool to get to know a person. This doesnt necessarily have to be bad. If one person is a "neat freak", both people/or individual have to decide if this is big enough of an issue to end relationship. better to know now than later if being clean is a pet peeve.
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Thandii25 says:Posted: 13 Apr 08Personally I wouldn't end a relationship because my partner is a bit messy around the house, I don't really expect a man to be all that tidy.I like living in clean and tidy surroundings and I don't mind at all doing the cleaning and tiding up myself, a little bit of appreciation is all I would ask in return.Maybe its just the way I was raised.I wouldn't really give him a hard time over it either.But if its personal hygiene, now thats a different story all together. Guys let me let you in on a secret..I think no matter what we (women)say, we still want a man who is just a man, a bit rough and messy.It gives us something to talk about.looool Women love a project,Sorry ladies I said it lool Oh ok let me rephrase that, I love a project, I look at a guy and say, he is a bit rough around the edges, a bit untidy but I can work with that.loool So, I might actually end a relationship with a guy if he is a clean freak.
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ethereal99 says:Posted: 01 Apr 08I would end a relationship if the cleanliness compatibility was way off. I don't mind a little funk & we are all busy at times, but things can't get too crazy. We all have our theshold. I'm sure some people save relationships because the clean one is willing to work twice as hard.
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diversity says:Posted: 28 Mar 08
I like it clean. I find myself busy,and I like to walk into a clean home, I deserve it. Often I am so busy, I do not have time to do anything else but the necessities, therefore, I hire someone to keep it the way I like it. I agree with party 1, if you do not have the time, pay for for what you want, when you're on vacation, you pay for housekeeping, I demand that service where ever I am. I am not a clean freak, but I can't think straight, if things around me are not organized.
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mossimo36 says:Posted: 27 Mar 08
Oh ya gotta be clean, ur person and ur home. No ifs, ands, or buts on this one
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party1 says:Posted: 19 Mar 08LIzze has it in proper perspective.Being hardline and non flexible only limits your possibilties and opportunities.Some things u should turn your head to and focus on the person and "THE BIG PICTURE" if u really like them.
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lizze says:Posted: 19 Mar 08Hmmm. Work, class, committees, etc etc (type A personality) . In my case sometimes the house just goes to hell. Urgent, necessary, important. Helps me keep my sanity. So washing the dishes is necessary and important, but if something else is more urgent - well dishes don't cry. Being clean is important but things can never be more important than people. Just my view.
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loydah says:Posted: 17 Mar 08Cleanliness, and neatness are as important to me as personal hygiene. Agree with tigerlillie about respect and with party1, it pleasant to come to a clean home.
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loydah says:Posted: 17 Mar 08
Cleanliness, and neatness are as important to me as personal hygiene. Agree with tigerlillie about respect and with party1, it is about time and effort.
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Sxybrwnsuga says:Posted: 16 Mar 08
How clean you are and your home is a reflection of you as a person. So yeah I would say it's a deal breaker. I'm not a neat freak but cleanliness is next to godliness as they say.
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girlsixdiva says:Posted: 14 Mar 08
This is a good reason to spend as much time together as possible in person instead of online. I personally can't stand a man who is dirty and keeps his house dirty. It would be a shame to fall in love with someone over the computer and then find out he's a slob.
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outpass35 says:Posted: 14 Mar 08I am sorry I like my things clean I have kids in my home and they know I do not clean up behind them and if a person house is not clean they can't cook for me or anything else for that matter.
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kenyanito says:Posted: 14 Mar 08I think it depends with each individual...you help the other be clean if its not one of the traits....
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party1 says:Posted: 14 Mar 08
Owning a maid service I see it all!!If you cant do it yourself hire a professional. The difference in coming into a fresh and clean smelling home is like nite and day.Clutter and disorganization leads to not knowing what you have or where its at.There is no profile of who is the type to be clean or who is messy it is all about time and effort.
