Britain puts £163 million through wash each year

Last year Britons destroyed £163 million of currency, £251 million worth of mobile phones and £13 million worth of MP3 players in washing machines, according to Halifax Home Insurance.

Dosh wash

Latest research from Halifax Home Insurance found that 61% of Brits unwittingly destroyed some £163 million pounds worth of currency in the washing machine last year. Men doused a staggering £95 million while women scrubbed out some £68 million.

Britons also wrote off a further £251 million worth of mobile phones after accidentally placing them in the wash. They also drowned £13 million worth of mp3 players – and that’s not including the cost of replacing downloaded tracks. One in twenty Brits aged 16-64 (2.1 million) gave themselves a novel excuse for being late for work after spin cycling their travel card.

One-in-four (24%) Brits accidentally put metal hair grips through the wash in the last year. A further 17% of Brits put keys through the wash and 14% jewellery. One-in-ten (9%) of Britons destroyed cheques or letters and the same percentage accidentally washed children’s toys left in pockets.

Water damage

According to 42%, washing an inappropriate item caused their washing machine to leak and resulted in a massive £2.2 billion bill to fix the resulting water damage. Halifax Home Insurance estimates that each year washing machines damaged by inappropriate items leak enough water to meet the daily requirements of over 430,000 households.

Regional findings

People living in the South East and East Anglia accidentally destroy the most money in washing machines each year, rendering over £51 million of currency worthless. Thrifty Scots are the best at checking their pockets with just £8.5 million put through the wash cycle each year.

Over £1 billion of damage is caused to properties in Wales and the West each year as a result of items accidentally put through the wash, such as keys, jewellery, mp3s and mobile phones. People living in Scotland are the most conscientious at checking the wash load for hidden items, with £47 million of damage caused each year.

Vicky Emmott, senior manager of underwriting at Halifax Home Insurance, said, “Leaking washing machines have the potential to cause thousands of pounds worth of damage to peoples’ homes. Aside from the obvious advice that people should check their pockets, householders can reduce their financial risk by ensuring they have adequate home insurance which will not only cover them for cost of replacing any washed items, but also any subsequent water damage to the home.”