Mums Beware! Students are Heading Home With 250,000kg of Laundry this Spring
- Mum still knows best with 70 per cent of students relying on mothers (or grandmothers) to teach them how to do their laundry.
- Over a quarter of students admit to wearing their clothes until they are grubby or even a bit whiffy.
- More than a fifth of students only go near a washing machine when they start to run out of clothes.
- Londoners are not as clued up as their northern counterparts, as only 58 per cent of London students know how to use a washing machine compared to 80 per cent of Mancunian students.
As students flock back home in the coming weeks at the end of the spring term, mums may discover that they receive more than the usual loving treats, as a whopping 250,000kg of laundry will greet UK parents when their child comes home from university, for the holidays.
Despite flying the nest to start an independent life at university, students are heading back home with huge amounts of dirty laundry this spring, for mum to do, according to a ‘My Ariel’ survey.
No matter how much washing up powder and other stuff I put in the machine, the clothes just didn't smell the same as they did at home when mum does the washing
They may have some of the brightest minds in the whole country, but one in five university students have absolutely no idea how to work a washing machine and are reliant on advice from ‘the laundrette of mum and dad’, with nearly two thirds relying on their mothers to teach them how to use the washing machine.
Surprisingly, girls are more likely to have their mums on speed dial for laundry conundrums than boys, with 68 per cent saying they regularly ask their mum for help compared to 55 per cent of sons.
FemaleFirst's editor, Helen Earnshaw, says bringing her dirty laundry home, to be washed by mum, was just more convenient: "I went home quite regularly and was just learning how to drive, so it made sense to take the dirty clothes home.
"Plus the washing machines at uni smelled really bad; the laundry room was always busy and impatient students would just take your washing out and dump it anywhere instead of waiting their turn."
The survey also revealed that away from the routine at home, 22 per cent revealed they will only confront their pile of laundry when they run out of clothes to wear.
Surprisingly, male students are slightly better at keeping on top of doing their laundry with over half putting on a load on a weekly basis compared with only 49 per cent of girls.
For some university students it's not about being lazy - but it's about achieving the same standard as mum.
Taryn Davies, FemaleFirst's fashion, beauty and health editor, says: "No matter how much washing up powder and other stuff I put in the machine, the clothes just didn't smell the same as they did at home when mum does the washing."
Unlike Taryn, 57 per cent of students who are under pressure and in a rush to a lecture with no clean clothes, admit that they would happily rely on ‘The Sniff Test’ and wear something from the wash basket or grab something off the floor.
The survey was conducted to support the latest installment in the ‘My Ariel’ TV ad campaign which is themed around people’s real life clothing stories.
Visit www.facebook.com/ArielUKandIRE for further information and to watch the videos.
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