Sheffield's most hated household chore revealed

It’s official - cleaning the oven is the city's least favourite kitchen job - and by quite some margin.

That's according to the latest research from furniture fittings and architectural ironmongery specialists Häfele.

The survey, which canvassed the opinions of over 2,000 respondents in the UK, revealed that nearly three quarters of Sheffield-based respondents (71%) ranked the task as the worst of all the kitchen duties.

Cleaning the hob and washing the floor came in at joint second place, trailing behind with just 24% of the vote each. Wiping surfaces was the least-hated kitchen chore, chosen by just four percent of respondents.

A saintly six percent of those polled claimed to enjoy all kitchen chores.

The survey also polled respondents on how often they perform various cleaning tasks and the results made for interesting reading.

Despite the fact that experts say ovens should be cleaned every six months, a fifth of those polled (19%) admit to doing so less frequently (with two percent admitting they never bother with the hated kitchen task.

At the other end of the scale, a squeaky clean two percent claim to clean their oven every day.

Worryingly, over a quarter of respondents (28%) claim to only clean the fridge, a potential breeding ground for harmful bacteria including Salmonella, every six months or less.

Chloë Thacker, marketing director of Häfele UK said: “As our lives are getting busier, time is becoming increasingly precious so it’s no surprise that some kitchen tasks are taking a back seat.

“That’s why we’re seeing rising demand for innovative solutions that can help keep homes hygienic with less time and effort, such as self-cleaning, pyrolitic ovens or plinth-mounted vacuum cleaners, which suck up swept debris, eliminating the need for dustpans and brushes.”