Is drying laundry indoors bad for health?

Stop bobbling or pilling on clothes and laundry
April 11, 2016

Is drying laundry indoors bad for health?

Is drying laundry indoors bad for health?

Is drying laundry indoors bad for health?

Drying laundry indoors can create damp, condensation, encourage dust mites, and cause health risks to people prone to asthma, hay fever and other allergies. Researchers have found that up to a third of all moisture in homes can come from drying laundry inside. There’s also a strong association between drying laundry and mould spores. Most people end up with it hanging around the house in bad weather. Some may even dry them in the house most – if not all of the time – depending on their circumstances and attitude.

Too much moisture in the house is bad

Apparently, drying just one load of washing in the house can emit 2 litres of water into a room. That’s equivalent to someone walking round a room spraying and emptying 4 of those water spray bottles. If someone did that we’d be upset, but the slow release of moisture into the room from drying clothes can’t be seen.

Is drying laundry indoors bad for health?We can’t really avoid drying some of our washing inside with our climate. We can use tumble dryers instead but they themselves can cause some moisture release (though not as bad) and many people are sensitive to the costs, or environmental concerns, so prefer to let them dry naturally.

The important thing is to be aware of the amount of moisture released slowly into the air and to try to limit its potential damage by drying near a hot radiator or in a south facing room (preferably with sunlight steaming in when available) with some ventilation available so some of the moisture can escape outside. It may be tricky when the weather is very damp and cold but being aware of this issue may help you limit the adverse effects.