WOMEN have turned into "desperate housewives", spending more than nine years of their adult lives cleaning and tidying.

Domestic chores have been credited as the one thing women feel they can control, despite working longer hours than ever before, while others say housework is "mentally therapeutic".

The findings have been unveiled in a survey of 2,000 women by The Housework Survey of Great Britain 2006, commissioned by Discovery Home & Health.

Almost 60 per cent of the women surveyed said they "feel depressed if their house is a mess".

Six out of 10 women said cleaning made them exhausted especially as 71 per cent also had a job.

Many admitted being driven by the desire for their home to resemble those featured in glossy magazines.

Almost half considered themselves "cleanaholics" and wish they could cut down, whereas a third said "cleaning gives them more satisfaction than sex".

Linda Potts, former senior Women's Studies tutor at York St John College, said: "Women are still the prime target for selected advertising so cleaning products tend to be advertised to women and it is seen as their responsibility.

"But there are concerns about women's exposure to chemicals on a daily basis that must be damaging their health."

Another concern was about the impact that a very clean home had on children's immune system, she said.

Linda who is now a reader in public health and the environment at the college, added: "We tend not to regard the home as a work place, but for those women spending that amount of time cleaning, it is.

"There's satisfaction in doing a good job whatever that may be. I would hope women found other areas of satisfaction as well, and that all of us, as citizens, should be satisfied if the place where we live were in good nick.

"The world would be a better place if everyone cleaned up their own mess. We can say that on a global level."

The survey revealed that the average woman spends two hours 23 minutes a day cleaning and tidying - compared with 52 minutes on her appearance.

Between the ages of 18 and 80 that adds up to nine years, two months and 25 days of a woman's waking life spent scrubbing, dusting, polishing and plumping.

Dee Smith, from Discovery Home & Health, said: "British women feel more in control of their lives when their home is clean and tidy. Cleaning is the new therapy. A dust-free, clutter-free home helps a woman find inner peace and contentment -- a sense that all is well with her world. A spick and span space is also part of the designer lifestyle dream."

Updated: 09:32 Thursday, April 27, 2006