Interesting Facts

According to a study commissioned by Teletext Holidays, Brits spend 18 days on planning their holiday (On average, people in the UK spend 14 days choosing a holiday destination. We spend just over 13 hours researching the accommodation, and 11 hours sorting out all the transport from the flights to car hire. A further nine hours are dedicated to washing and ironing clothes, and eight hours are spent on trips to the hairdresser and tanning salons. We then spend another two days packing our suitcases before finally jetting off. They have even come up with a new phrase PHT - Pre-Holiday Tension.)

Researchers at Proctor and Gamble have discovered that water piping made of copper, may be the cause of bad hair days. (Washing your hair with water containing the metal can lead to split ends and unmanageable hair. The metal gradually builds up in in the outer layers of the hair, helping to speed up damage caused by sunlight, causing split ends, fly-away strands and less shine. The effect is even more pronounced in those who use hair dye. The research, published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, says that treating hair with chemicals more commonly used in washing powder, known as chelants, could reduce the action of the copper. I really can't imagine washing my hair in Daz, so maybe the answer is to wash your hair less, and let it grow naturally grey.)

Wool&Prince, an American company claims to have invented a shirt that can be worn for 100 days without being washed. (It says its new shirt, made of wool of all things, can go months without being cleaned because the fabric is naturally resistant to odours. This could only appeal to the kind of person who sniffs their clothes to see if they're clean or not.  If you've worn it - wash it!)

According to the Vatican the washing machine has done more for women’s liberation than the contraceptive pill or being allowed to go to work without having to ask for their husband's permission. (This is according to a recent article in recognition of International Women's Day in the official Vatican newspaper, Osservatore Romano. The article is entitled, “The washing machine and the emancipation of women: put in the powder, close the lid and relax”. The title of the article is taken from the Washy Talky, a bilingual-talking washing-machine, which was launched in India seven years ago. It guides the user of the washing machine through the complete wash process by voice instructions in English and Hindi. As for women's liberation, there's one thing it definitely wasn't driven by - the church.)

US researchers from the Society for Microbiology and The Soap and Detergent Association have worked out that only 77% of Americans wash their hands in public restrooms (loos to the rest of us). (This figure is down 6% on a similar study in 2005. So this is for the Americans: When washing your hands you should rub your wet, soapy hands together outside the stream of running water for at least 20 seconds, before rinsing thoroughly and then drying with a clean or disposable towel. In a public loo, after drying, use a dry paper towel to turn off the water (and open the door, if there is one).