Frost has a series of posts on how to get your relationship on track or how to find the love of your life just in time for Valentine’s Day. We found the following information very interesting. If you want someone to move in, for the night or forever, then read this.

·      1 in 3 women have turned down a night of passion because of clutter in the bedroom

·       41% won’t move in with their partner because of their clutter crimes

·       2.4 million UK couples already living together argue over clutter up to 154 times a year

·       20% of women would rather their man de-cluttered the house than buy them a bunch of roses this Valentine’s Day

 With the nation’s hoarding habits on the increase, it’s no wonder clutter is causing conflict amongst co-habiting couples. But, with 1 in 3 women admitting they’ve turned down a night of passion because the bedroom’s been left in a state – and 41% saying they won’t even move in with their partner if they’re guilty of clutter crimes, IKEA is urging the nation to clean up their act if they want to be in a healthy relationship.

 

As newer UK homes are being built smaller, some having the smallest floor space in Europe (on average 83sqm1or less), it’s becoming increasingly tough for couples to make room for their love lives. However, with 20% of women admitting they want a clutter-free house over a bunch of roses this Valentine’s Day, men will need to clean up their act and pull more than just a romantic gesture out of the bag to please their partners this month.

 

With the bedroom now a key secondary living space, over a third (33%²) of people say it’s where they like to relax. But with almost half (42%²) of Brits admitting it’s where they hoard most of their junk, it’s now become a clutter hotspot for couples; and that’s what’s turning the bedroom cold.

 

2.4 million UK couples admit they already argue up to twice a week about their clutter gripes in the bedroom – that’s a staggering 154 times a year – and with almost 20% of men thinking it’s still a woman’s work to de-clutter the household, their opinion seems to be fuelling a different kind of fire in the home.

 

But what are people’s biggest gripes? When asked about the opposite sex, men and women picked out these top clutter crimes:

 

Men on Women:

·       Too many beauty products and toiletries (19%)

·       Too many clothes and shoes! (17%)

·       Paperwork in the bedroom (10%)

Women on Men:

·      Piles of dirty clothes left on the floor (36%)

·      They’re hoarders – they just have too much stuff! (25%)

·      Their treasured hobby takes up too much space (17%)

Stelios Kiosses, popular TV psychotherapist and expert on the emotional effects of clutter, comments on IKEA’s findings:  “The results highlight one of the most common problems in relationships due to clutter – a lack of communication.  For most women, clutter symbolises that her partner doesn’t care about how she feels. Women tend to express this by increasing the amount they complain about clutter, but men misinterpret this and tend to take it as a remark meant to make them feel incompetent.

 

Clutter then becomes a barrier between the couple, creating feelings of resentment. Few couples realise the importance of dealing with it until it is way out of control – piles of stuff in every room may affect the couples ability to think clearly, relax, and enjoy their living space so it’s important to have storage space for every item to prevent more pile-ups.”

 

So how do couples try and manage their clutter under one small roof? 33% of women say they’ll do the tidying themselves to try to save arguing (compared to 21% of men), while another 16% say they have to resort to nagging to get their other half to tidy up.

 

29% even admit to ‘accidentally on purpose’ throwing their partner’s belongings out, while a cunning 9% of women will use an ‘early night’ as a bargaining tool when it comes to de-cluttering the house.