Helen Skelton takes a stroll in park with enormous 6ft 5ins-tall dog – made from 300 old mop heads

HELEN SKELTON was spotted walking a giant 'dog' - made out of mop heads.

‘Mop’, an animatronic Hungarian sheepdog, which was seen in London’s Battersea Park, measures three metres long and two metres high.

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It moves its head from side to side and shakes - but it is made from 300 old mop heads.

Passers-by, including those walking their real pups, had to quickly stand back when Mop needed to shake off the mud from his walk.

Taking more than 2,000 hours to build, it comes after a study of 2,000 adults revealed an average of 12 days per year – 46 minutes a day - is spent on time ‘sucks’ – like cleaning up after dogs and children, waiting for the washer or dryer to finish, or pairing socks.

The research, commissioned by Bosch to mark the launch of the Unlimited 7 Aqua, also found 26 per cent of parents dislike cleaning up the mess kids make such as picking up food from the floor after meals or wiping up muddy footprints.

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While the same percentage of dog and cat owners said the same of their pet.

TV presenter, Helen Skelton, said: “I’m no stranger to mud in the house – we absolutely love getting outside but it’s either kids or dogs traipsing it through the house after a long walk.

“I hugely relate to the fact that Brits feel they are wasting time cleaning up after them – we love them dearly but they are messy.

“I’m really pleased to be involved in this campaign to tackle some of these time-sucking activities and give parents even just a little bit of time back for themselves.”

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It also emerged 35 per cent would like to spend less time dusting and polishing, 29 per cent want less vacuuming – and a fifth want to reduce their mopping.

Currently, the average adult spends 39 minutes a day - or 10 days a year - cleaning.

As a result, 61 per cent of ‘dog parents’ want to be able to clean as fast and as efficiently as possible, with a quarter admitting they sometimes avoid walking their pooch if it’s muddy to save time cleaning up afterwards.

And these time sucking tasks make 53 per cent feel less productive than they’d like – with this rising to 70 per cent of parents of under 18s and 62 per cent of dog owners.

Also among the top 40 frustrating activities were clearing up the kitchen after cooking a meal, queuing to pay at a supermarket, and sitting in traffic.

The OnePoll.com data also found 65 per cent would like to be more efficient with their time, with 37 per cent attempting do something productive when doing a time sucking activity.

These include trying to get a few extra chores done while they wait for the kettle to boil or using the opportunity for a bit of ‘thinking’ time while waiting for the microwave to ping.

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A spokesperson for Bosch UK, which is sending Mop the Dog around the country this April, said: “We know there’s more to life than cleaning – that’s why we want to create products that make getting chores done a doddle.

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“We believe that there should be less time spent scrubbing and more time for us to spend however we want – whether that’s enjoying the company of our family or playing with the pets.

“We’re so excited to take Mop on a walk up and down the country, not only to bring a smile to those who see him, but to demonstrate how easy it is to avoid daily time sucks.”

TOP 40 TIME-SUCKING ACTIVITIES:

The average adult spends 39 minutes a day cleaning

1. Clearing up the kitchen after cooking a meal
2. Queuing for a till in a supermarket
3. Sitting in traffic
4. Putting away washed up dishes
5. Waiting for the kettle to boil
6. Deleting spam email
7. Waiting for the washing machine / tumble dryer to finish
8. Waiting for a delivery to arrive
9. Cleaning up after yourself
10. Being on hold on the phone
11. Waiting for the microwave to ping
12. Scrolling through online streaming services, e.g. Netflix, to find something to watch
13. Pairing socks from a load of clean washing
14. Waiting for software updates on devices
15. Cleaning up after pets
16. Packing the bags while food shopping
17. Waiting at a bus stop
18. Cleaning up after your partner
19. Waiting for a teabag to brew
20. Cleaning your glasses ineffectively with your shirt instead of using lens cleaner
21. Waiting for your alarm clock to go off despite being awake
22. Refreshing emails when waiting for a certain reply
23. Waiting for the car to de-ice
24. Waiting to use the bathroom in your home while someone else is in there
25. Sending emails instead of picking up the phone to call
26. Waiting at a train or underground station
27. Cleaning up after children
28. Waiting for children to get dressed
29. Waiting on video calls for other people to join
30. Waiting in the airport
31. Waiting for children to go to sleep.
32. Waiting to use a public toilet
33. Listening to voicemails or voice notes from friends or family
34. Waiting for children to come out of school at the end of the day
35. Queueing at the bank to speak to someone rather than use a machine
36. Waiting for your dog to calm down and settle after its walk
37. Waiting at the garage for a car MOT or service
38. Waiting for children at after school activities
39. Waiting in a virtual queue for online tickets
40. Waiting for your dog to get bored of fetching the ball

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