Your New Partner Deal Breakers Revealed

You’ve started dating someone new, and everything is going well until you venture into their bedroom. Here you find dirty clothes strewn on the floor, yesterday’s toast still sitting on their bedside table, and bedsheets that don’t look like they’ve seen inside a washing machine in months.

What do you do?

Do you call time on the relationship, figuring it’s never going to work? Or do you stick it out, hoping they’ll eventually change their ways?

We wanted to find out what people think are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have and whether it would be enough to make them end their budding romance.

So, we surveyed 1000 people across the UK to find out what bedroom habits are excusable, and which are absolute deal-breakers.

Here’s what we discovered.

The worst bedroom habits revealed

Poor hygiene

Of the 1000 people we surveyed, more than a quarter (28%) said clipping their toenails in bed was the worst offence a partner could make in the bedroom. (a)

A further 28% said seeing dirty laundry all over the floor was their biggest bugbear. (b) And another 28% said it would be a major turn-off if they found their partner didn’t wash their sheets regularly. (c)

‘Bed’ manners

If you live in the Yorkshire & Humber region and tend to snore, talk in your sleep, or steal the covers, you may want to act fast to save your relationship. More than 31% of people surveyed here said these behaviours were the worst thing a partner could do between the sheets. (d) This was much higher than the national average, where only 24%of people felt the same. (e)

Being messy

A fifth of Brits surveyed (20%) said a partner who doesn’t clean up after themselves and leaves things lying around the bedroom would be their biggest pet peeve. (f)

Living with someone who doesn’t make the bed in the morning seems to become more of an issue the older we get.19% of those surveyed aged 25 to 34 said they found this bedroom habit the most frustrating, compared to only 9% of those aged 16 to 24. (g)

If you live in the Southeast of England, be sure to close your wardrobe doors fully– more than 14% of people here said a partner leaving cupboards and drawers open in the bedroom would be a major nuisance to them. (h)

Eating

It seems most men are not a fan of finding crumbs under the covers - more than a fifth of those surveyed (21%) saida partner eating in bed is their most hated habit. (i)

However, for most women, their biggest dislike would be if a partner kept stale food lying around the bedroom (we can understand why). More than 23% of females surveyed said this was a potential deal-breaker for them, compared to only 13% of men who felt the same. (j)

Not switching off devices

We all know that scrolling on our phones until the early hours can play havoc with our sleep, but it may also have a negative effect on our relationships.

Those living in Greater London had the highest percentage of people saying tech in the bedroom is their most hated habit. More than a fifth (22%) said a partner who works in bed or goes on their phone when they should be sleeping is their biggest pet peeve. (k)

Better to turnoff your devices if you want to keep your love life turned on!

Sharing your bed with a pet

While some people may love the thought of cuddling up to their furry friends at night, it turns out that it’s quite the turn-off for some people!

19% of those surveyed from Scotland said they hate it when their partner lets their pet sleep in bed with them. (l) This was much higher than the national average, where only 12% said the same. (m)

Who has the worst bedroom habits – you or your partner?

Most of the people we surveyed seemed reluctant to own up to bad bedroom habits.

Only 19% of Brits said they had the most annoying bedroom habits, (n) while half (50%) of females surveyed said their partner had much worse habits in the boudoir. (o)

Men, however, took a more diplomatic approach – 40% said they ‘didn’t know’ who had the worst habit. (p)

Could a bad bedroom habit be a relationship deal-breaker?

For some people, these bedroom niggles aren’t just annoying - they’re grounds for ending the relationship.

A whopping 41% of those surveyed said their partner’s persistent bad bedroom habits cause them to get less sleep, (q)while 37% admitted feeling resentment towards their other half. (r) 29% of people even felt these bad habits lead to less sex. (s)

When we asked people what they would do if their other half didn’t change their ways, a whopping 50% of those aged 35 to 44 said they would consider moving into the spare room, (t) while 45% of 25 to 34-year-olds said they would think about calling time on their relationship altogether! (u)

What can you do to save your romance?

We asked people if their partner would agree to change just one of their bad bedroom habits, which one would it be?

