Fifteen per cent of British people are dissuaded from employing a domestic help because they wouldn't trust a stranger working inside their home.

Analysis of industry data by Safeclean, the UK furniture, carpet and upholstery care franchise, shows that as a nation we still appear reluctant to open the doors to 'our castles', no matter how much they need cleaning.

A further 17 per cent said that they would require a personal recommendation before they even considered letting a domestic help into the house.

Safeclean believe the data highlights the need for household cleaning firms to maintain an image that gives an impression of trust together with a highly reliable service – for instance, by wearing a company badge and uniform as well as driving cars/vans carrying recognisable logos.

'The last few years have seen a real increase across the whole country in the number of people using domestic helps, generated by increasing levels of affluence and the long hours we tend to work, resulting in there being less time to do the household chores,' says Matt Jones, Marketing Manager for Safeclean.

'That said, some people are still reluctant to ask for help, no matter how much they need it, purely because they don't like the idea of strangers being inside their house.

'In many ways, this level of caution is understandable – everyone should be do their best to insure their homes are secure. However, reputable companies such as Safeclean understand that trust and discretion is the key to their business, and regard both with paramount importance. People need to know that they can rely 100 per cent on their domestic help.'

The industry data used by Safeclean was gleaned from adults aged 18 and upwards from around the country and belonging to different socio-economic groups.

Although 15 per cent was the national figure for people dissuaded from employing a domestic help because of issues over trust, there were regional variations. In both Wales & the south west and Yorkshire & the north east, the figure stood at 18 per cent. The north-west recorded 15 per cent, as opposed to 16 per cent in London, 14 per cent in Anglia & the Midlands, and 12 per cent across the south outside the perimeter of the M25 motorway.

Overall, the most trustworthy people can be found in Scotland, where 11 per cent regard trust as an issue when it comes to domestic help.

The least trustworthy age group is the 15 to 24 bracket, 21 per cent of who would have qualms over employing a domestic help. That number falls to just 11 per cent for people aged 65 and over.

Women tend to be marginally less trustworthy, with 16 per cent opposed to the idea of letting an unknown domestic help into their home compared to 15 per cent of men. The figure rises to 18 per cent for unmarried people of both sexes, and drops to 13 per cent for those who are married.

Safeclean currently boasts a network of 100 franchisees, carrying out domestic cleaning responsibilities across the UK in an industry worth an estimated £550 million per year.

Employing help to assist with domestic cleaning and general household chores is no longer the preserve of traditionally middle-class areas, according to new data gathered by Safeclean, the UK furniture, carpet and upholstery care franchise.

Increasing numbers of households in towns and cities such as Newcastle-upon Tyne, Cardiff, Huddersfield, Oldham, Halifax and Doncaster – once the backbone of working-class, industrial Britain – are now sending out for domestic help to assist with a range of duties around the house, from cleaning curtains, carpets and rugs to walking the dog.

Thirty-three per cent of people living in urban areas across Yorkshire and the north-east now admit to using some kind of domestic help, compared to 36 per cent in the north-west and 35 per cent in South Wales. This compares to 31 per cent in London and 41 per cent in built up areas across the south outside the M25 motorway.

In addition, 20 per cent of those questioned in Yorkshire and the north-east said that they would employ a domestic help if they could afford one, compared to 19 per cent in the north west and 16 per cent in South Wales.

In response to the growing demand for domestic cleaning, Safeclean has embarked on an ambitious recruitment drive to allocate new franchisees in former industrial areas such as West and South Yorkshire (Leeds, Huddersfield, Halifax, Wakefield, Doncaster), the North-West (Manchester, Oldham), Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Wales (Cardiff) and Scotland (Glasgow).

Safeclean believe that the change in attitudes to domestic help is being caused by growing affluence across the country, creating more of a 'classless society', together with the increasing pressure on people's spare time caused by long working hours.

'Over the last 15 years in particular, some of what were always seen as traditionally working-class industrial areas have benefited from an awful lot of investment, injecting more money into both the local economies and people's pockets,' says Matt Jones, Marketing Manager for Safeclean.

'At the same time, people are also working longer hours, meaning they have less time to deal with the household chores when they get home.

'Once, it was the woman's responsibility to clean the house while the man went out to work to provide a living. That's all changed now. Men and women lead equally busy lives in the workplace. As far as the domestic responsibilities are concerned, it's often easier to call for outside help.'

The industry data used by Safeclean was gleaned from adults aged 18 and upwards from around the country belonging to different socio-economic groups.

Interestingly, Safeclean's research also seems to show that the old-fashioned stigma of being 'in service' has also disappeared as the need for domestic helps has increased. In fact the only problem now seems to be that there aren't always enough reputable helps to go around.

'We discovered that in South Wales together with Yorkshire and the north-east, 18 per cent of people would not trust a stranger to clean their home, falling to 15 per cent in the north-west,' adds Matt Jones. 'That's why it's essential that the leading household cleaning firms, such as Safeclean, maintain a company image that exudes trustworthiness and a highly reliable service.

'Our franchisees are fully trained professionals working in a tough yet rewarding occupation. They need to be the best not only to do their job, but to counter any issues the public at large may have over trust.'

Safeclean currently boasts a network of 100 franchisees, carrying out domestic cleaning responsibilities across the UK in an industry worth an estimated £550 million per year.