Who should bear the brunt of the housework?

In an age where more and more women are becoming the primary breadwinners in the home, the question of who should pull their weight in the home environment is more relevant than ever.

The other day the Telegraph Online ran a thought provoking piece questioning the widely held belief that men tend to flake out on the sofa with a beer after a hard day at work, while women take up the domestic slack.

The claim that men should help out more around the house to compensate a woman's "double shift" - a combination of professional and domestic work - is apparently a myth.

New research (carried out by Dr Catherine Hakim) has claimed that men in Britain actually contribute slightly more overall and that, across Europe, both sexes are about equal, putting in an average of eight hours hard graft a day. Nick Collins of The Telegraph writes:

If both paid work and unpaid duties such as housework, care and voluntary work are taken into account, husbands actually contribute more than their fair share to the household, experts found.

According to a study of how people use their time, men in Britain spend marginally longer on "productive" work each day than women.

While many wives scale back their working hours or drop out of employment after having children, husbands will often work overtime to earn more income for the family.

Catherine was quoted as saying:

This data overturns the well-entrenched theory that women work disproportional long hours in jobs and at home in juggling family and work.

You can read the full piece here.

So are moaning men under-appreciated after all? Maybe so, but let's not come to any sweeping conclusions. Everyone's family is different and we don't think there's any right or wrong way of splitting the work - a husband may have more time and expertise to devote to one area and his wife another.

We'd love to hear about other people's experiences. Do you and your partner share the load equally or doesn one of you do more than your fair share?

Houseproud hunk shows women's mags how it's done

We're eager to spread the word about how good the new Vorticity really is, so we dreamed up a novel way of creating some buzz around it.

We had Dan, our official houseproud hunk, visit the offices of three of the biggest magazine publishers in the UK - Natmags, IPC Media and Bauer Media - to show off the product in style to top women's journalists.

Needless to say they loved Dan (who in their right mind wouldn't?), but more importantly what did they all think about the product?

Our man on the ground reported an overwhelmingly positive response, especially from home bibles Good Housekeeping and Ideal Home. This is what he said:

After seeing the Vorticity in action, everyone was impressed with the technology - particularly the floorhead - and understood why it was so groundbreaking. They were full of questions, which is a great sign, and we're looking forward to seeing some positive reviews in the coming months.

Here are a few pics of Dan getting his hands dirty in the Natmags lobby. Enjoy!

Managing allergies with your vacuum cleaner

In the first in our series of quick tips, we explore managing allergens in your home

We know how it annoying it can be to suffer from allergies - runny nose, red face, puffy, swollen eyes, the list goes on - and if not managed properly, they can make your home life unbearable. If you or your kids suffer from allergies or asthma, then your vacuum cleaner can be used for more than just keeping your home in immaculate condition. It can be used to get rid of pet hair, dust mites, pollen and any number of other allergens.

Here are a few quick tips to help you turn your weekly vacuuming session into an all out allergy management programme.

• Dust mites' favourite playgrounds are mattresses, bedding and furniture, so pay special to these. being an allergy sufferer also means vacuuming more regularly. Because dust mites can't be seen with the naked eye, your house can look great but still need the attention.

• Make sure you vaccum upholstery, especially if you've got pets that shed hair. Use attachements on the vacuum to get into the corners of cushions and around pillows and mattresses. The Vorticity's mini floorhead uses cyclonic technology to dislodge dirt, hair and dust mites in hard to reach areas like these. Remember, even though the dust is out of sight, it's still there!

• A typical used mattress may have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million mites inside - what a thought! make sure you vacuum your bedding at least twice a week to keep the pesky population to a minimum. We also recommend you vacuum the carpet underneath your bed, between the mattress and bed base and any edges that come in contact with the wall - all areas in which the little critters like to hide.

• Without the proper equipment, vacuuming can often make the home environment worse for allergy sufferers, disturbing allergens laying on surfaces that can remain in the air for hours after cleaning. Using a cleaner with a HEPA filtration system, such as the Vorticity, will retain 99.7% of those allergens and create a much more comfortable environment for you and your family to enjoy.
  

Introducing the Vorticity

A new spin on the vacuum cleaner

For the last few years, the design boffins at Morphy Richards HQ have been working around the clock, racking their brains and searching the deepest recesses of scientific theory to develop the next generation of vacuuming technology.

But where do you go next after bagless technology, cylinders and cyclones? The answer lies in the floorhead!

The Vorticity's floorhead takes the idea of the cyclone and puts it right where you need it most, using the power of 22 mini cyclones to dislodge dust, dirt, hair and other undesirables from the depths of your carpet and from inbetween your floorboards. And rather than having seperate heads for your carpet and hard floors, the floorhead is adaptable enough to glide across any surface and leave it spotless.

Allergy sufferers, it's got you covered too! An antibacterial HEPA filter in the vacuum traps and retains the dust particles that make your life difficult.

If you fancy learning more, visit the Vorticity product page or join our community of houseproud individuals at the Love Your Home Facebook page.