Some people think nothing of leaving their dirty socks or towels on the floor, but that could lead to a messy breakup. A new survey finds that living with a partner who’s untidy can be really bad for romance. And their clutter isn’t just annoying, it can make them less attractive, too.
A new survey of 1,000 American couples by The Storage Center reveals the messy link between clutter and conflict in relationships:
- For 37%, their partner’s messiness made them feel less attracted to them, and 61% admit that clutter causes tension in their relationship.
- Half of men say their partner is messy, but that jumps to 62% for women.
- When they’re stressed about a mess, 59% of women and 47% of men clean it up themselves, even if it’s not their mess.
- Clutter is embarrassing to some people, including 16% who say they avoid having people over because of the mess at home.
- A lot of people in relationships struggle to get their partner to pitch in with tidying, as 17% say their partner only cleans up when guests are coming over.
- Americans secretly wish their partner would throw away outdated tech or tangled cables (35%), worn out clothes or undies with holes (33%), unused hobby gear (24%), ugly or mismatched furniture (21%) and stuff from an ex (14%).
- Top clutter offenses include saving empty boxes or “just in case” junk (43%), letting stuff slowly take over shared spaces (39%), and refusing to tidy no matter how much piles up (33%).
- When they hit their clutter breaking point, some take matters into their own hands, as 38% admit to secretly purging their partner’s stuff. And 16% have been victims of these purges.
- Even sneakier? More than a third (35%) of men admit to “accidentally” breaking something so it had to be thrown away and 11% say their partner still doesn’t know.
- To get their partner to clean up, 17% have used guilt trips or made passive-aggressive comments and 11% have withheld affection, time or attention.
- The biggest fights couples have about messes are one partner feeling like they do all the cleaning (37%), leaving dishes, clothes and clutter out (35%) and refusing to toss stuff (32%).⠀
Source: The Storage Center