Survey Links Cleanliness To Personality What Type Are You - A Clean Extreme Or A Mop Passer?

I like to clean. Instant gratification. I think it’s got plenty to do with fooling around in the newspaper world for so many years. We work on deadlines. Move it in, massage it, move it out. Be thorough. Be fast. Do it now, now, now!

It has slopped over into most aspects of my life. I’m lucky if a bite of beef gets three chomps before it heads south. When I go for a stroll with someone, the person has trouble keeping up. On the phone, I don’t mess around. Say it, and see you around. Same with cleaning.

That lands me somewhere between a Clean Extreme and a Mess Buster, according to a recently released study by the Soap and Detergent Association. The trade group looked at women’s cleaning habits (sounds a touch sexist to me; men do housework, too), then divided them into five categories - Clean Extremes, Mess Busters, Strugglers, Dirt Dodgers and Mop Passers.

“This research shows that there is a tremendous level of consistency between personality traits and attitudes toward cleaning,” says Dr. Eileen Donahue, who conducted the study and is a psychologist, assistant professor of psychology at Wellesley College and co-wrote the book “Who Do You Think You Are?”

She’s not going to get any argument from me.

Here’s a look at the five categories.

Clean Extremes (25 percent of the 500 women surveyed). They strongly agree that “it’s important that my home be clean even where people don’t see.” A clean home gives the Clean Extreme a sense of pride and personal satisfaction, contributing to an overall feeling of well-being. Most say they can’t relax unless their home is spotless.

Mess Busters (24 percent). They like the house to be clean even in areas where others are unlikely to look. “Overall, these women are hardworking, efficient and energetic, which is reflected in the way they keep their homes,” Donahue says. “They don’t fret about housecleaning; they just do it.”

Strugglers (21 percent).

Housework isn’t an important part of their day-to-day lives. Ironically, however, Strugglers spend more time each week on cleaning than any other group. Yet only 10 percent have a high level of satisfaction with how clean their house is.

This can be attributed to Strugglers, who tend to be married (73 percent) and have the largest households (two children), simply having more to do at home than their counterparts with other cleaning personalities.

Dirt Dodgers (18 percent). They clean only when they absolutely have to and find it difficult to keep their home neat and organized. They’re also much more likely than others to have a hard time working up the energy to clean.

Mop Passers (11 percent). This group has a strong sense of pride in having a home that’s clean and clutter-free. They just don’t do the job alone. Sixty-one percent get help from a spouse, and 20 percent have a housekeeper. They spend an average of six hours on cleaning each week.