It may be an icon cherished by women across the nation but the average little black dress is destined to be worn only twice.

New national research has revealed that while women spend five whole shopping days searching for the perfect black party dress they will wear it the sum total of twice.

The UK study by laundry specialists Dr. Beckmann reveals that 80% of all UK women own a little black dress and of the 20% who don’t, eight per cent are busy still searching for their perfect LBD.

Yet while its clear that British women’s wardrobes aren’t complete without one, the little black dress is likely to be worn out on just two social occasions in its lifetime, according to the study.

Instead, it is saved for those really ‘special’ occasions that rarely ever happen and is destined to remain preserved in a dust jacket just in case it is needed.

Most British women (68%) buy their first little black dress when they are aged between 18-24 and hold on to it for an average of 11 years (57%). They are likely, however, to buy another LBD when they reach 30-years-old as style and changing body shape determines that their initial LBD is no longer such a perfect fit.

The most cited reason why women don’t wear their LBD very often (45%) is that women are scared of the people in their social circle seeing them in the same outfit more than once.

But they are also worried that ‘special feeling’ they get when wearing it will wear off if it is given too many outings (19%).

An astonishing 91% of all little black dresses are never washed or dry-cleaned, according to the national poll.

Eight out of 10 women claim a girl’s wardrobe is incomplete without a LBD and a further 44% of Brit girls admit while they spend an average £125 on the dress itself that figure can be tripled when taking into account the cost of matching shoes and handbag.

Dr. Beckmann spokesperson Susan Fermor said: “The little black dress is a well-established fashion icon. Yet most are worn just a couple of times and remain unwashed and unused in the back of Britain’s wardrobes.

“For many women just owning a little black dress and knowing it is there to be called upon if it is required is enough to justify the expense.”

Dr. Beckmann would like to know what you think on the subject. What's changed since you were a child and why do you think the summer holidays are so different for children now? Take our short survey to be entered into a prize draw to win £100 worth of John Lewis vouchers.

Closing date for entries into the prize draw is Friday 18th May 2012.

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Vinegar is a low cost, eco friendly alternative to your conventional cleaning products. You might be surprised to learn that vinegar kills many types of bacteria and mold, so it is perfect for using all around the home. You can use any type of vinegar you like, although we would not suggest using your best balsamic, white vinegar works best as the colourless liquid means there is no risk of staining.

Although using vinegar is not a new notion for cleaning around the home there are some uses for it that maybe you have not thought of, or maybe you have but not really known how you are supposed to use it. Well fear not, below some top tips for
using vinegar...

• Fabric softener - Keep your laundry soft by adding about a 1/4 cup of vinegar in with your wash.
• Chewing Gum remover - Heat up a bowl of vinegar in the microwave then soak the item. The chewing gum will dissolve.
• Air freshener - Eliminate nasty odours by putting a bowl of vinegar in the room or put it in a spray bottle with equal parts water.
• Remove water rings - for marks on wood mix equal parts vinegar and olive oil then dip a cloth in the mixture and wipe the water ring, making sure to move in the direction of the grain. For leather furniture, just use vinegar t wipe it down.
• Clean rust - If you have a rusty tool or object, soak it overnight in vinegar, then rinse.
• Wash your fridge - Mix vinegar and water to wipe down the inside of your fridge.
• Disinfect chopping boards - As vinegar is great for killing germs you can clean your chopping boards by wiping it down with vinegar after every use.
• Unclog drains - Put a bit of baking/ bicarbonate soda in your drain and then pour some vinegar over it, let it bubble over and then pour boiling water down the drain to wash it away.
• Clean your microwave - Put a bowl containing a 1/4 of a cup of vinegar and one cup water into the microwave, heat up the mixture in your microwave for a few minutes letting  it evaporate. Then give your microwave a wipe down with a damp cloth.
• Shine shoes - Put a few drops of vinegar onto a cloth and your scuffed leather shoes to help them shine.
• Clean windows - Mix vinegar and water in a bowl, bucket or spray bottle and wipe your windows in the usual way. To make sure you don't leave any streaks behind use newspaper wipe them down.
• Clean spectacles/ sunglasses - Just rub a few drops of vinegar on a cloth then wipe the lenses of your glasses.

*For more handy tips on using vinegar when cleaning visit Savvy Sugar.com.

We all know that accidents do happen even when it comes to washing our clothes and very occasionally someone's garment pays the price. But how many of you have told a few 'White Washing Lies' in order to cover your tracks?

Take part in our short survey and let us in on your secret, we promise we won't tell...

Please go to White Washing Lies… to view the survey

Thank you to everyone who took part, our winner has been notified via email. Your Mum's truely are heros, we hope you all have a lovely Mother's Day weekend.

Take part in this short survey and tell us about your clothes sharing habits.

Please go to Borrowing your partners clothes, a turn on or turn off? to view the survey

You may think you have a while yet but if you're preparing yourself for sending your child into the world on their own, either to university or if they are just planning to take the step to live on their own, it pays to be prepared. By teaching your children these simple steps to laundry now they will have plenty of time to perfect their skills before they venture into the unknown.

