Birmingham is the most house-proud city in the UK, according to a study of the nation’s homeowners.
Researchers carried out an in depth look the cleaning habits of the nation and found a staggering 80 percent of Brummies claim that their home is always spic-and-span.
Britain’s “second city” narrowly beat the the people of Leeds – where 79 percent claim to keep their abodes clean at all times.
Liverpool and London were joint third – and Brighton and Bristol were tied in fifth place.
There was bad news for Scots – as the people of Edinburgh came bottom of the house-proud pile, with just 59 percent saying they keep their home as dust-free as possible.
The research also unveiled a list of signs you are house-proud, including buying fresh flowers every week, avoiding sitting on the sofa before guests arrive and making the children play outside so they don’t mess up the house.
A further 40 percent of those who were polled by Anglian Home Improvements admitted they got a “buzz” out of cleaning.
An Anglian spokesman said: “We undertook this research to gain a greater understanding of the UK’s attitudes to maintaining their homes and our findings show we well and truly live up to our reputation of being a house-proud nation.
“Not only is it great to discover the UK’s most house-proud region but interesting to reveal Brits are more house-proud than they have ever been with more time and effort spent improving the home.”
The poll also found that the average Brit rates their home’s cleanliness as a 6.9 out of ten.
Ironing is the chore we spend most of our time doing, followed by hoovering and the dreaded job of cleaning the oven.
And when it comes to impressing friends, family and even more importantly neighbours we employ a host of quick fixes to ensure our house looks the best.
Buying fresh flowers before guests arrive (27 percent) was the most popular ruse, while 24 percent of us put out just washed towels in our bathrooms.
A further 21 percent tidy up by hiding things in the garage or garden shed to make our houses look less cluttered, while another 20 percent light a scented candle.
But unfortunately around one in three (35 percent) are in such a rush to tidy up they forget where they put things away.
Others (27 percent) admitted they find it frustrating when guests leave the house looking a mess.
And almost one in ten (8 percent) even went as far as to admit they had told off guests for being untidy.
When it comes to home improvements the average Brit has spent around £6,988 over the last five years, with another £441 each year on furniture.
The top ten house-proud cities were:
- Birmingham
- Leeds
- Liverpool
- London
- Brighton
- Bristol
- Sheffield
- Cardiff
- Manchester
- Glasgow
