Would you consider yourself to be a ‘clean’ person? Well, cleaning and hand wash product manufacturer Method UK has recently revealed the nation’s grimy habits and it looks like we aren’t as clean as we perhaps thought we were. It would appear that as a nation we have quite a few dirty little secrets and many of us take shortcuts when it comes to cleaning.

The survey of 1,000 people aged 18-40 found that 20% aren’t ashamed to dig something out of the dirty washing pile if they don’t have a shirt to wear to work and some of us will even go shopping for new clothes simply to avoid doing the ironing.

The survey also found that 13% of the UK only clean their bathrooms twice a year and fifth of us spend more time organising our wardrobes than we do cleaning. However, a quarter said they will always tidy when they know they have guests coming over. It would also appear 14% never wash their hands before eating and 15% of us are quite happy to eat off the floor – hopefully not when those guests are over!

But, 90% of those surveyed believed they had a valid reason for their uncleanliness, blaming it on the fact they simply do not have enough time to do it. Does that sound like you? As much as you hate to admit it you probably do have a few of these dirty habits – but what can you do about it if you don’t have any spare time?

Well, why not let the professionals do the hard work for you? 25% of those taking part said that their cleaner was more important to them than their doctor, dentist or hairdresser. With the arrival of spring why not check out what a service like Molly Maid Spring Cleaning can do for you – they might just be able to help you avoid a few of these:

Britain’s top ten most surprising dirty little secrets include:

• Running out of clean underwear and going commando
• Using a hairdryer to dust
• Noticing a lipstick stain on a ‘clean’ wine glass and wiping it off with a finger
• Leaving the bed sheets for more than six months before washing them
• Following the five second rule and eating food that has fallen on the floor
• Eating from the same plate at dinner that was used at lunchtime
• Never washing hands before eating
• Hiding mess away in cupboards rather than clearing up
• Buying new clothes to avoid doing the ironing
• Cleaning the house in the nude

If you have nodded your way through this post and got to the end thinking that perhaps you are not as clean as you thought at the beginning, then it may be time to make a few changes! With the arrival of spring what better time to make that change and start with a major spring clean – if you don’t want to do it yourself, call in the professionals and let them do it for you!

By Patrick Vernon.