Is your dirty laundry (and we don’t mean secrets) ruining your marriage? Every to-do list is full of the demands of domestic drudgery and a new survey by Ecoegg reveals the most thankless domestic chores of them all

Bickering over household chores may seem trivial but it can lead to feelings of being unappreciated and inferior. While the Queen might have received an overwhelming outpouring of heartfelt thanks for her service during the recent Jubilee celebrations, unfortunately the majority of those surveyed aren’t getting quite the same thanks for their chores. In fact it looks like nothing has changed in the last 70 years with chores very much being split on gender lines. More people than ever are embracing the idea of gender quality but when it comes to the home front, traditional values dominate and those all-important ‘pink and blue’ jobs are causing havoc.

The recent survey by environmentally friendly laundry brand ecoegg asked people to select the three tasks they believe they are underappreciated for, with laundry topping the list. Of the 988 that expressed a preference*, more than a third (38%) said they weren’t thanked for doing the laundry and felt that they should be. It seems the importance of gratitude is lost. Top findings from the survey include:

Ecoegg has also recently embarked on its first national advertising campaign launched on YouTube on World Environment Day (June 5th) which features a dad doing the laundry and being thanked by nature (a red squirrel!). The ads will run for 6 weeks and reach over five million consumers.

Aside from laundry, other thankless household cleaning tasks that topped the list for UK adults include:

Across the UK, chores that people felt they weren’t thanked for vary, including:

It’s not all doom and gloom though when it comes to being thanked and appreciated. While those in the UK might not be getting credit where credit’s due when it comes to looking after the home, we’re a nation full of praise when it comes to giving thanks for taking care of our furry friends. Only 14% of UK adults surveyed who expressed a preference chose not being thanked for feeding / cleaning up after their pets as amongst their top three.

*By expressed a preference, we refer to those who did not select the ‘Don’t know’ option, or either of the following ‘Not applicable’ options – “I am thanked for everything I do by the people I live with / I don't do any tasks within the house” or “I live alone”

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2129 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 24th - 25th May 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

Founded in 2008, Ecoegg has built its success on providing effective and kinder laundry and cleaning products to both the UK market and worldwide – Their products are sold in over 50 countries. The company is passionate about producing innovative products that are reusable and contain gentle formulas that are kind to skin and pockets.

Ecoegg products are also listed in Waitrose, Ocado, Robert Dyas, Lakeland, Amazon, Tesco and Sainsburys.