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Persil

One Poll

22 September 2009

WASHING TONNES
NEWS COPY
Mums can wash a staggering 39 tonnes of washing over their lifetime, a study revealed yesterday (mon) - the equivalent in weight of 28 Mini Coopers or four Routemaster buses.
The average 'housewife' aged 25 to 50 works her way through five loads of washing each week - 260 per year - or a total of 6,500 loads of clothes for the family.
But with a regular load weighing around 5kg, mums can wash 25kgs each week or 1,300kgs per year, which adds up to 32,000kgs or almost 33 tonnes of clothes over 25 years.
The stats emerged in a study by Persil to launch its Cleaner Planet Plan.
Persil spokesperson Hazel Detsiny (corr) said: ''For many mums, washing clothes is a part of their life that they don't spend much time thinking about.
''But it's staggering to find out exactly how many loads of washing they will get through while looking after their family.
''It might seem like you are only doing a few loads a week, but when you add it up, it's  incredible to see how much mums have to do.''
The same study of 550 women revealed that those living in Northern Ireland get through the most loads of washing, doing almost 280 a year.
Women living in the West Midlands were a close second, washing 278 loads, followed by those in Scotland who face an annual total of 265 loads.
East Midlands mums are fourth with 264 loads of washing a year while South East women work through 219 loads each year.
But researchers found that few mums realise that they could help reduce the effect of  their mammoth piles of washing on  the environment.
Only one mum in 20 always make sure they are doing full loads of washing, and on average, only around half of all loads of washing are washed at 30 degrees or less.
However, more than half are also recycling their waste, while 12 per cent turn off electrical items when they aren't being used.
Hazel Detsiny added: ''It is surprising to see how few people are aware they could make a range of environmental savings through simple changes to the daily wash, which will also save money and time.
''In time, we hope that consumers find that Small & Mighty detergent will be able to pay for itself through reduced energy bills.
''We are really looking forward to consumers getting involved with the Cleaner Planet Plan programme helping them to make small changes that will help the planet and save money at the same time.''
ENDS
Research conducted by global market research company www.onepoll.com