Friday 1 March 2013

British couples row twice a week about the mess in their homes, study finds



A staggering 2.4 million couples row twice a week about who should tidy up with arguments becoming so heated it affects their sex lives and causes some to break up.

Couple arguement
The research found one in five couples, 18 per cent, row at least once a week about which one is causing the mess
Two thirds of women have refused to have sex when distracted by clothes that need to be folded, hung up or put away.
The research found one in five couples, 18 per cent, row at least once a week about which one is causing the mess.
Women's biggest complaint was revealed to be their man leaving piles of clothes on the floor, with 36 per cent irritated by this.
Unfortunately for them, 18 per cent of men still believe it is their partner's job to clean the house, with just 5 per cent taking responsibility themselves.
This slack attitude just increases domestic friction, the study by furnishing store Ikea found.
As a result one in six women - 16 per cent - resort to shouting at their boyfriend or husband to get him to tidy up.
And 10 per cent bribe their man with the promise of an "early night" if they keep the house tidy.
But a third concede it is less of a hassle to tidy up themselves than continually nag.
Partners are most likely to row about the amount of cosmetics and clothing their other half owns, and where they leave it.
A fifth of men (18 per cent) complain their girlfriend has too many beauty products, and 17 per cent say they own too many shoes.
A third (31 per cent) believe their partner simply has "too much stuff".
Furthermore, 13 per cent of women say they would break up with a man if he refused to change his messy habits.
Others find cunning ways of dealing with clutter, sneakily throwing it out or hiding it, the study found.
A third of Brits (29 per cent) have intentionally thrown out items belonging to their partner in a bid to free up space, and then claimed it was a "mistake".
And half (47 per cent) remove clutter from communal areas and hide it in their bedroom when expecting guests, because "no one will go in there".
One in seven women, 15 per cent, say the most stressful thing about moving in with a partner is having to share wardrobe space.
Unlike women, just a quarter of men (23 per cent) say they have turned down a night of passion because their partner's bedroom was too messy.
Graphic designer Rachel Hughes, 34, from Portsmouth, Hants, said: "I argue with my boyfriend every week about the state he leaves our house in.
"He seems to think it is acceptable to leave his dirty clothes in a pile at the end of the bed, but then moans about my shoes 'littering' the wardrobe.
"I do nag him to try and get him to pull his weight but I eventually end up cleaning by myself anyway. It is easier than continually nagging him."
Gemma Arranz, from Ikea, said: "People have very different ideas about what 'tidy' means, but it is still remarkable how many couples argue several times a week about mess and clutter in their homes.
"Our findings show stereotypes continue to ring true, with men annoying their partner by leaving piles of clothes in the bedroom, while women have too many shoes and cosmetics.
"It is sad some argue so much it affects their love lives or may even lead to them splitting up, when simple storage solutions could help them live happily."
TV psychotherapist Stelios Kiosses said: "The results highlight that some men aren't pulling their weight when it comes to keeping a tidy home.
"For women, a house left in a mess symbolises that her partner doesn't care about how she feels.
"Women tend to express this by increasing the amount they complain, but men misinterpret this and tend to take it as a remark meant to make them feel incompetent.
"Mess then becomes a barrier between the couple, creating feelings of resentment.
"Few couples realise the importance of dealing with it until it is way out of control.
"Piles of stuff in every room may affect the couples ability to think clearly, relax, and enjoy their living space so it's important to have storage space for every item to prevent more pile-ups."

Five-year-old runs up £1,700 iPad bill in ten minutes



A five-year-old boy ran up a £1,700 bill on his parents' iPad in just ten minutes.

Danny Kitchen aged 5 from Warmley, Bristol who ran up a huge £1,700 bill on the iPad app Zombie vs Ninja
Danny Kitchen aged 5 from Warmley, Bristol who ran up a huge £1,700 bill on the iPad app Zombie vs Ninja
Danny Kitchen had asked for the passcode for the device so that he could download a game, Zombie v Ninja, from the Apple store.
Greg and Sharon Kitchen eventually agreed and left their son alone with the tablet computer as they entertained friends at their home in Warmley, near Bristol.
But after downloading the free app Danny found his way into the game's online store and innocently ordered dozens of costly add-ons - totalling £1,710.43.
His mother knew nothing about his spending spree until she saw a batch of emails from iTunes the following day listing what he had bought.
Her credit card company then phoned to query the payments - and Mrs Kitchen, 44, realised what had happened.
She explained: "Danny was pestering us to let him have a go on the iPad. He kept saying it was a free game so my husband put in the passcode and handed it to him.
"It worried me when he asked for the password but I had a look at the game it said it was free so I didn't think there would be a problem.
"We had lots of visitors in the house and were both a little preoccupied. I woke up Monday morning and looked at my emails and had loads from iTunes.
"I thought it must be a mistake, so I checked my bank balance online and nothing had been taken out.
"I thought nothing of it until I my credit card advisor phoned and told me they had authorised the transaction."
Danny had bought dozens of in-game weapons and keys on the iPad 3 including 12 purchases of '333 keys' at £69.99 a time and seven '333 ecstasy bombs' at £69.99.
He also bought five lots of "9000 darts" each costing £69.99, five lots of '4200 darts' at £5.49 each and additional ecstasy bombs totalling £3.22.
Mrs Kitchen, a mother-of-five, said: "I realised what happened and told Danny he'd better get ready for bed and run and hide before daddy got home.
"He was crying, as the rest of the children were telling him we could have bought a house with the amount he had spent.
"He started to run and through his tears he turned back and said 'But where can I hide?' Bless him - that stopped me being angry but of course it's a lot of money.
"Loads of parents in the playground said similar things had happened to them but for a lot less money. I can't believe he was able to spend so much money.
"It was far too easy a thing for him to do and more should be done to limit stuff like this from happening. That game is very annoying - and who would spend more than £1,700 on a game?
"It's the first time any of our kids have done anything like this - and it will be the last."
Danny said: "I said to dad can you put the passcode for the game he said no and then I said it was free so he said yes.
"The next day it cost lots of money. I was worried and I felt sad. I was crying. I'm not sure how I did it, I thought it was free."
"It was a good game, but I will never do anything like this again. I'm banned from the iPad now, but I am still going to play games when I can, but I will be careful now."
Mr and Mrs Kitchen run their own children's entertainment company and have four older children - Rosie, six, Riley, eight, Conor, 11, and Shannon, 15.
Apple have now told the family they will refund the money.
Mr Kitchen, 44, said: "I was livid - not amused at all. But Danny was very sorry so I couldn't stay mad at him for long.
"I'm relieved that they have said they are going to give us back our money. We had to give them so much information and it's taken three days, but I'm relieved."
An Apple spokesman said such incidents had to be reported as quickly as possible.
He said it was vital people kept their pass code, designed to stop unauthorised electronic purchases on its products, safe and said software was available to prevent children from using the iTunes store even if they have the password.
A spokesman said: "All iOS devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod touch) have built in parental controls that give parents and guardians the ability to restrict access to content, eg internet access and age rated content such as music, games, apps, TV shows, movies etc.
"Parental controls also give parents and guardians the option to turn off functionality such as purchasing from iTunes and the ability to turn off in-app purchases.
"Our parents' guide to iTunes details the steps and measures parents and guardians can take to make sure younger players have access to the right content. The first thing we recommend is not to share your password."