Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate consumer's behaviors on the laundering of baby's clothing according to washing machine types. The subjects were 255 consumers with babies(0-2 years) in Korea. The data were collected with a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed by Chi-square test and multiple response analysis, and SPSS 12.0 statistics package was used. Consumers were separated into two groups according to washing machine types with general pulsator type and drum-type. Consumer's behaviors between general pulsator type group and drum-type group of washing machines were also examined. The results of this study were as follows. In the consumer satisfaction for washing machine, mostly drum-type group of consumers were satisfied with their washing machines. As the reasons of washing machine's dissatisfaction, noise, washing time and low washing efficiency were high in the pulsator type group, and washing time, noise and high price in the drum-type washing machine group. The consumers concerned about separation of clothing and laundering label while they washed laundry by washing machine. However, they didn't separate clothing because the small volume of laundry and a long washing time. The most interest and required thing of consumers was complete rinsing without any detergents used in washing as well as the removal of soils for baby's clothing regardless of two washing machine types. And they complained food soils like milk and mother's milk etc. were not completely removed by washing machine. As a whole the washing frequency of baby's laundry was once per a day and the rinsing also more than three times per a laundry. Most of the consumers used a private detergents for baby's clothing(detergents for baby's clothing only), and preferred to the high or boiled temperature washing as a desirable baby's laundering. There were significant differences between general pulsator type group and drum-type group of washing machines on the laundering of baby's clothing in this study.