Does having a clean room as a child lead to a more successful working life? Some researchers think so. The results of a 30 year study funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and National Science Foundation, reported that adults who had clean homes as children earned higher salaries than their messier peers.

Professor Jeanne Brooks-Gunn said that "in terms of looking at people's lives and wages, there is more to predicting adults' success than just looking at school achievement." Other factors she mentioned that were important were social and motivational skills.

Additionally, she added, another conclusion was that "there is more to the home than just providing stimulating learning experiences.

"It is not the clean house per se, but possibly the organizational skills or the organization of the household and beliefs about efficiency and organization that are transmitted from parent to child," she added.

The article, entitled "Clean rooms make a difference in the lives of workers" appeared in the March 7th edition of the Michigan Daily .

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Published Wednesday, Jun. 26, 2002