Womenswear Articles       5/18/2006

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AllWomenMenHome  Eco-fashion Print This Page “Consumers are definitely better informed than ever before with regard to laundering and garment care,” - Mary Ankeny, Cotton Incorporated FREQUENCY OF CHANGING TEMPERATURE SETTING ON WASHING MACHINE Male Female Always 27% 33% Sometimes 22% 27% Rarely 11% 16% Never 27% 22% I don’t do my own laundry 12% 2% Don’t know 1% 1%

SPIN CYCLE

Christine knows from experience that she can look forward to two things when her son comes home from college. “A heartfelt hug and a big bag of laundry,” she jokes. “It’s always great to come home,” her son, Liam, a sophomore, adds.

While Mom may know best, data from the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ indicates that she must be sharing her trade secrets with other members of the family. When asked by the Monitor how frequently they changed the water temperature settings on their washing machines when laundering, nearly one in two male and female respondents said always or frequently, indicating at least a rudimentary knowledge of how to wash clothing.

Credit for creating savvier laundry caregivers may begin at home, but it is also being helped by manufacturers of high-performance textiles, technologically-advanced washer/dryers and the prevalence of laundry care products. Consumer-oriented web sites also provide a wealth of information, including www.fabricology. com, the web site of the Clothes Care Research Center™. This cooperative effort among Cotton Incorporated, GE Consumer & Industrial, Milliken & Company, Procter & Gamble and VF Imagewear helps consumers save time and money by identifying the best in-home cleaning and maintenance techniques to extend the life and performance of various fabrics.

“Consumers are definitely better informed than ever before with regard to laundering and garment care,” says Mary Ankeny, Associate Director of Dyeing Research at Cotton Incorporated. “It may have traditionally been the wife and mother doing the laundry for the family, but now it looks like she is educating her husband and children so they can take care of it themselves.”

“Consumers need to take responsibility for the care of their garments,” tells Michael de Zayas, founder of Neighborhoodies, an extremely popular collection of personalized tees, sweats and accessories sold online and at stores in New York City and Los Angeles. “Things can shrink or fade or change colors; it’s important for people to know how to care for their clothing.”

A variety of factors today are converging to help consumers do just that. “We’ve come a long way in fabric treatments,” shares Ankeny. “We now have clothing with stain resistance and soil release properties that make it much easier to wash out a stain; these qualities make fabric care much simpler on a day to day basis.”

Machine and home laundry care product manufacturers are also stepping up to the plate to give consumers a hand in taking care of their clothing. “Today’s washing machines and dryers have built-in features that help to simplify the laundering process,” Ankeny continues. Among these improvements are super-sized drums that accommodate larger loads and even bacteriafighting components. Laundry product manufacturers have also done their part by creating specialized and concentrated stain fighters and lifters, and color preservers and enhancers. “We are even aware of a manufacturer who is developing a color catcher to pull away loose dyes in the water and prevent staining when consumers mix darks and whites.” Ankeny details.

In the current environment of extreme fuel prices, there is also a definite trend towards energy conservation, Ankeny continues. “We know that there are a growing number of consumers who need and want to economize and use cold water to wash everything and there are definitely detergents out there designed to do that. The great news is that manufacturers are completely in step with what consumer trends are today.” According to the Monitor, saving money and conserving energy was a concern for 5% of respondents; those who stated that they used cold water for washing certain clothing were more likely to cite preserving color (39%) and resisting shrinkage (17%) as reasons for using cooler temperatures.

Modern home design is even being altered in the name of proper laundry care, according to Kevin Gleeson, Director of Marketing for Kitchen Accessories Unlimited, a company based in Connecticut. “Consumers are looking for ease of use, but they are also looking for organization. They want funct ional laundry accessories, like built-in ironing boards, steam presses designed for residential use, and hideaway hampers that function like a laundry chute. These consumers want something that is pleasing to the eye.”

That desire for a little bit of eye candy definitely extends to one’s wardrobe and how one goes about caring for it, but that varies from person to person, maintains Neighborhoodies’ de Zayas. “It really depends on the personality type, some people have more caution in how they dress and how they wash their clothing, others may not think twice about either.”

It does pay to take good care of your clothing, cede the experts, as it will pay off in the longer term. And with major advancements in technology and the wealth of knowledge out there, washing one’s clothes is an almost thoughtless process. Liam, the college student, is still not so sure. “No one does laundry like Mom,” he offers with a smile. Talk about spin!

This story is one in a series of articles based on findings from Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™ tracking research. Each story will focus on a specific topic as it relates to the American women’s wear consumer and her attitudes and behavior regarding clothing, appearance, fashion, fiber selection and many other timely, relevant subjects.