Whirlpool Corporation's Institute of Fabric Science Smoothes the Wrinkles Left by Consumers' Laundry Nightmares

Consumer Search Will Uncover True Laundry Challenges and Solutions; Award a Top-load High-Efficiency Laundry Pair

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Aug 16, 2010, 10:00 ET

BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Aug. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- When it comes to doing laundry, there are just some nightmares you simply cannot wake up from. Faded colors, permanent stains and frayed jeans are irreversible laundry mistakes that are not only frustrating, but avoidable. Experts from Whirlpool Corporation's Institute of Fabric Science (WIFS) see these mistakes first-hand every day, and now they are looking to help the worst offenders.

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According to a Whirlpool Corporation survey conducted online in November by Harris Interactive®, 59 percent of adults described themselves as at least very competent at doing laundry. But are consumers really that laundry-savvy? With so many potential pitfalls in the laundry process – from too many suds to setting stains – the Institute of Fabric Science is issuing a challenge – consumers willing to admit their laundry mistakes to us will not only be eligible to win a new high-efficiency laundry pair, but we'll help make laundry a sweet dream again.

"Washers and dryers have certainly come a long way – from sensing the size of a load and adjusting the water and temperature accordingly to providing stain tips right from your washer," said Tremitchell Wright, consumer scientist, Institute of Fabric Science. "But the human element still plays a tremendous role in the final outcome of your laundry. From the initial sorting through the final folding, we've noticed numerous points where consumers simply succumb to laundry myths and misconceptions, ultimately causing some truly scary results."

From August 16 through September 16, the Institute of Fabric Science is calling on consumers to submit their self-inflicted laundry nightmares for a chance to win a new high-efficiency laundry pair. At the end of the month, consumer scientists from WIFS will shudder through the laundry nightmares and determine which one – should they dare admit it – would keep them up at night. In addition to awarding a new top-load high-efficiency washer and dryer, the Institutes' scientists will counsel the winner on how best to correct their laundry issue.

Eligible laundry nightmares include everything from tough stains such as pasta sauce or baby formula to stains that occur at the worst possible time like red wine on a wedding dress. Additionally, consumers can submit fabric care mishaps such as shrinking a favorite shirt or turning an entire load of whites pink, along with mistakes such as using too much detergent or choosing the wrong cycle.

Consumers can enter their laundry nightmares in one of four ways – via Twitter, Facebook, email or YouTube.

To submit their laundry-mare on Twitter, consumers can tweet their 140-character nightmare to @WIFS to enter the contest. Consumers can also submit a longer entry with images by emailing their story to [email protected].

To be eligible on Facebook, consumers must visit http://www.facebook.com/InstituteofFabricScience and follow the instructions found under the Contest tab.

Also, experts from WIFS have posted a video on the WIFS2010 YouTube page, calling for consumers to submit a laundry horror video of their own. Consumers can see the video at http://www.youtube.com/user/WIFS2010#p/a.

"We look forward to making laundry a sweet dream once again," Wright said.

For more information and to see the rules and regulations, please visit the Institute Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/InstituteofFabricScience).

About Whirlpool Brand

Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $17 billion in 2009, 67,000 employees, and 67 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. Whirlpool brand recognizes that consumers lead busy, active lives and continues to create solutions that help consumers optimize productivity and efficiency in the home. In addition to designing appliance solutions based on consumer insight, Whirlpool brand is dedicated to creating ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances like the new Duet® washer which uses 74 percent less water and 80 percent less energy than a traditional top load washer manufactured before 2004. When used with the washer, the new Duet® Resource Saver® dryer improves dryer energy usage by 40 percent as compared to traditional top-load laundry pairs, average size load. Whirlpool is one of Habitat for Humanity's largest corporate partners, donating a refrigerator and range to every new Habitat for Humanity home built in North America. For more information on Whirlpool brand, please visit www.whirlpool.com. Additional information about the company can be found at www.whirlpoolcorp.com.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Whirlpool Corporation from November 20-24, 2009 among 2,089 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].

SOURCE Whirlpool Corporation