It is not always possible to hang clothes on the roof or in the patio, which is why thousands of people in the world are forced to do it inside the house.
However, a study carried out in Scotland by the Mackintosh Research Institute for Environmental Architecture in Glasgow, revealed that hanging wet or damp clothes inside the house could lead to health hazards.
Either because the weather prevents drying outdoors in winter or rainy days or because there is no dryer, it is common for many houses to install internal clotheslines.
Why it is dangerous to hang wet clothes inside the house
According to this study, hanging wet clothes inside the house could cause asthma, rhinitis, respiratory infections and allergies due to the high levels of humidity that are generated and this could affect people with weakened immune systems.
Moisture would increase the formation of mold spores and dust mites. One of the researchers, Rosalie Menon, said that people are not aware of how much moisture clothing releases into the air.
"When we visited the homes we found that they were drying their clothes in the living room or in their rooms," she Menon said. And it is that a piece of clothing fresh from the washing machine contains almost two liters of water that is released into the environment.
Humidity in a temperate environment becomes a perfect breeding ground for fungi, mold and mites to proliferate in furniture and in the very clothes we wear, not to mention the terrible musty smell that could remain in clothes and that is very difficult to remove.
A type of spore was also found, present in 25% of the houses in which the samples were taken, which is responsible for causing diseases.
For its part, the Asthma of Ireland indicated that breathing these spores could trigger an asthma attack or worsen it in sensitive people.
Now, as for European homes, which is where the study was carried out, which have radiators, hanging wet clothes inside the house influences energy consumption, since they are turned on to speed up the drying process.
However, people often open a window to prevent the heat from the radiator and the humidity from forming spores, which is an "inefficient" solution, since then the heating power is increased.
Therefore, the study indicates that a rethinking of the domestic space should be carried out that includes in future housing constructions a space to dry clothes in the rainy or cold months, since not only the current houses and apartments are not energy efficient, but they worsen the health of the inhabitants.
Recommendations to minimize the risks of hanging clothes inside the house
If you have no choice but to hang wet clothes indoors, follow these recommendations:
Photo credit: iStock
