Is it OK to dry laundry indoors?

It’s not ideal. Drying laundry indoors can create damp, condensation, encourage dust mites, and cause health risks to people prone to asthma, hay fever and other allergies. If you dry laundry inside the house read this advice..

.. 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.

Alternatives to Drying on a Clothes Airer

We often can’t really avoid drying some of our washing inside with the UK climate. We can use tumble dryers instead though. They can cause some moisture release (though not as bad), but many people are sensitive to the costs, or environmental concerns, so prefer to let them dry naturally.

If you Must Dry Clothes Inside

Try to dry near (not on) a hot radiator or in a south facing room, preferably with sunlight steaming in when available. Ideally with a window slightly open 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.

Forbes rent appliances and specialise in renting Bosch appliances so they know them inside out. They also rent other brands and many other products – more details at Forbes

If it’s too cold to have a window open then at least leave the room door open so that moisture at least spreads around the house instead of being inside one room.

Using a dehumidifier to aid drying laundry

If you regularly dry laundry inside the house I would recommend buying a good dehumidifier. Ebac make one with a laundry setting that is specifically designed for aiding drying of laundry. When you put it on the laundry setting it puts it on maximum speed for 2 hours. This can genuinely help laundry to dry quicker and definitely helps to deal with all the water that evaporates into a room when drying laundry.