CLEANUP WOMAN

In the mother of all challenges, many daughters across America claim they keep a cleaner house than their mamas and do the dirty deeds faster and more efficiently. A whopping 75% of women proclaim their house "is as clean or cleaner than the one they grew up in," says a recent poll. Ironically, the women asserted that they could meet or beat their own mothers at housekeeping, even though many recent studies indicated that women have been spending significantly less and less time and effort on housework over the years. On average, the women reported spending five hours a week making their homes spic and span, says a survey by ShopSmart. The chores women reported doing at least once a week included:

• 88% cleaning the toilets
• 79% vacuuming
• 70% mopping floors
• 64% dusting
• 7% washing windows

The task women minded least was vacuuming. The tasks they disliked the most were cleaning toilets and scrubbing showers and tubs.