DO IT YOURSELF? NOT MUCH CHANCE OF THAT SAYS WD-40 SURVEY

Excellent news for white van men everywhere. The Great British public struggles to undertake even the simplest of DIY tasks and would rather call in a professional to do the job for them.

That’s the verdict from WD-40 which polled over 2,000 people to find that even though we’ve been gripped by one of the worst recessions in living memory, 40% of us admit to not having the necessary DIY knowledge to do anything more complex than basic tasks such as painting and putting up shelves.

WD-40, the world’s number one multi-purpose lubricant, found that despite the recession as a nation we spend over £21.5 million a year on hiring tradesmen to sort out our household problem jobs.

Top 10 tasks people can’t fix themselves:
1. Replacing damaged roof tiles – 82%
2. Changing a window pane – 76%
3. Installing lights – 69%
4. Fixing noisy pipes – 68%
5. Laying a patio – 67%
6. Hanging a door – 66%
7. Changing oil on car – 49%
8. Fixing squeaky floorboards – 47%
9. Unblocking drains – 42%
10. Freeing locks – 42%

The survey also found that we are very quick to arrange professional help, with 32% of men and 21% of women calling someone in within a day of the problem occurring, spurred on by necessity (68%), inconvenience (66%) and nagging (27%). Avoiding confrontation is also a motivating factor – nearly half of all people (44%) feel it is likely they will argue with their spouse or partner over incomplete DIY jobs.

Neil Gow, WD-40’s Senior Brand Manager said: “Traditionally, men may have been loathe to call in a professional, as it could be viewed it an affront to their manhood. Our survey shows that attitudes have shifted and they would now prefer to hire someone than have a go themselves. Interestingly, while half of women (50%) were put off from doing home improvement tasks due to lack of knowledge, during the recession they are 10% more likely to have a go than men.”

Notes to editors:

Research conducted by Opinion Matters August 2009. 2005 participants surveyed.

WD-40 is the world’s number one multi-purpose lubricant with over 2,000 usages. Dirty, jammed, rusty, squeaky or damp? Problem sorted.

WD-40 Company is a global consumer products company which offers brands that deliver above expectation performance at extremely good value. In the UK, WD-40 Company produces a wide range of lubricants under the brands of WD-40 and 3-IN-ONE, together with the 1001 range of carpet care products. WD-40 Company markets its products in more than 187 countries world-wide.

More information on WD-40 from Neil Gow
Tel: +44 (0) 1908 555 456
E-mail: Neil.Gow@wd40.co.uk

Released on behalf of WD-40 by Connect PR. Telephone Hazel or Richard on 01902 714957 or email hazel@connect-group.com/richard@connect-group.com.