Gen Z turns household appliances into storage in growing trend
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If you’ve ever opened your oven to preheat it for a Sunday roast, only to find it stuffed with sneakers, handbags, or last season’s winter coats, you might be living with a Gen Z-er—or at least following their latest household trend.
Yes, you read that right: a whopping 69 per cent of young Aussies aged 18–29 are using their ovens and dishwashers as storage, according to a recent Westinghouse survey.
And if that’s not enough to make you scratch your head, nearly 40 per cent are still hauling their laundry home to mum and dad.
Now, before you roll your eyes so hard you see your own childhood flash before them, let’s take a step back and unpack what’s really going on here.
Is this just another case of 'kids these days,' or is there more to the story?
For many of us in the Seniors Discount Club, the idea of using a kitchen appliance for anything other than its intended purpose is, frankly, baffling.
We remember the days when a dishwasher was the height of luxury, not a makeshift wardrobe.
And as for bringing laundry home to Mum and Dad after moving out?
Unthinkable! By the time we were 18, we’d already survived sharehouses with questionable characters, learned to cook (or at least not burn toast), and figured out how to pay the bills—sometimes the hard way.
But times have changed. Today’s young adults are navigating a very different world.
Sky-high rents, smaller apartments, and a cost-of-living crisis mean that every square inch counts.
If you’re living in a shoebox-sized flat with barely enough room to swing a cat, suddenly the oven starts looking like prime real estate for your extra stuff—especially if you’re more likely to order Uber Eats than whip up a casserole.
Let’s talk about the laundry situation. Nearly 40 per cent of Gen Z-ers are still bringing their dirty clothes home to mum and dad.
On the surface, it sounds like a failure to launch. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find a mix of reasons: the high cost of laundromats, dodgy washing machines in rental properties, and maybe a bit of comfort in returning to the family nest (at least for a clean pair of undies).
But here’s the kicker: many of these young adults wish they’d learned more about managing a home before flying the coop.
The Westinghouse survey found that 70 per cent of 18–29-year-olds wish they’d been better prepared for the realities of adult life—like paying bills, cleaning ovens, and mowing lawns.
In fact, a quarter have never paid all their own household bills, and nearly a third have never mowed a lawn!
It’s easy to point fingers at Gen Z for their quirky habits, but as one Gen X parent put it, maybe the real question is:
Why didn’t we teach them? Many of us wear our 'free-range' childhoods as a badge of honour—roaming the streets, learning life’s lessons the hard way, and surviving on a diet of Vegemite sandwiches and parental neglect.
But in our quest to give our kids a safer, more comfortable upbringing, did we forget to teach them the basics?
There’s no denying that technology has changed the way we live.
Today’s young people are glued to their screens, bombarded by 'effluencers' (as one witty commentator dubbed them) peddling the latest trends and hacks.
But while the internet can teach you how to fold a fitted sheet or cook a three-minute mug cake, it can’t replace the life lessons learned from trial and error and a bit of elbow grease.
Before we get too nostalgic for the 'good old days,' let’s give credit where it’s due. Gen Z is nothing if not adaptable.
They’re making the most of what they’ve got, finding creative solutions to modern problems, and challenging the status quo.
Who says an oven can’t double as a storage unit if you never use it for cooking? And if bringing laundry home means a chance to catch up with family (and maybe score a free meal), is that really so bad?
Maybe it’s time for a bit of cross-generational learning. We can share our hard-earned wisdom—how to budget, cook, and keep a home running—while also picking up a few space-saving tricks from the younger crowd.
After all, who couldn’t use a bit more storage?
And for those of us who worry that today’s young people are missing out on the wild, unpredictable adventures of our youth, remember: every generation finds its own way.
The world may look different, but the journey to independence is still full of twists, turns, and the occasional load of laundry.
Have you noticed these trends in your own family? Do you think we should have taught them more about running a household, or is this just the new normal? Share your stories, tips, and thoughts in the comments below.
Yes, you read that right: a whopping 69 per cent of young Aussies aged 18–29 are using their ovens and dishwashers as storage, according to a recent Westinghouse survey.
And if that’s not enough to make you scratch your head, nearly 40 per cent are still hauling their laundry home to mum and dad.
Now, before you roll your eyes so hard you see your own childhood flash before them, let’s take a step back and unpack what’s really going on here.
Is this just another case of 'kids these days,' or is there more to the story?
For many of us in the Seniors Discount Club, the idea of using a kitchen appliance for anything other than its intended purpose is, frankly, baffling.
Ovens and dishwashers were used for storage by 69 per cent of Gen Z Aussies, while 39 per cent brought laundry home to mum and dad, a recent survey found. Credit: Pexels
We remember the days when a dishwasher was the height of luxury, not a makeshift wardrobe.
And as for bringing laundry home to Mum and Dad after moving out?
Unthinkable! By the time we were 18, we’d already survived sharehouses with questionable characters, learned to cook (or at least not burn toast), and figured out how to pay the bills—sometimes the hard way.
But times have changed. Today’s young adults are navigating a very different world.
Sky-high rents, smaller apartments, and a cost-of-living crisis mean that every square inch counts.
If you’re living in a shoebox-sized flat with barely enough room to swing a cat, suddenly the oven starts looking like prime real estate for your extra stuff—especially if you’re more likely to order Uber Eats than whip up a casserole.
Let’s talk about the laundry situation. Nearly 40 per cent of Gen Z-ers are still bringing their dirty clothes home to mum and dad.
On the surface, it sounds like a failure to launch. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find a mix of reasons: the high cost of laundromats, dodgy washing machines in rental properties, and maybe a bit of comfort in returning to the family nest (at least for a clean pair of undies).
But here’s the kicker: many of these young adults wish they’d learned more about managing a home before flying the coop.
In fact, a quarter have never paid all their own household bills, and nearly a third have never mowed a lawn!
It’s easy to point fingers at Gen Z for their quirky habits, but as one Gen X parent put it, maybe the real question is:
Why didn’t we teach them? Many of us wear our 'free-range' childhoods as a badge of honour—roaming the streets, learning life’s lessons the hard way, and surviving on a diet of Vegemite sandwiches and parental neglect.
But in our quest to give our kids a safer, more comfortable upbringing, did we forget to teach them the basics?
There’s no denying that technology has changed the way we live.
But while the internet can teach you how to fold a fitted sheet or cook a three-minute mug cake, it can’t replace the life lessons learned from trial and error and a bit of elbow grease.
Before we get too nostalgic for the 'good old days,' let’s give credit where it’s due. Gen Z is nothing if not adaptable.
They’re making the most of what they’ve got, finding creative solutions to modern problems, and challenging the status quo.
Who says an oven can’t double as a storage unit if you never use it for cooking? And if bringing laundry home means a chance to catch up with family (and maybe score a free meal), is that really so bad?
Maybe it’s time for a bit of cross-generational learning. We can share our hard-earned wisdom—how to budget, cook, and keep a home running—while also picking up a few space-saving tricks from the younger crowd.
After all, who couldn’t use a bit more storage?
And for those of us who worry that today’s young people are missing out on the wild, unpredictable adventures of our youth, remember: every generation finds its own way.
The world may look different, but the journey to independence is still full of twists, turns, and the occasional load of laundry.
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