Romance doesn’t always die with infidelity or screaming fights. Sometimes it dies with socks on the floor, dishes in the sink, and a pile of laundry you swear you’ll “deal with tomorrow.”
A new nationwide survey of 1,000 people found that mess is more than a nuisance—it actually kills attraction. Conducted by The Storage Center, the poll showed that over a third of respondents admitted they found their partner less appealing once the clutter got out of hand.
Women were more likely to call it out, with 62 percent saying a messy partner makes them crazy, compared to half of men. And plenty of people don’t wait for an apology before fixing it. Nearly six in ten women and almost half of men confessed they take care of their partner’s mess themselves.
Irritating? Absolutely. Will it make you resent your partner? Probably. Sixty-one percent of couples said clutter sparks recurring arguments. Almost 70 percent said their partners hoard clothes that no longer fit, “just in case,” while others admitted their homes double as laundry minefields.
Nearly one in five said underwear and socks are scattered around like confetti. Another chunk admitted their partner drags “outside clothes” straight onto the bed or couch, a move many considered its own form of relationship sabotage.
Your Cluttered House Is Ruining Your Shot at Romance
The resentment doesn’t always stay above board. About 38 percent of people admitted they’ve secretly thrown away a partner’s belongings, with younger couples especially likely to do it.
Among men, more than a third confessed they’ve “accidentally” broken items just to get rid of them. Engagement, apparently, raises the stakes—almost half of engaged couples admitted to behind-the-back purges.
A messy apartment can kill romance before it even gets going. Nearly one in four people said they stopped dating someone after seeing the state of their home. Gen Z was the least forgiving, with 38 percent saying disarray was an automatic no.
There is a silver lining. More than half of Americans said that seeing their partner scrub the sink or fold laundry actually makes them feel more attracted to them. Chores, it seems, can still qualify as foreplay.
Clutter may not look like a deal-breaker at first glance, but if the survey is right, a cluttered home might be the quickest way to kill a spark.
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