HOW attitudes have changed.

Cleaning is no longer people's priority. After a long day at work they'd rather spend their time socialising.

A British Gas Home Truths study has revealed that most people are too exhausted after work, they'd rather live in a scruffy household than make the effort to tidy up.

The average family spends six hours a week on cleaning according to the survey.

So what. It's all relative. That's well long enough to clean a two-up two-down terrace from top to bottom, but you wouldn't get far with a six or seven bedroomed detached.

Gone are the days, thankfully, when women were forced to stay at home and spend a whole day using a dolly tub and posser to do the washing.

Automation has released us from such burdens, but some women still make a meal of cleaning.

My lovely neighbour makes me dizzy. She spends hours each day washing, cleaning, bleaching the paths, ironing - and when she's not doing her own she's doing someone else's.

Her dusters are whiter than my underwear!

I do just what I have to to keep my place clean. I think how you tackle housework depends on how you've been brought up.

I was used to having to shift everything as soon as it was finished with, and the hoover going every day - and that was just my dad! He came from a houseproud family and insisted on tidiness at all times.

I hated it. Now I realise it's no bad thing.