Only 30% Satisfied with Drying Clothes Outside. Regional Stresses like Tottori's 'Bugs' and Kagoshima's 'Volcanic Ash' Revealed [National Survey on Laundry Drying]

In recent years, the lifestyle of drying laundry indoors (room drying) has been taking root, driven by lifestyle changes such as the increase in dual-income and single-person households doing laundry at night, rising crime prevention awareness, and environmental changes like flying pollen, yellow sand, and sudden bad weather. Therefore, Panasonic Corporation conducted a nationwide survey on 'laundry drying' to explore the reality of diversifying laundry concerns regardless of the season. This survey highlighted the reality of region-specific laundry troubles and the challenges of room drying. - Results show a majority of 'room drying' advocates in 16 out of 23 prefectures in East Japan, and 14 out of 24 prefectures in West Japan. - Only about 30% of people achieve satisfactory 'outside drying.' Approximately 70% feel 'weather stress' when going out. Hokkaido has the highest number of people feeling weather stress. - 'Region-specific outside drying troubles' became clear, such as 'bugs attaching' in Tottori Prefecture, 'volcanic ash' in Kagoshima Prefecture, and 'exhaust gas' in Tokyo. - 'Security concerns' are also a factor in avoiding outside drying. 'Room drying' has become mainstream, especially among younger demographics, with about 70% of women in their 20s and 30s answering that they usually dry clothes indoors. - In addition to 'drying time' and 'damp smell,' the survey highlighted the 'pressure on living space' due to 'no space to hang clothes' as a problem with room drying. - The keys to ideal room drying are 'fast-drying,' 'cleanliness,' and 'energy-saving.' Maintaining the 'room air quality,' such as preventing condensation and humidity, is also required. - While about half are eager to introduce a 'clothes-drying dehumidifier,' the biggest barrier is the 'electricity bill.' Over 80% desire to 'dry clothes thoroughly while keeping electricity costs down.' [Survey Overview] - Area: Nationwide - Target: A total of 4,700 men and women in their 20s to 70s [Those who do laundry at least twice a week and use both outside and room drying] - Survey Period: Wednesday, April 8 to Friday, April 10, 2026 - Commissioned Agency: Rakuten Insight, Inc. *When quoting the survey results, please indicate 'Survey by Panasonic' as the source. When asked whether they usually dry their laundry 'outside' or 'indoors,' 40.9% overall were 'outside drying advocates' and 57.6% were 'room drying advocates.' The results showed that 'room drying advocates' were the majority in 16 of 23 prefectures in East Japan and 14 of 24 prefectures in West Japan, revealing a particularly high ratio of room drying in East Japan. When people who frequently dry outside were asked if they are 'able to achieve satisfactory outside drying every time' they do laundry, only 33.6% answered 'able to do it every time.' Regarding the question, 'Do you feel stress or anxiety about the weather when you go out while leaving your laundry drying outside?', about 70% (66.9%) answered 'quite a lot' or 'a little.' Among them, 'Hokkaido' had the highest number of people answering 'quite a lot.' The psychological burden of outside drying, which is easily affected by the weather, was highlighted. <'Region-specific outside drying troubles' became clear, such as 'bugs attaching' in Tottori Prefecture, 'volcanic ash' in Kagoshima Prefecture, and 'exhaust gas' in Tokyo> When asked about the factors that make them feel they 'do not want to dry laundry outside' by season, or factors that make them abandon or regret outside drying, half of the total respondents cited 'sudden weather changes' (53.8%). In addition to this, reasons such as 'fading/damage to clothes due to UV rays' (27.2%) and 'attachment of bugs (stink bugs, etc.)' (23.1%) were also mentioned, showing the difficulty of drying outside without hesitation due to the environment. As a factor for abandoning outside drying, 'attachment of bugs (stink bugs, etc.)' was cited by 41.0% in Tottori Prefecture, 37.0% in Shimane Prefecture, and 36.0% in Akita Prefecture, which are outstandingly high compared to the national average of 23.1%. In open-ended responses, earnest voices were gathered, such as 'Various types of stink bugs attach to the laundry and enter the room' and 'Sometimes there is a massive outbreak of stink bugs.' In addition, respondents from Kagoshima Prefecture raised concerns about 'volcanic ash/ashfall,' stating, 'In Kagoshima Prefecture, volcanic ash from Sakurajima is constantly falling, or previously fallen ash remains, and even a little wind makes the ash dance.' Also, in Tokyo, where traffic is heavy, there were concerns specific to urban areas about air pollution and being seen from the outside, with comments like, 'It is hard to dry outside partly because a main road is nearby' and 'Because it faces a main street.' From Hokkaido and the Tohoku/Hokuriku regions, voices expressing the inability to dry outside in winter arose, saying, 'It snows in winter, so laundry won't dry even if hung outside. The laundry freezes.' From Gunma Prefecture, the reason was, 'The strong, dry winter winds blow the laundry away.' Okinawa