When It Comes To Home Chores, What’s Your Love Language?

(Originally published on Thumbtack.)

Over the past two years, our homes have become the center of our lives, where we not only live, but work, play and where more often than not, many of us have date nights.

Being at home brings added focus on the dishes that need to be scrubbed, the laundry in line of sight, and the constant array of areas that need to be cleaned or maintained. And, as a result, both singles and couples are feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by house projects. In an effort to spend less time doing chores — and more time doing what you love — people are willing to pay someone to help now more than ever.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we surveyed over 1,100 Americans to get down to the bottom of how couples and singles really feel about their partner’s (or future partner’s) behavior when it comes to home projects and how much you should really be pitching in around the house.

To Chore or Not to Chore

Let’s be honest — when you have a few hours of free time, the last thing you likely want to do are chores. When it comes to those who are single, we found that 91 percent of singles are willing to pay up to $300 to complete the house chores they don’t want to do and 9 percent are willing to spend even more.

And, according to our survey, the top home chores or projects single people wish they had a helping hand for include:

• Cooking (57 percent)
• Deep cleaning (50 percent)
• Bathroom upkeep and cleaning (46 percent)
• Doing the dishes (39 percent)
• Furniture assembly (27 percent)

Hiring a pro to do it for you is easier than you think. The average cost to hire a pro for a deep cleaning is $160–200, which tackles everything from cobwebbed ceiling fans to dirty tile grout. Routine cleaning can also take up more time than you might realize — the average cost of a professional house cleaner is $140–170. And when it comes to furniture assembly, leave it to the pros to put together your new desk or dining set — the average cost to hire a pro for furniture assembly is $70–90.

For couples, home projects can actually be a source of tension with 43 percent of those in relationships finding themselves having to ask their significant other to help out with projects and chores multiple times before receiving the help they need. However, there is an easy solution — 86 percent of couples would be willing to spend up to $300 on home chores and 14 percent are willing to spend even more to avoid conflicts.

Here are the top projects that those in a relationship wish they had more help with:

• Cleaning (26 percent)
• Deep Cleaning (14 percent)
• Cleaning bathrooms (14 percent)
• Cooking (12 percent)
• Doing the dishes (10 percent)
• Laundry (10 percent)

While hiring a pro for regular cleaning tasks (including doing the dishes every so often) are a great way to free up time, hiring a chef for a date night-in (hint, Valentine’s Day) is an easy way to take your night up a notch — the average cost to hire a chef is $60–80.

Time Well Spent

To no surprise, on average, people who live alone spend more time on home projects than those who live with a significant other. This may be a top reason why when looking for a significant other, more than one-third of singles say a potential partner being willing to help with home chores is a must-have.

More interestingly though is the generational gap between Millennials and Gen-Zers when it comes to how important it is to have a helpful partner — while 44 percent of Millennials insist it’s a must-have compared to 35 percent of Gen-Z — instead, 65 percent of Gen-Z said it’s only a nice to have, not a must-have in a partner.

No matter if you’re single or in a relationship, there is no argument that having a pro do chores for you gives you back the greatest gift of all — time.

Love Language SOS

We all know the love languages — but people express their love language differently when it comes to home projects and chores and it can be easy for wires to get crossed.

Fifty-six percent of those in a committed relationship say there’s an imbalance in the amount of time they and their significant other spend doing home chores — with 8 percent of committed respondents sharing that their significant other doesn’t help out at all. And this disconnect is creating conflict among couples, more than half shared that they fight over home chores regularly. But there is hope, our data shows that fighting over home chores decreases as you mature.

When it comes to those classic love languages, as they pertain to home upkeep 42 percent prefer acts of service pitching in around the house, followed by 25 percent preferring quality time spent together doing home projects, and 24 percent needing words of affirmation that their significant other will pitch in around the house.

No matter if you’re single, living with your significant other, married or anything in between, it is safe to say that everyone is looking for a little help around the house. So, whether it’s helping to fold some laundry or hiring a professional to make some updates around the house, Thumbtack is the perfect Valentine to connect you with the right pro to do those home chores and projects for you (and I’m sure your actual Valentine would appreciate the help, too!).

Ready to spread the love? Find a local pro near you at www.thumbtack.com or download the Thumbtack app (available on iOS and Android).

Project data methodology: All pricing data is based on national averages, real prices may vary based on city and supply.

Survey data methodology: Thumbtack conducted a survey of the general population on 2/1/2022 of 1,127 U.S. adults aged 18 or higher with a margin of error of +/- 3%. The survey sample was balanced by age and gender according to the U.S. Census.