Attention women: Men will vacuum

Statistics bolster what women know to be true: A scant 20 percent of men report they perform housework, such as cleaning or laundry, versus a vast majority of women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Ohio State University Extension Service says men would need to perform 60 percent more housework to catch up to the current household workload of women.

But there is a silver lining: When confronted with cleaning chores, men will vacuum. Hey, it's a start.

"It's not like you can vacuum wrong because the vacuum does all the work," says Randy Sandlin, director of industrial design for Eureka. For men, pushing a vacuum is the lesser of cleaning evils when stacked up against scrubbing toilets or similar tasks.

It's the getting started part that confounds would-be male householders. In his book, "Clean Like a Man: Housekeeping for Men (And the Women Who Love Them)," author Tom McNulty says men "have no idea where to start, what tools to use, or how to do it right. Basically, we're confused, frustrated and intimidated."

McNulty says the introduction of cleaning products men perceive as having masculine appeal and loaded with "enough bells and whistles to inspire a man to take it for a whirl once in a while" may be just the inducement needed to prod men into the domestic swing of things.

On Eureka's part, market research indicated that men -- and women -- were frustrated with multiple vacuum parts and attachments that became lost in closets or simply were not close at hand when the time came to clean stairs or reach dusty, cobwebby places like blinds, crown moldings and ceiling fans.

The company recently introduced an upright vacuum, the Altima, with all attachments attached.

According to Eureka, the electrostatic feather duster on the device extends three feet to reach the upper echelons of dirt near ceilings to attract debris like a magnet. The ergonomic machine also cleans within millimeters of walls.

In McNulty's way of thinking, anything that speeds cleaning not only cuts down on time spent dusting and shining but improves the perception that cleaning isn't as onerous as it could be. He suggests storing cleaning tools and gadgets in a logical spot to relieve the angst of household chores.

On his must-do cleaning list is an all-in-one "mobile cleaning unit" such as a bucket loaded with glass cleaner and disinfectant, all-purpose spray, dust cleaner, clothes and sponges and a small broom.

Another option is to keep tools near the spot where equipment is most likely to be used. "Projects take longer and are more frustrating when you continually have to stop and go look for a tool," says McNulty.