According to new research by Beko, a large number of us aren’t ready to take on the full responsibility for adulting and want to rely on the ‘launderette of mum and dad’.

Beko found that the reasons include:

  • Their parents’ washing machine is faster or bigger 

  • Parents are more likely to know what they’re doing

  • Children feel that their parents actually enjoy this task.

Indeed, 18% of adults used this last point as a reason to take their clothes home. 

65% of adults admitting they still rely on help from mum and dad to help with their washing 

Many parents will dread when their 20-something – or let’s face it 30-something – adult child comes through the door, armed with a bag of clothes that urgently need washing. Whether they’re university students or only just on the property ladder and unable to afford a tumble dryer, the launderette of mum and dad seems to be a regular port of call for increasing numbers of adults.

Clothing labels cause washing confusion 

A quarter of adults asked in the survey said their reluctance to do their own washing came down to a fear of getting it wrong. 

Understanding different materials and the correct way to wash them all, the symbols on clothes labels and the various cycles performed by machines can all cause confusion. That’s not to even mention the need to avoid colours running.

Beko’s survey found that, on average, people stop taking their washing to their mum and dad aged 23 – although many carry on much longer and 30-year-olds are still likely to call this their ‘worst chore’. Some people are even prepared to travel over an hour to take their dirty clothes to be washed. 

Perhaps it’s time the ‘launderette of mum and dad’ got the praise and recognition it deserves for its key role in keeping the nation clean.