Man of the HOUSE (WORK)

Meet the men who love to clean-and their very lucky wives!

- ALEX LLOYD

When it comes to cleaning, the man of the house is rarely the one who does the lion’s share. But more and more are brandishing a duster and a bottle of Mr Muscle – to the delight of their other halves. 

A recent study by housework think tank the Home Renaissance Foundation found men’s views on housework and a tidy home become more positive once they hit midlife, while women become less fussy. We speak to three women about why they love being married to clean freaks.

‘HE EVEN VACUUMS THE DOG’

Mandira Moitra-Sarkar, 52, lives with her husband Samin, 58, in Guildford. They have a daughter, Mahera, 21. Samin keeps a vacuum in the car. You are not allowed to eat, drink or even breathe in the car, and shoes must be cleaned off before getting in. We’ve been married for 30 years so I’m used to it, but some days I want to kill him. I joke that it is a control thing, because he can’t control the women in his life.

I don’t bother to load the dishwasher as no matter how I do it it is not suitable. I stick to the cooking instead. We have a dog but you would never know it, looking at our house. He has a cleaner for him too.

Samin vacuums four times a week and we have a robotic cleaner that vacuums at night as well. He has a software business and travels a lot with work – and that is probably a blessing for both of us. It means I can leave a couple of things in the sink. I don’t mind cleaning but I can’t do it to Samin’s standards.