One in three teenagers can’t make a bed or even fold a sheet

Nine in 10 parents think their teenagers lack domestic skills - with bed making, ironing and vacuuming among the chores they struggle with, new research has revealed.

A survey of 1,000 parents with kids aged 13-19 found 29 percent of youngsters can't make a bed, 41 percent struggle to iron a shirt, and 38 percent don't know how to clean a toilet.

Nearly a third (31 percent) can't fold sheets or clothes properly, a fifth (18 percent) leave their dirty dishes in their bedroom, and a quarter (23 percent) are baffled by a vacuum cleaner.

A quarter (26 percent) never clean the bathroom and 19 percent never take the trash out.

The research was carried out by Premier Inn, which has launched its Life Skills Academy to help teens - many of whom are leaving home for the first time this autumn to go to university - get to grips with housework and life skills such as bed-making.

Hapless twins Bradley and Lewis Fox, 19, are university students who were given a crash course by Premier Inn on housekeeping after letting slip to their mom that their domestic skills weren’t up to scratch.

"Both the twins are well known for being extremely messy and pretty useless when it comes to cleaning, ironing and making a bed properly," said mom, Kim.

"I discovered that despite being at university for several months Bradley hadn't even changed his bedding once when I collected him at the end of the year.

"This session was a fun way to set them on track to develop some useful life skills which will help them not only for uni but beyond.

"They haven't listened to me in 19 years and it took the housekeeper just a few hours."

The survey also revealed it’s not just the kids who are lacking in domestic skills.

Over two-thirds (67 percent) of the parents polled via OnePoll admitted that they are still missing some domestic life skills.

Seven in 10 (71 percent) confessed that thinking about how little they knew as a teen, they're amazed they managed to grow up somewhat competent.

And 60 percent feel they were lacking essential life skills when they left home.

Along with providing online tips, the hotel chain will be inviting teenagers to three different UK locations where they will be taught the basics by the team of expert housekeepers.

The chain is well placed to be sharing these tips as is it makes over 23 million beds, plumps over 47 million pillows and irons over three million shower curtains in a typical year.

“Our research has shown that in many cases teenagers still appear to live up to their messy reputations, with many parents adopting an ‘if I want it done properly I might as well do it myself’ approach - but it doesn’t have to be this way," said Simon Ewins, managing director for Premier Inn.

“Whether it is through one of our Life Skills Academies or online video tips, we are hopeful we can step in to help and give young people a bit of domestic prowess.”