Avoid mould damage: Expert tips for drying clothes in winter
How to dry clothes in the winter? An interior architect explains why hanging damp clothes on a hot radiator is bad.
18 December 2024 11:48
Winter is a time when drying clothes becomes a challenge. High humidity, frost, and lack of sunlight can complicate this process. How should you dry laundry to avoid unpleasant odours and moisture in your home? An interior designer warns against a commonly used practice that can have dire consequences. - The moisture from the clothes will immediately enter the air, - the expert warns.
Drying clothes in winter is a challenge
In winter, drying clothes becomes more difficult than in the warmer months. Frost and high humidity make natural drying almost impossible. Placing laundry on balconies when the thermometer shows a few degrees below freezing (around -2°C) can lead to fabric freezing, which delays the drying process.
Another issue is the lack of adequate airflow inside living spaces. Many people want to speed up drying and dry clothes indoors. A particularly discouraged method is one that many opt for.
- Don’t hang clothes on radiators to dry (...). Moisture from the clothes will immediately enter the air and cannot escape if you don't have open windows, which of course you don’t do in the winter (...). This moisture will turn into mould. Mould spores are dangerous, very harmful to health - warns Jojo, an interior designer, in her podcast, quoted by The Sun.
If we have no other option and want to quickly dry clothes by hanging them on a radiator, we must open the windows. The expert also advises purchasing a dehumidifier to help in such a situation.
How to properly dry clothes?
To avoid problems, it is worth starting with properly preparing clothes for drying. Increasing the spin intensity during washing removes more moisture from the fabrics. A good solution is adding a dry towel to the washing machine, which will absorb excess moisture during spinning.