Generation Y washing habits hung out for all to see

The washing study, conducted by Colmar Brunton Australia, will not come as a surprise to some parents but does reveal who is leaving the washing on the floor. Photo / Thinkstock

Generation Y ruin more clothing than their parents and are more likely to use a dirty washing machine, a survey published today shows.

The Canstar Blue study, conducted by Colmar Brunton Australia, will not come as a surprise to some parents but does reveal who is leaving the washing on the floor.

Forty per cent of Generation Ys (18-29 year olds) said they had ruined clothing by mixing colours and whites, compared with 37 per cent of those aged 30-44, and 24 per cent of baby boomers (45+).

The nationwide survey also showed almost 60 per cent of Generation Y did not know the inside of washing machines needed cleaning.

The online survey asked 717 people who had purchased and used a new washing machine in the past three years about their washing habits and overall consumer satisfaction.

The data was also broken down by gender.

When it came to having 'a mountain of clothes' on the floor, there was only a two per cent difference between males and females - females proving to be the more likely culprit with 19 per cent of them answering yes.

The survey showed 88 per cent of women did the majority of washing in their household, compared with 58 per cent of males.

It also asked participants which brand they used and how satisfied they were with it, with Bosch receiving the highest overall score for the fourth year running.

The survey was commissioned by consumer satisfaction company Canstar Blue and had a margin of error of +/- 3.7%.