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If you’re sick and tired of spending so much time on laundry, you’re not alone. Laundry is the third most time-consuming chore, behind cleaning and cooking. On average, you’ll spend over 480 hours per year on laundry!
The average American parent dedicates almost a full day’s worth of time to general cleaning and housework each month. That’s a lot of time!
It’s no secret that laundry can be a time-consuming process. It’s a chore that is – unfortunately – a necessity. Depending on the size of your household, you may be spending multiple hours a week walking to and from the laundry room, piled up baskets in hand.
We’ve all had the experience of realizing you don’t have any clean work clothes or you need to clean your kids’ clothes for practice or dance class. That is when things get inefficient. You have to rush to get the laundry done at a time that isn’t ideal for your schedule.
If you’re sick and tired of spending so much time on laundry, you’re not alone. So, how much time do people spend on laundry? Here’s what we found:
Studies show that people spend 3 hours each week washing their laundry.
For some households, laundry days stretch throughout the week with a little here and there, while others have one day that is devoted to laundry alone. It all depends on the household size and laundry situation—if families can’t separate whites from colors and need to frequently keep up with laundry dirtied by different family members, laundry may be a long process.
How Much Time Do People Spend on Laundry?
- On average, women spend approximately 17 minutes per day doing laundry chores.
- On average, men spend approximately 4 minutes per day doing laundry chores.
- Laundry is the third most time-consuming activity for women, behind interior cleaning and cooking.
- Laundry-related chores are ranked eighth in terms of daily time spent by men, behind cooking and lawn or garden activities.
- Women typically spend three times as much time doing laundry than men.
ARM & HAMMER Clean & Simple conducted a survey which looked at how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected habits and household dynamics when it comes to cleaning and housework.
In good news, respondents aren’t missing out on as much quality time in recent months, as their family is now more likely to be helping out when completing housework.
Results revealed that 39 percent of parents surveyed said their children have been more involved with doing the laundry since the start of the pandemic.
In that same timeframe, 59 percent said laundry has been split more evenly between them and their partner — but 46 percent are still spending more time on laundry now than before the start of the pandemic.
In the last decade, household dynamics seem to be changing, 80 percent of respondents believe housework is being split more evenly between different partners— with millennials most likely to think so.
Some respondents were so keen on having help with the housework that they’d even forgo a date night with their partner — results found that 22 percent would choose to have help with laundry over being taken out on a date.
While more and more parents are tackling housework together, a quarter of participants (25 percent) did admit to doing a poor job at some point on purpose — in hopes of getting out of doing the task again.
A third (34 percent) of respondents said their partner has pulled that trick, while 14 percent said they both have. Men were almost twice as likely as women to have tried this (32 percent vs. 18 percent).
The majority (78 percent) have taught their partner how to properly do a chore, with vacuuming (32 percent), laundry (30 percent), and making the beds (30 percent) revealed to be the top three chores people needed a lesson in.
There’s power in teamwork, 85 percent percent of respondents agree: Doing the cleaning and housework with a partner allows them to do it better.
Furthermore, results found 84 percent of respondents agree using a detergent that is good for you and your family, but just as effective, makes the laundry process less stressful.
How Much Money Do People Spend on Laundry?
In addition to time spent on laundry, people also spend quite a bit of money on laundry detergent. Consumers spend an average of $15-25 once or twice a month on detergent. Simple math shows that people spend between $180 – $600 per year (or every 300-390 loads) on laundry detergent. That’s a lot of laundry detergent!
According to Procter & Gamble Co., the average American family washes 300-390 laundry loads per year, which means they’re spending between $180-$600 per year on detergent.
How much does it cost to do an average load of laundry? Combining all of these factors, the average cost of a load of laundry is $1.27. At this cost, if you do one load per week, doing laundry costs $66.04 per year. If you do four loads per week, doing laundry costs $264.16 per year. If you average eight loads per week, doing laundry costs $528.32 per year.
When it’s all said and done laundry costs Americans an astounding amount of money each year. Documents from laundry service providers suggest the average American household spends at least $1,500 yearly on laundry – from washing machines to laundry detergent, bleach, and fabric softeners. And this doesn't even count your water bill!
Despite laundry being expensive, it is a necessary part of survival. Not only does laundry help maintain hygiene standards that keep people healthy, but it also extends the life of clothing pieces. Spending money on laundry allows us to look our best and protect our wardrobes for a relatively reasonable price – making laundry costs well worth it in more ways than one.
How Americans Stack Up: Unveiling Laundry Habits Around the World?
It’s generally accepted that laundry is a universal chore, however how often we do laundry and how we go about it can vary enormously from country to country. When it comes to Americans, laundry habits have evolved, but market research shows that laundry continues to play an important role in the typical American household. Surveys indicate that American households average five loads of laundry per week, with many families doing laundry more than once a day.
By comparison, other countries such as France typically average three laundry loads each week. Certain cultural norms may be at play; for instance, in family-centric European societies laundry is traditionally done with the entire family pitching in around the same time each week – making certain laundry tasks perhaps less of a burden. However you look at it, laundry remains a time-consuming global activity inextricably linked with the complexities of everyday life.
While laundry habits vary from country to country, Americans tend to do laundry more than other cultures. This may be traced back to the laundry machines available in most American homes, allowing laundry to become a task that is easier and quicker than hand washing. Furthermore, certain countries have different laundry concerns; for instance, laundry in South Korea often involves traditional methods like sun-drying. As American culture continues to modernize, it can be assumed that laundry habits will continue to develop as well.
Looking For Another Option?
If you’re looking for a way to cut back on your time spent on laundry, you may want to consider a laundry service.
It’s simple to say goodbye to your days spent washing and folding with the help of some laundry professionals. Many laundry services provide a cost-effective and high-quality answer to your laundry difficulties.
In most cases, it’s as easy as dropping off at a location and picking them up at a scheduled time, fresh and folded. At 2ULaundry, we offer pickup and delivery laundry service!
How Much Time Do You Spend on Wash & Fold Laundry?
Our 2ULaundry laundry delivery services make it easy to skip laundry day, with delivery right to your door. Sign up for a weekly service, or use us when the laundry piles up. We’re here to help lighten the load.
But, we’re not just another pickup and delivery app. Our new take on wash and fold laundry and dry cleaning is simple. We obsess over every detail throughout the cleaning process because, as you know, cleaning your clothes is an art — not a science.
2ULaundry is a premium laundry and dry-cleaning pick-up and delivery service available in Charlotte, Atlanta, Tampa, Austin, San Antonio, and Phoenix. Learn more about 2ULaundry and sign up on our website.
