You know the old proverb. “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” I’m not sure if it was meant to talk about household cleanliness, but according to a new survey, I sure hope not! The Waycroft’s team conducted a survey about household cleaning habits. They asked over 900 Americans to rank their cleanliness based off of five factors:

• 1 – Unkempt neglect
• 2 – Moderate dinginess
• 3 – Casual inattention
• 4 – Ordinary tidiness
• 5 – Orderly spotlessness

They averaged responses from each state and found an average to compare across the board, as well as find out people’s personal pet peeves when it comes to having a clean house.

Across the nation, they found that the Capitol, Washington, D.C., has the cleanest households. They scored 11.17% higher than the national average. Shortly behind them is Tennessee (8.49%), Mississippi (8.38%), and Illinois (7.63%.) The top three states all fall along the eastern part of the country. Now when it comes to those that aren’t as tidy, Oregon residents were found to be the dirtiest in the country, scoring 11.86% lower than the national average. Other states ranking as the dirtiest are Alaska (10.06%), New York (9.75%), and Hawaii (7.41%.)

Another factor the survey was broken down into was generation. They found that people 55-66 years old were the cleanest over the national average, while those 35-44 years old were the dirtiest. Looking more closely at the habits between generations, 55% of boomers say they’ve slid a coaster under a guest’s drink and 82% of millennials say they actively clean up after guests during gatherings. Generation aside, 53% of men said they have started cleaning a home that they were a guest in and 29% of men say they prefer cleaning up after guests over interacting with them!

The survey dug deep into relationships to find the biggest cleaning deal breakers when it comes to significant others. The most common answer was when a partner leaves dirty dishes around the house. Other pet peeves included not making the bed, wearing stained clothing, and not offering to help dust. People are so passionate about their deal breakers that 16% would rather give up their tax refund than live with someone who leaves dirty clothes on the floor.

While the survey primarily focused on cleaning habits, it definitely highlighted how stuck we all are in our ways. Whether it’s having an empty sink or taking your shoes off at the door, we all have routines that we just aren’t willing to give up!