Cleaning - 'The New Therapy'

A happy woman?

Cleaning the house helps women feel in control of their lives, new research suggests. Despite spending longer in the workplace, nearly half the respondents (46%) described themselves as "cleanaholics".

Seven out of 10 women questioned admitted they could not leave the house in a mess without worrying about it.

More than half (58%) felt "depressed" if their house was messy, while 59% said untidiness and clutter made them feel tense.

Only 4% of the women questioned said cleaning was a "waste of time and effort".

The online housework survey of 2,000 women, average age 38, was commissioned by DiscoveryHome and Health. Dee Smith, executive producer of the channel's Cleanaholics series, said: "British women feel happier and more in control of their lives when their home is clean and tidy. "Judging by their high powered cleaning habits there are more desperate housewives on this side of the Atlantic than the other."

She added: "Cleaning is the new therapy."