CHEATERS beware, it will all come out in the wash.

More than a quarter of say that obsessing over their laundry has given them away to their partners.

A furious young man looks up while doing laundry in a domestic kitchen.
More than a quarter of love rats say that obsessing over their laundry has given them away to their partners Credit: Getty
Illustration listing the top eight ways cheating partners are caught, ranked by percentage: 1. Do their own washing (27%), 2. Taking phone in bathroom (20%), 3. Spare aftershave/deodorant (14%), 4. Keeping car interior clean (13%), 5. Showering when home (11%), 6. Changing bedding more (8%), 7. Parking further from home (5%), and 8. Second phone (2%).
A new survey has revealed the most common ways that cheating partners get caught out

Two-timers get busy with the , fearful that a lipstick mark, stray hair or smell of perfume or cologne on their clothing will expose the secret.

Ever since Connie Francis had a top ten hit in 1959 with Lipstick On Your Collar, laundry has often caught out cheating spouses.

And in the , advertising executive would keep a drawer of fresh dress shirts at the office to change into so his wife would not notice any tell-tale sign.

Taking a into the bathroom — either to text or keep it away from a partner’s prying eyes — emerged as the second biggest giveaway, in a poll carried out by website illicitencounters.com, with 20 per cent of cheats saying it raised suspicion.

A shirtless man holding a bottle of lotion.
A spare deodorant or aftershave kept in a work bag has also led to cheaters getting rumbled Credit: Getty
A young man stands in a bright bathroom, holding a smartphone in one hand and a bottle of face serum in the other.
Others were caught out because they kept a second phone to try and hide the evidence Credit: Getty

A spare deodorant or aftershave kept in a work bag led to 14 per cent of love rats being rumbled, while 13 per cent were caught because they kept their car interior unusually clean to hide signs of romps.

Another 11 per cent said that they were found out after repeatedly heading for a shower as soon as they got home, and eight per cent were caught because they kept changing the bedding to hide signs of love-making.

Five per cent were caught after parking away from the house to hide signs that someone else had been in the car, and two per cent were found out because they got a second phone which led to suspicion.

The site asked 1,500 of its members if they have ever cheated and how they were caught.

Studio portrait of American singer Connie Francis wearing a lavender and white spaghetti-strap dress.
Connie Francis had a top ten hit in 1959 with Lipstick On Your Collar Credit: Getty
Jon Hamm as Don Draper in a suit and tie, smiling in an interior setting.
Jon Hamm’s Mad Men character Don Draper changed at work before coming home to his wife Credit: Supplied by LMK

Spokeswoman Jessica Leoni said: “People think an affair starts with a big lie but it really starts with a load of washing.

“The cheat realises the shirt or blouse they had on smells of somebody who isn’t their wife or husband and they need to deal with it by doing their own washing.

“It works as a warning sign. A husband who has developed a sudden interest in the fabric conditioner is a dead giveaway and it is potentially much harder to explain than a flirty text message.”