Is your dirty laundry (and we don’t mean secrets) ruining your marriage? Every to-do list is full of the demands of domestic drudgery and a new survey by Ecoegg reveals the most thankless domestic chores of them all

• 51% of women feel they are not thanked for doing laundry and putting clothes away
• 46% of men feel they are not thanked for taking the bins out
• People are most likely to give thanks for the ironing and coming in close second, feeding/cleaning up after the pets

Bickering over household chores may seem trivial but it can lead to feelings of being unappreciated and inferior. While the Queen might have received an overwhelming outpouring of heartfelt thanks for her service during the recent Jubilee celebrations, unfortunately the majority of those surveyed aren’t getting quite the same thanks for their chores. In fact it looks like nothing has changed in the last 70 years with chores very much being split on gender lines. More people than ever are embracing the idea of gender quality but when it comes to the home front, traditional values dominate and those all-important ‘pink and blue’ jobs are causing havoc.

The recent survey by environmentally friendly laundry brand ecoegg asked people to select the three tasks they believe they are underappreciated for, with laundry topping the list. Of the 988 that expressed a preference*, more than a third (38%) said they weren’t thanked for doing the laundry and felt that they should be. It seems the importance of gratitude is lost. Top findings from the survey include:

• More than half of women (51%), put laundry top of their list (compared to only 21% of men), demonstrating that men are more likely to feel adequately praised for doing the laundry or less likely to do it in the first place

• The age group who felt least likely to get thanked for doing the laundry is 45–55 year-olds, with nearly half of adults in this age group (49%) selecting it in their top three

• Interestingly, only 37% of those over aged 55 indicated that they weren’t getting thanked for doing the laundry, so it could prove that our older years are the most golden years – at least when it comes to being appreciated for doing the laundry

Ecoegg has also recently embarked on its first national advertising campaign launched on YouTube on World Environment Day (June 5^th) which features a dad doing the laundry and being thanked by nature (a red squirrel!). The ads will run for 6 weeks and reach over five million consumers.

Aside from laundry, other thankless household cleaning tasks that topped the list for UK adults include:

• Cleaning the bathroom / toilet (37%)
• Washing up / emptying the dishwasher (31%)
• Taking the bins out (30%)
• Cooking (29%)

In terms of gender differences:

Men:

• The top task that men feel they are not getting thanked for is taking the bins out (46%)
• Washing / emptying the dishwasher (35%)
• Cooking meals (28%)

Women:

• More than half of women selected doing the laundry/ putting laundry away (51%)
• Cleaning the bathroom / toilets (48%)
• Vacuuming / dusting / polishing (34%)

Across the UK, chores that people felt they weren’t thanked for vary, including:

• In the East of England, 44% aren’t thanked for doing the laundry
• In the Midlands, the top unthanked for task is also laundry (42%)
• In Scotland, the top task that people aren’t getting thanked for is their cooking (44%)
• In London, 41% indicated that they don’t get thanked for cleaning the bathroom and toilets

It’s not all doom and gloom though when it comes to being thanked and appreciated. While those in the UK might not be getting credit where credit’s due when it comes to looking after the home, we’re a nation full of praise when it comes to giving thanks for taking care of our furry friends. Only 14% of UK adults surveyed who expressed a preference chose not being thanked for feeding / cleaning up after their pets as amongst their top three.

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Notes to Editors

*By expressed a preference, we refer to those who did not select the ‘Don’t know’ option, or either of the following ‘Not applicable’ options – “I am thanked for everything I do by the people I live with / I don't do any tasks within the house” or “I live alone”

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2129 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 24th - 25th May 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

Full list of categories include:

• Washing Up / Emptying the dishwasher
• Doing the laundry/putting the laundry away
• Making beds
• Cooking meals
• Feeding/cleaning up after pets
• Ironing
• Vacuuming/dusting/polishing
• Cleaning the bathroom/toilets
• Gardening/mowing the lawns/
• Taking the bins out

About Ecoegg Ltd

Founded in 2008, Ecoegg has built its success on providing effective and kinder laundry and cleaning products to both the UK market and worldwide – Their products are sold in over 50 countries. The company is passionate about producing innovative products that are reusable and contain gentle formulas that are kind to skin and pockets.

Ecoegg products are also listed in Waitrose, Ocado, Robert Dyas, Lakeland, Amazon, Tesco and Sainsburys.