Keeping your house and home in order is hard work, especially if you’re a full-time worker. It comes as no surprise therefore that some relatively simple household chores can cause a lot of tension in relationships.

With this in mind, ShowersToYou.co.uk were interested in finding out which chores sparked the highest amount of tension within a relationship. To achieve this, ShowersToYou surveyed 2,459 couples to find the answer – and the chore that causes the most rifts is pretty dirty! All chores considered in this study were a result of trawling through online forums for lists of the most commonly fought over chores within households.

Doing the dishes is the chore most likely to cause arguments, with 57% of couples reportedly getting into a spat over it.

Taking out the rubbish and cleaning the kitchen came second and third, at 46% and 42% respectively.

In fourth place is cleaning the bathroom (36%) and fifth is doing laundry (29%).

Grocery shopping came sixth at 26% – perhaps in part to many opting to do this chore solo!

In close quarters are changing/making the bed and vacuuming, at 22% and 21% respectively, leading them to be some of the least argument causing chores, at seventh and eighth place.

Ninth place is home to ironing, with this chore only 15% more likely to cause arguments.

Dusting is the chore most likely to cause the least amount of arguments, with only 9%, suggesting a lot of couples are fine with sweeping this one under the rug!

Of the respondents who are no longer in relationships, 15% revealed that quarrelling over household chores was a direct contributor to the breakdown of their relationship.

40% of respondents disclosed that a lack of appraisal or acknowledgement for doing chores was a large factor in the sparking of arguments.

90% of couples will spend up to ONE HOUR arguing with their significant other over chores, with 45% of these arguments incited by a feeling of the chore not having been completed properly.

30% of couples argued about the timings of the chore, showing that keeping to a schedule was a high priority. Only 15% argued over who was doing what chore, and the remaining 10% argued over entirely different things, with one respondent claiming that they “didn’t like doing it” – which isn’t surprising!