Lacklustre laundry efforts cause the most arguments in the home
Poor washing habits and laundry related chores are putting a strain on our relationships, according to new research conducted by Panasonic UK.
Whilst squabbles about household bills and taking the bin out frustrate many couples, results from the Panasonic Steam Washing Report show that more married or co-habiting couples argue about laundry issues such as doing the ironing and ruining clothes in the wash, than any other chore.
Considering the average parent will spend around two years of their adult life on washing and ironing, it’s not surprising this errand is a source of heated debate.
The gender split in division of chores makes one thing clear - women are bearing the brunt of the washing load. 65% of women say they are the only person who does laundry in their home. Not only that, men admit they go to great lengths to avoid doing their fair share. Results from those surveyed show that men are twice as likely to deliberately wash something badly in order to get out of being asked to help again.
The report also looked into the impact washing habits have on relationships outside of the home, and revealed that around one in three Brits knows someone who wears dirty or smelly clothes. Whilst this might make our stomach churn, the majority of those surveyed would prefer not to say anything than risk falling out with friends.
To help wash our troubles away, advice is at hand from one of the UK’s leading cleanliness experts. Linda Dykes from TV show Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners has outlined her top cleaning tips:
1. Don't wash your bed linen with clothing items. Sheets are on your bed for a lot longer than you wear clothes, allowing odours and dead skin cells to build up. Washing sheets by themselves allows proper room for them to clean and breathe.
2. Don't overload your washer as items will not be cleaned as well. Overloading creases items, which means you are more likely to have to iron them. Using Panasonic’s Steam Action Washing Machines helps, as clothes come out less creased than those with the conventional wash or dry cycle.
3. Remove stubborn yellow sweat stains by adding a small capful of bleach to your washing powder during a standard cotton wash.
4. If you spill any oil based substances such as foundation on clothes, scrub the area with a little squirt of washing-up liquid and rinse it off before putting it in the wash immediately.
5. If you’re pressed for time, you can refresh clothes using washing machines with Steam Action-Technology, such as the Panasonic NA-140VZ4 and NA-140VS4, which deodorize laundry in between full washes.
For further information regarding the Panasonic Steam Washer see panasonic.co.uk/laundry.
