By Joseph Staples // SWNS
NEWS COPY W/ VIDEO + INFOGRAPHIC
The average home goes through 2,184 pounds of laundry a year — the weight of an adult black rhinoceros.
Kids may be a large part of the reason why. The average child goes through THREE outfits on a typical day.
Seven in ten (71%) parents feel like they witness a daily “fashion show” as their child changes clothes so often.
The study, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Whirlpool brand, asked 2,000 U.S. parents with children aged 3–18 about home messes and revealed kids are so energetic and active are so messy that the average room only stays clutter-free 17 minutes.
Messes can create lots of laundry. Part of the effort that goes into laundry is stain removal, and the average respondent said they spend seven minutes trying to remove stains on laundry day.
It’s not always effective, and parents surveyed said there are currently six permanently stained clothes or surfaces in their home right now.
Results also revealed a quarter of respondents (25%) said clothing stains were the most frustrating to remove.
The survey shows the living room, main bathroom and kitchen are among the hardest-hit areas of the home.
Seventy-two percent said they feel their home barely stays clean for more than a few minutes before the next mess happens — and 64% admit there’s currently a mess they’re putting off.
“Few household chores are more overwhelming than laundry. In addition to keeping the entire house clean, our research shows parents are doing a load of laundry almost daily,” said Shawn Ashby, Whirlpool Laundry Brand Manager. “Parents are incredibly busy but still understand that laundry is a necessary task to keep their home in order. We’re on a mission to help alleviate the stress that laundry can bring.”
Forget the terrible twos — it’s the “spirited sevens” that are, on average, the messiest of the bunch.
And the trail of mud, crayon marks and assorted toys often leads back to the guilty party, but despite their propensity for messiness, 7-year-olds are also the most likely to help with clean-up.
Thirty-six percent of kids volunteer to load the dishwasher, 34% help clear dishes and 33% assist with meal prep.
Yet most kids would rather take out the trash (29%) than do the laundry (23%), leaving their parents to do the “dirtier work.”
“It’s important to have a good washing machine that offers an efficient clean and helps make stain removal easy,” added Shawn Ashby. “Smart appliances such as the Whirlpool® Top Load Washer with 2 in 1 Removable Agitator can help with that by giving parents the freedom to be in another room while keeping track of their laundry cycles from their phone, letting them check off their to-do list no matter where they are or what they’re doing.”
ROOMS THAT STAY CLEAN FOR THE SHORTEST AMOUNT OF TIME
- Living room/family room 34%
- Main bathroom 34%
- Kitchen 32%
- Master bathroom 26%
- Children’s bedrooms 22%
CHORES THAT KIDS LIKE TO HELP OUT WITH
- Loading the dishwasher 36%
- Clearing dishes 34%
- Cooking meals 33%
- Taking out the trash 29%
- Laundry 23%
