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Cooking, washing, and cleaning, which are said to be the three major household chores. Of the various home appliances and services that help with the three major household chores, which are also a battle against time saving, this time we will look at statistics on the "laundry" situation.The point of reducing the burden of housework is to decide the points of "labor" and "labor saving".

Washing machines that are on the rise in both quantity and unit price

Trends in sales by domestic manufacturers (2015 = 100)

The household penetration rate of washing machines (2014 National Survey of Consumption, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) has reached a level close to 100%, and it can be said that one washing machine is a common household appliance. In recent years, many products from overseas global manufacturers have been seen, but what is the sales trend of domestic manufacturers? Looking at the sales volume of household washing machines (Production Dynamics Statistics Survey, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), it has been on a downward trend since 2010, but it has settled down since 2015, and has been on a gradual upward trend since then. In 2020, there was a decline due to the impact of the Korona-ka and the reaction to the last-minute demand before the consumption tax hike in 2019. In addition, the trend of the month of 2021 showed a period of downward trend due to the influence of the prolonged shortage of semiconductors. It can be seen that the sales unit price (the amount per unit obtained by dividing the sales amount by the sales quantity) has been increasing since 2010. The rise in the unit sales price is thought to be due to the increasing functionality and capacity of household chores against the backdrop of the need for shorter hours. The penetration rate of washing machines with a drying function, which is one of the high-performance types, has been around 40%. The percentage of clothes dryers as a whole has been around 50%, and there has been no upward trend for the past few years. Although there are certain needs not only for the time saving effect but also for measures against pollen and allergies in cold regions, the process of "drying" compared to "washing" may be influenced by the culture of outside drying. Looking at commercial washing machines, the sales volume of domestic manufacturers has been declining due to the impact of the Korona-ka in 2020, as it was for households, but it is on an upward trend. It is probable that the linen supply industry, which is the main user, performed well due to the increase in accommodation facilities triggered by the Olympics.

Daily spending is on the decline

Trends in spending on laundry

On the other hand, for cleaning, which is one of the home laundry outsourcing services, spending on "laundry charges" (including cleaning charges) is decreasing year by year, and the number of cleaning facilities is also decreasing and shrinking. Along with the development of clothing materials, washing machines and detergents are becoming more sophisticated, with the ability to wash delicate materials. It is thought that the fact that the casual wear of clothes is accelerating due to the Korona-ka is also having an effect. In addition, there is a private survey result that the number of people using coin laundry is increasing due to the ability to wash large laundry items such as bedding and the need for shorter working hours. Laundry may tend to be "washed at home" or "washed by yourself". The current cleaning industry seems to be shrinking, but in recent years new services have been seen. In addition, among the cleaning facilities, the number of business formats (non-store agency store operators) that do not have a store, such as so-called “online home delivery cleaning”, is increasing. It is interesting to see how the outsourcing of "laundry" progresses as the outsourcing of various household chores progresses.

METI Journal Online