These were the top responses:

24% said they would most like their partner to stop snoring, talking in their sleep, and hogging the covers. (v)

16% want their partner to use the laundry bin rather than throwing dirty washing on the floor. (w)

A further 16% would just like their other half to keep the bedroom tidy. (x)

And 10% would like their partner to wash their bedding more regularly. (y)

It might be worth trying to change your bad habits if you want your new partner to stick around!

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, if your bedroom (as well as your relationship) needs a reboot, now is the perfect time to invest in a brand-new bed.

At Bensons for Beds, we know that sleep simply isn’t one size fits all. That’s why we’ve created the exclusive, your bed, your way® service. This allows you and your partner to personalise your new bed. In fact, you can choose the perfect, fabric, bed frame, headboards and mattress to suit both your tastes – no compromise needed. At least that’s one less thing to argue about!

Find out more about the Bensons for Beds your bed, your way® service  here.

Survey results

a) 298 of 1000 people surveyed answered ‘clipping toenails in bed’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?’

b) 298 of 1000 people surveyed answered ‘dirty underwear/laundry on the floor’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?’

c) 298 of 1000 people surveyed answered ‘dirty bedding/not washing duvet, sheets, pillowcases regularly’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?’

d) 26 of 82 people surveyed in Yorkshire & Humber answered ‘snoring/talking in their sleep/stealing the covers’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?’

e) 246 of 1000 people surveyed answered ‘snoring/talking in their sleep/stealing the covers’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?’

f) 203 of 1000 people surveyed answered ‘messy’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?’

g) 12 of 124 people aged 16 to 24 and 32 of 167 people aged 25 to 34 answered ‘not making the bed’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?

h) 18 of 30 people surveyed in the Southeast of England answered, ‘not closing drawers/wardrobe doors properly’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?

i) 103 of 490 males surveyed answered ‘eating in bed’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?

j)119 of 510 females surveyed and 64 of 490 males surveyed answered, ‘not throwing out food that has gone stale’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?’

k) 30 of 132 people surveyed in Greater London answered, ‘going on their phones when they should be sleeping’ and ‘working in bed’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?

l) 16 of 84 people surveyed in Scotland answered, ‘letting their pet sleep in the bed’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?

m) 125 of 1000 people surveyed answered ‘letting their pet sleep in the bed’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you say are the worst bedroom habits a partner could have?

n) 119 of 612 people surveyed answered ‘myself’ when asked, ‘Who, if anyone, would you say has the worst bedroom habit?’ *respondents who are currently in a relationship

o) 157 of 312 females surveyed answered ‘my partner’ when asked, ‘Who, if anyone, would you say has the worst bedroom habit?’ *respondents who are currently in a relationship

p) 122 of 300 males surveyed answered ‘Don’t know’ when asked, ‘Who, if anyone, would you say has the worst bedroom habit?’ *respondents who are currently in a relationship

q) 415 of 1000 people surveyed answered, ‘less sleep’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, do you think bad bedroom habits lead to?

r) 373 of 1000 people surveyed answered, ‘frustration/resentment towards your partner’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, do you think bad bedroom habits lead to?

s) 295 of 1000 people surveyed answered, ‘reduced sex life’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, do you think bad bedroom habits lead to?

t) 80 of 158 people surveyed aged 35 to 44 answered ‘agree’ when asked, ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? ‘I would consider moving into the spare room/sleeping in a separate room because of bad bedroom habits. 

u) 76 of 167 people surveyed aged 25 to 34 answered, ‘agree’ when asked, ‘To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? ‘I would consider ending a relationship over bad bedroom habits.

v) 150 of 612 people surveyed answered ‘they wouldn’t snore/talk in their sleep/steal the covers’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you most like to change about your partner’s bedroom habits?

w) 101 of 612 people surveyed answered, ‘they would put their dirty laundry in the laundry basket’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you most like to change about your partner’s bedroom habits?

x) 100 of 612 people surveyed answered, ‘they would keep the bedroom tidy and make the bed’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you most like to change about your partner’s bedroom habits?

y) 67 of 612 people surveyed answered, ‘they would wash their bedding more regularly’ when asked, ‘What, if anything, would you most like to change about your partner’s bedroom habits?’