WINE NOT?
I went on wife strike – I was fed up of spending Saturdays cleaning the house whilst my selfish hubby went to the pub
On average, the NHS worker spends the full Saturday cleaning
SHE loves him because he's ''laid back and calm''.
But in Cornwall, 55-year-old Chrissy decided that her hubby John's messiness has reached a boiling point where she was left with no option other than going on a wife strike.
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Since her mum died, she’s been looking after her father Arthur, 86, in the shared family bungalow as well as managing a full-time job and doing all the family chores.
On average, the weekly Saturday clean takes her the whole day, during which John vacates the house and treats himself to a pint at the local pub.
But now, Chrissy is determined to ensure that John steps up to the plate if need be and goes on strike, leaving the two men to fend for themselves - the struggle of which viewers could tune into tonight's episode of Mums on Strike on Channel 5.
Moaning about her hubby's antics, Chrissy said there wasn't ''an equal divide on housework'' - and John agreed, adding that she does around 90 per cent of the work to keep the property running.
When it comes to housework, the cleaning fanatic has always had relatively high standards - however, the same can't be said about her man who's adopted a more laid back approach.
''When I first met Jon, he lived in, I'd like to say, squalor. He lived in a caravan with his mate from a very young age.''
Although John - who'd been single for some time back then - said he liked to enjoy a tidy house, he admitted to ''not be quite as keen to clean'' it.
Chrissy works full-time at the NHS - but the long hours spent keeping the property sparkling and doing the laundry means she clocks up an extra shift with barely any break.
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After a full working week, she will then spend the start of her weekend doing the full-house clean - and leaves the loo seats sanitised, Chrissy insisted you could even ''eat dinner'' off them.
The workload has only increased since her OAP father moved in with them, with Chrissy having to strip his bed for new sheets, changing towels and other essentials.
I spent a week on mum strike & it changed our lives - the house was filthy & hubby was outraged, but I won't do it again
Sick and tired of the unequal divide, the 55-year-old announced: ''I can't [take it anymore] physically, give it ten years and I'll be on a bloody Zimmer frame.
''Can't carry on like this - it's insane,'' the wife said, adding that her hubby was clueless about ''how much work'' it takes to clean the house from top to bottom.
Unbeknown to her man, Chrissy checked into a hotel for a week after spending every Saturday of the last 21 years cleaning, washing and cooking.
''I've had enough of it. And the other reason is I just want to know that if anything happened to mem you and dad could look after yourselves properly.''
Cleaning and household chores in numbers
Well Polished conducted a survey and the results are in!
Most Hated Household Chores
- Cleaning the oven - 34%
- Ironing - 15%
- Cleaning the toilet - 10%
- Washing the dishes - 5%
- Decluttering - 4%
Most Liked Household Chores
- Cooking meals - 21%
- Decluttering - 12%
- Hoovering - 11%
- Doing the laundry - 9%
- Tending to pets 8%
Men VS Women: Who Puts the Work In?
Men spend 7 hours 54 minutes a week cleaning.
Women spend 12 hours 15 minutes a week cleaning.
But whilst John was doing his very best to follow the usual routine of weekly chores, Chrissy came to a realisation of her own.
''It stems from one of my past relationships - wasn't pleasant at all. But I think what they're called now is narcissists.
''I got cut off from my family, got cut off from my friends - I had no control over nothing.
''And the one thing I could do was to keep the house clean, to keep myself sane, I suppose.''
However, the strike had changed her outlook and Chrissy realised ''that it can't go forever''.
''I think it's made me look at life and think 'You know what, there are more important things in life than cleaning'.''
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After several days apart, the 55-year-old cleaning super fan concluded that the duo both had to compromise to make things work.
''So I've gotta drop my standards a little bit and John's gotta bring his up to meet me midway.''