A nation of daggy dishcloths?

MEDIA RELEASE

A nation of daggy dishcloths?

Auckland, 1 September 2016 - A new survey from consumer satisfaction company Canstar Blue shows that Kiwi households could be at risk from germs lurking in daggy dishcloths.

The nationwide survey, looking at favourite dishwashing liquid brands reveals that our hygiene habits, when it comes to dishcloths, fall well short of recommended food safety standards.

Canstar New Zealand Manager, Jose George, says that just over 1 in 5 New Zealanders are meeting the recommended standard, which is to change dishcloths daily.

“Our survey shows that habits vary widely, and that many people could be taking an unnecessary risks. If you wait until your dishcloth smells, it’s too late!”

Frequency of dishcloth change:

• Once a day 22%

• Once a week 43%

• Once a fortnight 14%

• Once a month 14%

• Less than once a month 7%

Baby boomers are the most fastidious in the kitchen, with 28% changing dishcloths daily compared to just 18% of Gen Ys.

MPI** recommends using a fresh dishcloth every day and says that soaking cloths overnight in a weak bleach solution, putting them through the hot wash cycle of a dishwasher or blasting wet cloths in the microwave for three or four minutes are the best ways to deal with the nasties.

Do we care about the environment? Or how it smells?

Just a third in the survey said they cared whether their dishwashing liquid was eco-friendly. This sentiment was most strongly felt in Northland (44%) compared to those from Marlborough.

It seems that fragrance is not a major factor in the purchasing decision, with only 22% saying that’s how they choose their brand.

Does it clean the dishes? It’s all about effectiveness

When it comes to dishwashing liquid, what we really care about is whether it does the job., says George.

“In measuring the drivers of satisfaction, effectiveness is most important, and is twice as important as value for money, which ranked second.”

Factors most important to consumers:

1. Effectiveness 45%

2. Value for money 22%

3. Ease of use 16%

4. Scent 9%

5. Environmental friendliness 8%

More than 2,200 consumers participated in the survey which rated their experience and satisfaction with dishwashing liquid across six variables; the five listed above and overall satisfaction.

This year Morning Fresh receives Canstar Blue’s award for the most satisfied customers, topping a field that includes previous winner Ecostore and brands that are household names up and down the country. Morning Fresh scored a maximum five stars in four categories including the all-important effectiveness.

Dishwashing liquid

http://www.canstarblue.co.nz/home-garden/dishwashing-liquid/

Dishwashing habits by region:

Northland: Those in Northland are most likely to care if their dishwashing liquid is eco-friendly (44%) and least likely to always use gloves when they wash the dishes.

Waikato: Those in the Waikato are most likely to choose the dishwashing liquid based on smell (28%).

Bay of Plenty: Those from the Bay of Plenty are least likely to use their dishwashing liquid for other things, ie blowing bubbles for the kids, cleaning the bathroom etc and least likely to feel like they do a better job at washing the dishes than a dishwasher would (27%).

Hawke’s Bay: Those from the Hawke’s Bay are most likely to prefer washing up by hand to using their dishwasher (24%).

Taranaki: Those from the Taranki are most likely to say they would do a better job washing the dishes than a dishwasher would (47%).

Manawatu/Whanganui: Those from Manawatu/Whanganui are least likely to say they prefer washing up by hand to using their dishwasher (14%).

Wellington: Wellingtonians are most likely to always use gloves to wash the dishes.

Marlborough: Those from Marlborough are least likely to care about the environmental friendliness of their dishwashing liquid, and least likely to pay their children pocket money to wash the dishes.

Southland: Those from Southland are most likely to use dishwashing liquid for other things like blowing bubbles (32%) and most likely to pay their children pocket money to do the dishes (9%).

About the survey

Canstar Blue commissions respected professional market research agency Colmar Brunton Australia, to undertake research on our behalf using SSI NZ panel.

The outcomes reported here are the results from a survey of Kiwis who have purchased dishwashing liquid to hand wash dishes in the last three months. In this case there were 2,218 people surveyed.

*This geographical breakdown outlines exceptions only.

** MPI Food safety in the home brochure

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