Forget candlelight and throwing on that Miguel album. For many people, the real aphrodisiac is watching someone else scrub the dishes. There’s no real explanation for it. It just works.
That instinct has actual numbers behind it now. A new Homeaglow survey of 1,000 U.S. adults found that 52% feel “turned on” when they see a partner clean, with women reporting the reaction slightly more often than men.
The dishes, specifically, are the sexiest. Out of every chore tested, washing dishes ranked as the most attractive one to watch, followed by vacuuming and bed-making. Maybe romance novels need to make a new subgenre.
Most households still don’t split chores evenly, so a partner who grabs a sponge without being asked is doing something a lot of people never see at home. Harvard Business School researchers tracked nearly 40,000 people this year and found something similar: couples who pay someone else to clean or cook report happier relationships. Paying for a cleaner might be the most romantic thing a couple does all year.
The Household Chore That Turns the Most People On, According to a New Survey
The survey’s harsher findings align with that same logic. Almost 30% of people admit to judging the cleanliness of rooms shown in dating profile photos, men more than women, and 80% say an unclean home changes how they feel about a potential partner. Smell ranked as the single biggest turn-off, ahead of dirty dishes or a grimy bathroom.
Established couples aren’t exempt either. More than half of respondents said they’ve argued about cleaning, and one in 20 has ended a relationship over it. Lots of people would rather fight about the dishes than say what’s actually bothering them.
People aren’t actually turned on by Pine-Sol. They’re turned on by not having to ask twice. A partner who picks up a sponge without being told just proved they were paying attention. And attention is the most valuable currency in a relationship.
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