If you’ve spent a reasonable amount of time in Italy, chances are you’ve noticed how meticulously clean and tidy Italian homes generally are. 

In fact, you may even have experienced that quintessentially Italian situation where your host offers their deepest apologies for the casino (mess) overwhelming their house only to then welcome you into what looks like a show home.

To anyone who hasn’t yet have had a chance to see the lofty cleanliness standards of most Italian homes firsthand, the claim that most people in the country are a tad obsessed with cleaning may seem like an exaggeration. Luckily, there is evidence that it’s not. 

According to research by online odd-job marketplace Taskrabbit, around four in 10 Italians spend at least an hour and a half a week on each of the following tasks: vacuum cleaning and mopping floors, tidying up wardrobes and kitchen cupboards, dusting furniture, and washing clothes and linen.

Even more interestingly, Taskrabbit’s research found that 46 percent of Italians allocate an hour and a half per week (that’s nearly seven months over a 60-year period) to bathroom-cleaning duties alone. 

This makes Italians the most committed people in Europe when it comes to cleaning the bagno.

For context, only 32 percent of respondents in neighbouring France claim they spend that long cleaning their bathrooms, while over 50 percent say they put aside around 30 minutes a week for the task.

But, as research figures seem to confirm the idea that cleaning is of paramount importance in Italy, is there actually a reason behind it?

READ ALSO: Eating well, driving badly, and daily naps: The habits you pick up in Italy

Contrary to what some may believe, Italians don’t actually love doing domestic chores. According to the Taskrabbit study, only 1 percent of Italians like doing housework, while one in four claim they would much rather work their day job than take care of the house.

Naturally, the features of the land sometimes call for stronger cleaning efforts (think of insects and dust during the hot months, especially in the south), but these still don’t seem to fully justify the amount of time spent cleaning.

The reason is more likely to be cultural. After all, a sparkling clean home is essential if you want to fare una bella figura. 

Fare una bella figura is translatable into English as ‘making a good impression’. But its meaning goes far beyond that in Italy, where it encapsulates a series of unwritten social rules and guidelines that are seemingly hard-wired into most Italians from early childhood.

READ ALSO: How late is it usual to be in Italy?

Fare una bella figura means presenting yourself and your home in the best possible way. It’s about showing yourself, as well as others, that you care deeply about having a tidy and cosy home and that you take pride in it.

And it doesn’t matter if no one’s likely to visit for the next four weeks; you’ll still find Italian nonne regularly scrubbing and polishing everything in sight nel caso qualcuno si fa vivo (in case someone turns up).

Ultimately then, while they may not necessarily enjoy doing housework, fare una bella figura is perceived as a moral and social responsibility by most Italians and that’s the main reason why you’ll hardly ever find an Italian living in a messy or untidy home.