Men "Air" Their Dirty Laundry More Than Women

Laundry Habits Survey from the Clorox® Brand Reveals Loads of Differences

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Jun 28, 2011, 08:00 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- We all have our own dirty laundry, but in the battle of the laundry baskets a recent survey by the makers of Clorox® Bleach shows men wear the pants...over and over and over again. Men are stepping up to the plate and helping with laundry duties around the home, but survey results show men's spin on combating dirty laundry may be very different than women's.

Underwear Overwear

One in eight men actually confessed to wearing their underwear two or three times between washes.

Sniff Test

Nearly half of men rely on a "sniff" test to determine if their clothes are fresh enough to wear justifying their habit of wearing garments multiple times before washing. Younger men (under 29) and older men (over 50) are more likely to wear jeans four or five times before washing.

Differences Between the Sheets

Nearly a quarter of men 18-29 only wash their sheets about once a month, while women are more likely to wash once a week or more.

Put a Ring on it...but No Hurry

Single women (50%) have better luck convincing their boyfriends to do their laundry than married women (39%) in persuading their husbands to do the same.

Retail Therapy Excuse

Single women are more than twice as likely as married women to actually purchase new clothes in order to avoid doing laundry. In addition, more than one-third of unmarried women own more than 20 pairs of underwear – another potential laundry-avoidance tactic.

He Said, She Said

While 41 percent of men say they and their significant other share laundry responsibilities, just 29 percent of women say the same.

"For some men, doing laundry used to be scarier than seeing a 99 mile-per-hour fastball come in high and tight," said Dr. Laundry, a.k.a. Mary Gagliardi, a scientist at The Clorox Company. "But with some expert coaching and the right playbook anyone can be helping to strike out stains and scoring laundry homeruns fear-free."

The survey confirms that laundry is no longer just women's work as more men are now pitching in for the "home" team in laundry duties. Clorox offers expert on-the-go coaching from Dr. Laundry and a playbook of resources to help men and women become laundry all-stars, via:

Seasonal Stain Hotline

Dr. Laundry offers consumer advice on how to treat various seasonal stains. Callers simply dial the toll-free hotline, 1-877-STAIN-411, select a winter or summer stain challenge from a list of the top stain culprits, and are guided by Dr. Laundry through the proper course of treatment.

myStain™ Mobile App

The Clorox myStain app houses step-by-step solutions to some of the most common stains. It also includes an interactive wheel of stains game with life situations to receive humorous stain removal tips for all occasions. The app is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and the Android (or Droid) smart phones in both English and Spanish.

Dr. Laundry Blog

Can't find a solution to your stain pain on the hotline or myStain app? Visit Dr. Laundry's blog, www.drlaundryblog.com for additional stain removal advice or to submit a stain question to Dr. Laundry directly. With more than 20 years of research and lab experience, there are few stains Dr. Laundry can't solve.

Calling the "Real Men" of Laundry

No one gets through laundry without being hung out to dry at least once. Clorox, in partnership with The Good Men Project, is searching for the best laundry horror stories. To submit your laundry room drama, visit goodmenproject.com/reviews/laundry-horror-stories/.

More laundry tips and information about Clorox's Stain Hotline, myStain and Dr. Laundry can be found on www.Clorox.com.

About the Survey

The April 2011 phone survey conducted by Braun Research reached 1,200 adults nationwide with a 20 percent cell phone sample.

About The Clorox Company

The Clorox Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer products with 8,300 employees and fiscal year 2010 revenues of $5.53 billion. Clorox markets some of consumers' most trusted and recognized brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products, Green Works® natural home care products, Pine-Sol® cleaners, Poett ® home care products, Fresh Step® cat litter, Kingsford® Charcoal, Hidden Valley® and KC Masterpiece® dressings and sauces, Brita® water-filtration products, Glad® bags and wraps and containers, and Burt's Bees® natural personal care products. The company's products are manufactured in more than two dozen countries and sold in more than 100 countries. Clorox is committed to making a positive difference in the communities where its employees work and live. Founded in 1980, The Clorox Company Foundation has awarded cash grants totaling more than $80 million to nonprofit organizations, schools and colleges. In fiscal 2010 alone, the foundation awarded $3.5 million in cash grants, and Clorox made product donations valued at $8.8 million. For more information about Clorox, visit www.TheCloroxCompany.com.