Any woman could have told them, but researchers have now confirmed that the equality of the sexes is a myth when it comes to vacuuming the carpets.

A survey of 3,000 homeown-ers has reported that the average British woman will vacuum the equivalent of a journey to New York and back over the course of her lifetime, clocking up 7,300 miles.

In sorry contrast, men will only manage a feeble 850 miles, or the distance from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

The survey says that the average British woman spends two days a year, or five months in a lifetime, vacuum-cleaning the house. The survey, by the manufacturer Bosch, found that men spend only half a day vacuuming in a typical year, or just over a month in the average lifetime.

Many men might complain that even half an hour is too much, but there are hidden benefits.

Before women start to demand that men share custody of the vacuum cleaner, they should be aware that cleaning can be better exercise than the gym and a lot cheaper. Stretching and reaching, lifting the machine and staying on the feet all provide enough exercise to help to keep weight down.

Mike Hill, a personal fitness expert, said: “Who would have thought we travel so far doing a simple task like vacuuming? It just goes to show that everyday household tasks can help keep us in shape.

“Although vacuuming may not the seem the most glam-orous way of exercising, it’s actually a good all-round work-out and you don’t even have to leave the home.”

The figure of how many miles the average vacuum cleaner covers were calculated on one second spent cleaning equating to one metre walked.

The average woman vacuums for 20 minutes, three times a week, which equals 3,600 seconds/metres or 2.2 miles. In contrast, men get the vacuum cleaner out of the cupboard an average of once a week. Men are also likely to run out of steam quicker giving up after after just 18 minutes.

Both sexes typically clean four rooms each time they have a vacuuming blitz.

Although 74 per cent of women take responsibility for the cleaning in the home, 95 per cent of them believe men should do more to help.

Perhaps it is the noise of the motor blotting out other distractions, but there also appears to be a therapeutic benefit, with 43 per cent of adults saying vacuuming helps them to unwind and think.

One in twenty women claimed to have made a life-changing decisions while vacuuming. Top of the list were splitting up with a partner, deciding to move house or get a new job. Perhaps that was why two thirds suffered lapses in concentration and sucked up something valuable.

The 9,000mile dog walk

- In an average lifetime of 75 years, 25 of them will be spent sleeping

- If you watch two hours of television a day, you will spend 2,281 hours (or three months) in front of the box

- If you walk your dog two miles a day, you will cover 9,344 miles during the average pet’s 12.8year life

- The average British woman spends two years of her life gazing in the mirror

- The average shopper will spend six months of their lives at the supermarket. A typical consumer makes two half-hour trips to the supermarket every week and spends an average of £63 per visit

- The average woman dedicates 603 days of her life to applying mascara, blusher, lipstick and eyeshadow — and a further 170 removing the various layers

- Stressed British workers lose seven years of sleep over their lifetimes because of work worries

- Britons spend more than four years on the telephone in their working lives — with women chatting for a whole year more than men

- The average computer user will spend 4.7 years surfing the internet during their lifetime

- The average smoker spends nearly a month a year on breaks while at work. This equates to 7,426 hours during the average smoker’s working lifetime, or nearly a whole year spent smoking rather than working

Source: Times database

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