e’ve written several blogs about the problems caused by drying washing indoors. This is because of the moisture that is released into the air by the wet washing, and the knock-on effect on your home and your health.
This is backed by a report by the Mackintosh School of Architecture. The report says that people are unaware of just how much moisture drying washing indoors adds to the air – and the effect that it has. You can read the article here.
What’s Wrong With Drying Laundry Indoors?
The Mackintosh survey discovered that 87% of the homes in Glasgow that were surveyed dried washing indoors. Of these, 25% of the homes had a particular mould spore that is known to cause lung infections in people with weakened immune systems.
There is a clear link between drying washing indoors over winter and the increase in relative humidity and mould spores. And it’s a simple equation. The moisture in the wet laundry has to go somewhere. In standard air-drying conditions, the moisture goes into the air. This makes the air ‘wetter’ and increases relative humidity. This in turn can lead to mould spores – and by the time you see the evidence of this, there’s often quite a lot of damage. Mould spores can attack walls, windows, soft furnishings and furniture. Mould spores and dust mites lead to allergic reactions and respiratory problems – as set out in the Mackintosh report.
Drying laundry indoors can cause mould spores
Drying Laundry Indoors – Health And Wealth
The health issues are just one of the side effects of drying washing – the other is the increase in energy bills to heat the damp air. Cold, wet air is much harder to heat, so air-drying washing can actually push up your energy bills. And, at a time when people are turning down thermostats or turning off their heating altogether, this can make the problems worse.
The Mackintosh report suggested that new homes should be built with dedicated drying areas. This is certainly welcome, and will help to reduce energy bills and protect health. However, it doesn’t help those people who are living in damp housing now, or who have no dedicated drying facilities.
Many people think that opening a window will ventilate the room enough, but cold air coming in will not dry your laundry, and it will increase the heating bills.
What’s The Answer?
The practical, simple and cost effective solution is to use a dehumidifier. A good dehumidifier will dry your clothes, make your home feel warmer and will keep the heating bill down. It will also remove excess moisture from the air, helping to prevent mould and dust mites from reproducing. By far and away the most popular dehumidifier with Meaco customers is the Meaco DD8L because it is quiet and yet able to dry a load of washing no problem. Why not visit the page and take a look at the customer reviews?
We also have a range of other dehumidifiers to help you reduce energy costs, improve air quality and make drying laundry indoors a doddle.
Products featured: Meaco DD8L