1. Inspection & Stain Removal

Stains can be easily missed during a quick wash, so teaching your children the art of inspecting clothes for stains is a very important step. By teaching your children about the importance of using stain removal products you will be saving them, and no doubt yourself, a lot of money. The Dr. Beckmann Stain Devils Survival Kit could mean that your child will never have to throw away clothes because they are stained. This simple kit contains 3 of the most popular Stain Devils meaning by having this little kit in their cupboard they can remove over 40 of the toughest stains in just 3 minutes, the time it takes to make a cup of tea. The kit even comes with a handy fridge magnet to tell them which Stain Devil to use for their stain, so never again need your child be confused about stain removal.

2. The importance of sorting

To keep colours from bleeding and ruining clothing, the general rule is to sort lights from darks, colours from whites. Explain the potential hazards of mixing new fabrics with old, red fabric with lights and then introduce them to the wonder that is Dr. Beckmann Colour & Dirt Collector. A product that will save even the best of us from colour runs caused by those unwanted garments that find their way into our wash and mixed colour washes, whilst also collecting all the stray dirt. These ingenious sheets mean that your child wont have to wait till they have a full wash load of one colour or waste water by doing small loads of washing, these sheets mean they can wash mixed colours with confidence.

3. Laundry boosters

As well as teaching your children to add products such as fabric softeners to their laundry its a good idea to teach them about adding whiteners to keep their whites looking like new for longer. Adding laundry boosters such as Dr. Beckmann Glowhite, can help their whites stay white and also restore whiteness to clothes that have gone that inevitable grey colour. To keep clothes white whilst also removing stains Dr. Beckmann Whitener with Stain Remover is the ideal product.

4. Fixing Color Runs

Colour runs is something every laundress will have to deal with at some point and by teaching your children that it does not necessarily spell the end for their favourite dress or t. shirt you can save them a lot of disappointment. Dr. Beckmann Colour Run Remover can help rescue clothes from unwanted dye runs, for example if the red from a red and white striped t. shirt runs and they now have a red and pink striped t. shirt, or that naughty black sock invades the white wash and turns everything grey. This product is available for colours, whites and as a hand-wash meaning they are covered whatever their colour run crisis.

5. Timing and temperature

There are a lot of dials, buttons and options to choose, making the washing machine look a lot like a NASA space shuttle to a teenager or someone who has never had to do their own laundry before, and if you’re not a seasoned laundress with years of experience, it may be overwhelming. Make sure you use your expert knowledge and know how to install confidence into your children that they're making the right selections even for delicates and woolens. When it comes to using the tumble dryer it is also a good idea to introduce them to drying sheets such as Dr. Beckmann Tumble Fresh, a product that keeps your clothes feeling soft and makes them easy to iron, meaning if your child is about to rush out of the door to a party or important job interview they don't need to worry about how long the ironing will take them.

By teaching your children these 5 simple steps you are building a foundation of life skills alongside those such as table manners. You can feel confident that your child is equip with the knowledge of how to carry out, what can sometimes be, a daunting task . However if you're not quite ready to shut down the 'Mums Hotline' just yet then may be leave a step out, ensuring your darling son or daughter will always have something to consult your expert knowledge on.

They are either too small, the wrong colour or too racy, according to a nationwide survey of British women by UK laundry specialist Dr Beckmann.

And it is all men’s fault.

In a nutshell, men are pants at choosing pants for their partner, and they’re most guilty during the Christmas period – the season when they are most likely to impulse buy underwear for their lady. The worst offenders are men who buy red lacy underwear or other items they consider ‘sexy’, say Britain’s women. Male-bought racy underwear is twice as likely as any other kind never to be worn by women, according to the study.

Women say they will put an astonishing 48% of all knickers, bought for them as Christmas presents, directly into their underwear drawer and will never, ever, wear or wash them. Of those remaining knickers that are worn, just 20% will be worn more than once before being hidden at the bottom of underwear drawers across the nation.

Why?

Because men are useless when it comes to choosing female underwear, it seems.

Some 31% of all Christmas knickers bought by men for their lovers is the wrong size, often too small but sometimes, unforgivably, too big. A further 12% are too racy and some 10% are a colour that their lady-love would never wear.

Dr Beckmann spokesman Susan Fermor said:

“Women love new underwear but it seems that their men often get it wrong when it comes to buying lingerie for their loved ones. This seems especially true at Christmas, when men are most likely to buy their women underwear. Men’s opinion of what their women would like seems to be way off the mark in many, many cases.

Britain’s women clearly prefer their own lingerie choices. Like men, many have a few pairs of ‘favourite’ pants, which they prefer to wear on a regular basis. Men rarely play it safe when buying ladies underwear – they seem to go for risqué or racy undies which rarely, if ever, get worn.”

Recent reports show that Marks & Spencer sells an incredible 61 million pairs of knickers in the UK every year and the UK lingerie market is worth a staggering £2.48 billion annually.

Please go to Lingerie, is it really what we want this Christmas? to view the survey