Cleanest Houses: Illinois Ranks In The Top 5

ILLINOIS — How clean is your house? According to a new study, if you live in Illinois, odds are it's pretty darn clean.

According to a survey conducted by The Waycroft, an apartment complex in Virginia, Illinois ranked at No. 4 when it came to states with the cleanest houses.

"To find out where homes and apartments sparkle the most and where they remain in squalid disarray, we surveyed over 900 Americans, including at least 30 in every state," the Waycroft said. "We asked them to rate their own cleaning habits on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the dirtiest and 5 being the cleanest."

The survey asked those who responded to rank the cleanliness level of their home as follows:

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

The top 5 states with the cleanest households — according to residents — were as follows:

1. District of Columbia
2. Tennessee
3. Mississippi
4. Illinois
5. Connecticut

Which states have the dirtiest houses? According to the study, the top 5 dirtiest are:

1. Oregon
2. Alaska
3. New York
4. Hawaii
5. South Carolina

The study also found that half of those who responded said their homes are "frequently clean" and that they try to clean up at least once per day, while just 1 percent said they "never clean." Another 25 percent dubbed themselves clean freaks, saying they always make time to clean.

Respondents were also asked about their cleanliness dealbreakers when it comes to choosing a partner. The biggest peeve, according to more than 26 percent of those who responded, is leaving dirty dishes around the house. Another 21 percent drew the line at a partner who never offers to help clean, while 18 percent were turned off by someone who wears stained clothing.

More than 11 percent said it's a huge turnoff if someone doesn't take their shoes off at the door, while 7.24 percent said it's a dealbreaker not to make the bed.

Read the full study and findings here.