Drying clothes indoors, how to avoid worsening air quality?

Summer is approaching and with it the good temperatures. We open the windows and also go out more. In our usual household tasks, we suffer less from rain and everything requiring a drying process finishes faster. This is why laundry also dries more quickly. But, what happens if we have to dry clothes indoors? Can something so innocent be a problem for health due to the increased humidity?

In many homes, it is not possible to hang clothes outside due to lack of a suitable balcony or because of some regulation prohibiting the installation of a clothes dryer on the facade. In other cases, many homes choose to leave wet clothes stretched inside the house in winter due to low temperatures or fear of rain. In summer, it is common to think that clothes dry quickly when hung indoors because it is warm.

However, drying clothes indoors can lead to health problems and deteriorate air quality. Above all, it can be a bigger problem for people suffering from asthma, rhinitis, and other allergies. This was determined by a study conducted by the Mackintosh School of Architecture, in Scotland.

The study concluded that one third of the humidity in the home originates from drying washed clothes indoors. This can become harmful to health, as some of the effects of humidity in the air include the formation of mold and dust mites, which cause allergic ailments and bad odors.

The authors of the research stress that we need to be "more aware of the impact of this seemingly harmless action." Likewise, they warn that the construction sector should also take care to resolve this situation, especially in the rehabilitation of buildings that do not have options for airing clothes outdoors.

The study states that it is more common to dry clothes indoors during winter. Not surprisingly, the study was conducted in Scotland, a country that is generally much colder than Spain, where drying clothes outside is difficult if temperatures are very low or it rains. Even so, it is also common for people to air clothes indoors in summer, and it is not true that humidity in summer stops being a problem.

This practice, seemingly so harmless, can end up being a problem for people who live indoors and do not have an air renewal or mechanical ventilation system to extract the humidity from the home. If it is winter, when windows are closed to retain heat, the increase in moisture in the air can cause problems for people as well as the building itself.

Solutions for drying clothes without creating humidity

It should be avoided to hang clothes inside the house. It can cause health problems by increasing humidity, and should only be done in cases where there is no other option. The problem is that most houses forced into this situation are the least prepared to combat humidity.

If you have no choice, at least try to follow these tips to avoid humidity problems at home:

• If you need to dry wet clothes indoors, do not do it in dry rooms, such as bedrooms or the living room; opt for the kitchen or areas with more space.
• If you don’t have any ventilation or extraction systems, at least place the drying rack near the windows and let fresh air come in. You can also use the kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans.
• Try to let the clothes dry when you are out of the house, and never at night while you’re sleeping.
• If you hang clothes on hangers, they will dry much faster.
• Use your washing machine's spin cycle, as it removes water from your clothes, especially the humidity.
• Do not place too many clothes together; try to separate each item and if you have to do laundry more often, it will be better than loading the home with wet clothes.
• When the drying is done, air out the room as much as you can, even if it’s just by opening doors and windows.

We must be careful and control humidity at home, so drying wet clothes indoors is something we should avoid as much as possible or at least keep these tips in mind. The perfect solution would be to install a ventilation system that extracts stale air and humidity from the home, like the mechanical double flow ventilation system.