Just 3% of Brits know what the laundry symbols on their clothes mean – are you one of them? Take our quiz to find out
A WHOPPING ninety-seven per cent of Brits are laundry illiterate and can’t read wash symbols.
Iron out out whether you are a ‘Laundry Legend’ or a ‘Total Washout’ when it comes to laundry expertise.
If you’ve ever damaged clothes due to laundry label confusion, this quiz will get your head in a spin – or perhaps you’re a ‘Washing Wizard’ and you’ll score 100 per cent.
Put your knowledge to the test and discover if you’re clued up on washing symbols, from ‘natural dry’ to ‘steaming allowed’.
Research commissioned by ihateironing, which is behind the quiz, found millions of adults admit they have no idea what the laundry signs on their clothes mean.
A poll of 2,000 adults responsible for washing their own clothes found just three per cent understand all symbols on garments, while twenty per cent admit they “don’t know very many”.
The “hand wash only” sign is the most recognised with seventy-nine per cent, followed by 61 per cent acknowleding “dry clean only” and only fifty per cent knowing the “do not wash” symbol.
But “dry in the shade”, “tumble dry gentle” and “delicate” are the symbols least likely to be recognised.
As a result, 43 per cent have ruined or damaged garments in the washing machine.
Around 78 per cent have shrunk their clothes, 48 per cent have dyed them a different colour and 26 per cent have and bobbled the material.
Just over half admitted they pay little or no attention to advice on clothing labels.
Matt Connelly, founder of the on demand dry cleaning and laundry service, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, said: “Knowing how to wash your clothes is essential to keeping them in their best condition and avoiding the despair of ruining a beloved item.
“As a business which has seen over one million items collected, cleaned, and delivered by our experts.
“We know just how much people’s clothes mean to them and the level of care they want their clothes to be treated with.
“However, there still seems to be a lot of confusion when it comes to doing laundry at home around what the various symbols on clothing labels mean.
“This leads to a lot of laundry mishaps that ruin items for good.”
The study also found 38 per cent aren’t confident they know all the functions on their washing machine, with three quarters typically using the same setting each time.
And 46 per cent admitted they have knowingly washed a garment which was ‘dry clean only’.
Other washing faux pas included not separating white and coloured items and not measuring out the correct amount of detergent.
While 65 per cent have left items in pockets when washing clothes, 40 per cent have completely filled the machine and 31 per cent have let wet garments sit in the washing machine for hours.
The typical household does three loads of laundry a week, taking an average of two and a half hours each time – from treating stains to folding.
The most boring parts of laundry were ironing, putting away clean clothes and sorting and separating items.
On average, those polled, via OnePoll.com, have each damaged five garments in a washing machine, leaving 12 per cent outsourcing their laundry to a dry-cleaners.
Matt added: “It’s clear as a nation we don’t enjoy the task of doing laundry and ironing, and many people find the process overwhelming with all the different symbols and methods of cleaning.
“While people care about their clothes, a lot simply don’t have the time to spend hours sorting through theirs and their family’s garments, or running several different cycles.
“We know laundry is just one task in a long list of never ending household chores which is why we’ve taken on the task of professionally cleaning, ironing and delivering clothes, saving people the laundry-symbol guessing game and the heartbreak of a ruined item.”