York students are more likely to buy new clothes instead of washing their dirty ones, according to a recent nationwide survey.
Students at York are also among the most likely to turn their underwear inside out to get an extra day’s wear (57%). That’s well over 8,000 smelly pairs of undies around campus.
Nearly three quarters (73%) of York’s students claimed to give clothes a ‘sniff’ to test their freshness, whereas an hour south in Sheffield, things are a tad more civil with only 33% of respondents admitting to doing the same.
Carried out by new laundry detergent brand Muvo, the research questioned 1,005 university students across the UK and hoped to raise brand awareness for the household product.
The survey also exposed York students as the biggest offender across northern universities for the practice of ‘digging’ dirty washing out of the laundry basket, with more than four out of five (85%) confessing to doing so.
Perhaps the lax hygiene practices are down to exorbitant laundry rates of £2.70 per wash and £1.30 per dry – which would explain why the survey also found that nearly nine in ten York students preferred to take their laundry home.
Out of all the Russell Group universities for which laundry cost was easily and reliably available, York came out on top – almost 50% more expensive than the likes of Bristol, Cardiff and Imperial who charge a mere £2 per wash.
But with most ‘real-world’ laundrettes charging anywhere upward of £3 for a wash, it is more than likely down to reasons other than cost.
It is easy to cite pure laziness as a reason (especially in the case of students), however sheer inexperience could be to blame, with a third of students still not sure what setting to use on a washing machine.
Earlier this year, a survey of freshers at Birmingham City University revealed that 60% had rarely or never done their own laundry, prompting the university to publish a step-by-step guide.
Included in this article is an infographic released by Muvo summarising the national statistics with a regional breakdown.
Why do you think York students are so keen to avoid doing the laundry? Share your thoughts and comment below.