New Zealand men lacklustre at laundry duties

Household chores can be a pain, but a fair split of responsibilities can go a long way towards keeping everyone happy. However, our recent survey results show that men are falling short when it comes to carrying out their laundry duties.

The vast majority of female respondents (91%) reported they do most of the clothes washing in their home. By comparison, only 62% of men could say the same.

The results also suggest the sexes have a different approach to doing the washing, with females less likely to wait until they had a full load of dirty clothes before putting on the machine (56% compared to 68% of men).

In good news, it appears many respondents are doing their laundry in an eco-friendly manner, whether they intended to or not. For example, two in five respondents reported they chose ‘green’ laundry detergent brands wherever possible, and more than four in five used a washing line instead of their clothes dryer (although this was solely to save money).

There seem to be plenty of New Zealanders well equipped to handle the weekly wash … but which laundry detergent should they pick for a better clean?

Ecostore has started a winning streak in this category, picking up our Most Satisfied Customers Award for Laundry Detergents for the second year running. The New Zealand brand earned five star ratings in overall customer satisfaction, quality of clean, number of washes, environmental friendliness and the feel of clothes post-wash.

Also achieving five star ratings in our customer satisfaction ratings were:

• Earthwise: for environmental friendliness and smell,
• Dynamo: for the feel of clothes after washing, and
• Fab and Reflect: both for value for money.

Surf, Persil, Coldpower and Drive were also compared in these results.

We happened upon some other interesting habits in this survey:

• 70% of respondents admitted they rarely iron anything. Furthermore, younger respondents were much less likely to value ironing than their elders (81% of Gen Y’s versus 63% of Baby Boomers).
• Men were nearly twice as likely as women to never fold their washing – and would rather just pick stuff out of the clean pile (17% of men versus 9% of women).
• One in two respondents think they know best with their laundry, putting garments in their washing machine despite warnings saying it was dry clean or hand wash only.

Canstar Blue commissions Research Now to survey 2,500 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories every few months to measure and track customer satisfaction. The outcomes reported are the results from customers within the survey group who have purchased and used laundry detergent in the last 3 months – in this case, 2,039 people. Brands must receive at least 30 responses to be included.

Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands that received three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10.

Overall customer satisfaction

Ecostore shone like a diamond in this category, achieving five stars for overall customer satisfaction. Next were our four star recipients Earthwise, Dynamo, Surf, Persil and Fab; then Reflect, Coldpower and Drive with three.

Value for money

Doing the laundry is a household necessity and cutting down on these costs can save you significant cash over the long term. We saw two brands earn five star ratings for value for money: Fab and Reflect. Ecostore, Earthwise, Dynamo, Surf and Coldpower followed with four stars; Persil and Drive each achieved three.

Quality of clean

Through coffee stains, spaghetti spills and various other cleaning maladies, customers of Ecostore were most satisfied with their laundry detergent brand’s cleaning quality. Many of our other brands – Earthwise, Dynamo, Surf, Persil, Fab and Drive – received four star ratings, and both Reflect and Coldpower received three.

Number of washes

The number of washes in a container can be a deciding factor when selecting a laundry detergent. Ecostore customers were most satisfied that their detergent brand was up to scratch, earning the brand a five star rating. Four star recipients Earthwise, Dynamo and Reflect were close behind; followed by three star recipients Surf, Persil, Fab, Coldpower and Drive.

Environmental friendliness

Given how many laundry loads the average household does every year, eco-friendly products are ideal for the average consumer. Ecostore and Earthwise both topped the customer satisfaction charts in this regard – achieving five stars for their green laundry detergent products. Dynamo was next with a four star rating, followed by three star recipients Surf, Persil, Fab, Reflect, Coldpower and Drive.

Smell

Taking the lead again was Earthwise, with a five star rating for how clothes smelt after washing. Ecostore, Dynamo, Surf, Persil, Fab and Coldpower all followed with four stars; Reflect and Drive both finished with three.

Feel of clothes after wash

Ecostore and Dynamo customers were most satisfied with the feel of their clothes after using their laundry detergent for a wash. Earthwise, Surf, Persil, Fab and Drive, all received four stars; with Reflect and Coldpower both earning three.