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kbofatl says:Posted: 14 Mar 08
Hell to the YEAH! It is a deal breaker for me. Anyone that says it is not, is more than likely the unclean person in the relationship. I dated a woman with a dog that used the place as its own toilet. After seeing that she didn't use a professional carpet cleaner, kept her vacuum in the garage, and didn't even own a broom...need I say more?
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Graduate2Be says:Posted: 13 Mar 08
I ended a relationship a few years ago because of this very issue. I don't keep my house clean in the same way that I keep my lab bench at work, but things are organized, the dishes are washed, the clothes are hung, and though I have two cats, you would not know it by the looks of my home. So yeah, being unclean is a deal breaker for me...
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2ute4u says:Posted: 13 Mar 08
I'm sorry,if I walk into someone'shouse and it's messy - i will not ask for a glass of water cuz i don't trust them to keep the the glassware clean ... just the way i was brought up,just like am not gonna sleep with someone who doesn't shower regularly,just my thing...cleanliness is important to me, it gives me an insight into someone's personality, and I don't see myself picking up after someone's mess, unless they're an invalid...
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2ute4u says:Posted: 13 Mar 08
I'm sorry,if I walk into someone'shouse and it's messy - i will not ask for a glass of water cuz i don't trust them to keep the the glassware clean ... just the way i was brought up,just like am not gonna sleep with someone who doesn't shower regularly,just my thing...cleansliness is important to me, it gives me an insight into someone's personality, and I don't see myself picking up after someone's mess, unless they're an invalid...
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2ute4u says:Posted: 13 Mar 08
i'm sorry,if i walk into someone'shouse and it's messy - i will not ask for a glass of water cuz i don't trust them to keep the the glassware clean ... just the way i was brought up,.just like am not gonna sleep with someone who doesn't shower regularly,just my thing...cleansliness is important to me, it gives me an insight into someone's personality, and i don't see myself picking up after someon'smess unless they're an invalid...
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Lioness4U says:Posted: 12 Mar 08Yes, I would end a relationship. Being disorganize, messy and untidy is a real deal breaker for me. I shouldn't have to clean up behind a grown man.
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fala says:Posted: 12 Mar 08
Neatness counts. Think about it would you rather date Felix Unger or Oscar Madison?
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LovelyBBW says:Posted: 11 Mar 08
Hey:-) I hope it would not be a deal breaker! There are times when schedules get really busy and house work slips from the agenda. Make it fun and reward the task when completed, wink, wink, nudge, nudge! It ensures that the task is completed and the memory of the reward means it will get done much more quickly! THATS my 2 cents.
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zenjester says:Posted: 10 Mar 08No... it is not a realtionship breaker for me. I'm kind of a neatnik (not quite a freak) and have dated some female Oscar Madisons in the past. When their places were getting close to needing a hazmat team we would plan a Saturday or Sunday cleaning date.. long hug and kiss session between each room... order take out...
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HereIamBaby says:Posted: 10 Mar 08I want an adult...not someone I have to clean for or pick up after...I am no one's Momma and I dont want to be!!! Tigerlilly...you are right as well...it is a certain %'age respect... Southern smiles, Sharon
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tigerlilies says:Posted: 10 Mar 08
It's about respect. People don't have to have the same cleaning habits, but if one person starts to feel take for granted that's when it matters.
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dwg49 says:Posted: 10 Mar 08
In a word, yes..and I have ended a relationship because of cleanliness... I am a former Marine and she was messy..I couldn't hang..I have come to grips with my semi OCD (laughing) but it is a huge issue, one that has kept me single for a time..
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Absolutely. Personal hygiene is a must. Compatible cleanliness is essential, unless you can afford a housekeeper. I prefer to offer that a person who has a clean home in moderation--because you have to live--has order and good stewardship, which definitely reflects in the way they handle a romantic relationship. The way you take care of your home, car, office/work space and body directly matches what's going on in your head and therefore how you deal with relationships. For example, cluttered house/car/office/body, cluttered mind which reflects some chaos. Dirty home/office/car/body shows disrespect for self and subsequently others. Clean home/office/car/body in moderation (cause the obsessive clean is equally as scary as being dirty) shows overall good stewardship of your life.