LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 5, 2003--Men and women may both bring home the bacon these days, but it's still the women who are getting the grease out. Eighty-nine percent of women claim to be primarily responsible for doing the laundry in households across America, according to the results of a national consumer survey released today by GE Harmony.
Recognizing the Great Laundry Divide that exists between the sexes, GE Harmony has declared the month of August National Men Do Laundry Month, raising national awareness of how Americans can better manage the chore. With this declaration, women are encouraged to put down their laundry baskets for one month and share the load with their partners.
The consumer survey, designed to expose the issue of laundry literacy, found that while 72 percent of Americans believe that doing the laundry should be a shared chore, nearly one in ten men have little or no laundry knowledge whatsoever. In addition, 23 percent of women consider their partners to have little or no knowledge about laundry procedures.
There are many household chores of which women tend to carry the heavier load, says Keith F. Luscher, National Men Do Laundry Month Partner and writer, speaker, and human relations consultant. GE Harmony's laundry literacy survey shows that laundry is among the most significant.
Taking this into consideration, National Men Do Laundry Month will not only lighten women's chore loads, but will offer every man a perfect opportunity to discover the most important secret to creating domestic harmony -- sharing in chores.
Lack of Laundry Literacy Can Ruin Clothing According to GE Harmony's survey, 25 percent of women claim their husband/partner has frequently ruined clothing as a result of a lack of knowledge about washing techniques and equipment.
Another 23 percent claim their partner has never ruined a piece of clothing simply because they never participate in the chore.
The laundry issue is more than just colors and whites: women - on an average - are 12 percent are more likely to follow preventative and maintenance procedures than men, including closing zippers and hooks while sorting, turning down cuffs, separating delicates and reading clothing care labels.
But GE Harmony's survey proves that it's not just men who aren't aware of all proper laundry procedures: 43 percent of women and 47 percent of men still don't know when to use a powder or liquid detergent.
GE Consumer Products offers a solution. In addition to National Men Do Laundry Month and the Laundry Literacy Survey, GE is introducing the GE Profile Harmony(TM) Clothes Care System, the first washer that communicates electronically to the dryer, presetting dry cycles for better clothes care and increased time savings.
National Men Do Laundry Month was created to help Americans better manage family laundry habits, said Cynthia Fanning, Marketing Manager - Clothes Care, GE Consumer Products. Our Harmony Clothes
Care System, designed for today's busy lifestyle, offers a solution for families across the country. It is smart enough to take the guesswork out of doing laundry, saving time and providing better clothes care. This wash system is in harmony with today's lifestyles- making the lives of busy men and women everywhere, easier.
To raise national awareness of how Americans can better manage their laundry and to encourage men and women to take equal responsibility for this vital chore, GE Consumer Products has partnered with Dallas, Cincinnati, Miami and Louisville to declare National Men Do Laundry month in their cities, as well as with Keith Luscher, author, speaker, and frequent media commenter on household issues.
The month will feature entertaining and educational special events and provide consumers with useful laundry tips and a humorous view on men and women in the laundry room.
Ludicrous Laundry Stories Contest
As part of National Men Do Laundry Month, GE is also introducing a Ludicrous Laundry Stories contest, which will run from July 21, 2003 through Sept. 8, 2003. Participants are encouraged to log on to www.geharmony.com to learn more about the contest and submit a 100-word account of the most ludicrous laundry lapse(s) committed by their husbands or significant others. One lucky winner will receive a grand prize of the GE Profile Harmony Clothes Care System.
GE Consumer Products is an $8.5 billion business unit, providing products and services in the major appliance and lighting industries, manufacturing and selling more than 15 million appliances and 4 billion lamp products annually in over 150 world markets. General Electric (NYSE: GE) brings imagination to work, selling products under the Monogram(R), Profile(TM), GE(R), Hotpoint(R), SmartWater(TM), Reveal(R) and SmartHome(TM) brands.
For more information about GE Consumer Products, consumers can visit the company's web site at www.GEConsumerProducts.com.
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CONTACT: GE Consumer Products
Leslie Redford, 502-452-7184
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