Negative health effects of indoor clothes drying racks?

[FrugalShrew]

Over the last few years, my allergies have gone from mild to moderate. I attributed this to getting older, stress, and moving to a city with poor air quality.

However, it looks like drying my clothes on an indoor drying rack may be the culprit. Apparently air-drying clothes indoors can lead to increases in dust mites, mold spores, and potentially airborne carcinogens (from fabric softener).

Here is a short article from the BBC describing a study: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-20176376. The study was conducted by the Mackintosh Environmental Architecture Research Unit in Glasgow, Scotland. Their website describing the study and their recommendations is: http://www.homelaundrystudy.net/design.html.

Has anyone else encountered exacerbated asthma/allergy symptoms after starting to dry your clothes via drying rack, or know more about this issue?

[catccc]

We line dry a lot indoors, and it hasn't been a problem.  I've had seasonal allergies off an on since college, and it does not seem to be correlated to line drying indoors.  It looks like this boils down to excess moisture.  So if you are line drying in a home in the dry wintertime, it probably isn't going to do much harm.   In fact, I often look forward to line drying in the winter because it keeps me from wanting to run a humidifier at night.  Simple solution for airborne carcinogens - only use laundry products without carcinogens and/or skip extras like fabric softener.

[mskyle]

As catccc suggests I think it also really depends on your climate and the size of your home - we dry clothes outside during the summer but inside during the winter, and our house gets so dry in the winter (forced hot air heat) the humidity from the laundry makes the house significantly more comfortable. We are generally trying to get *more* humidity into the house in winter, not less. But we're not in Glasgow, either. People in the UK seem to worry much more about "damp" than people in North America.

The carcinogen problem is easy, just don't use fabric softener.

[Bracken_Joy]

Very interesting. I stopped attempting to dry inside in the winter here because things just... don't dry. Last I checked yesterday, we are at 89% humidity outside, 66% inside with the heat pump running. Mold is the Oregon state flower ;) Okay, it isn't, but it feels like it should be...

Anyway, I never noticed the allergies, but I sure did notice the aggravation! I think taking climate into account is vital.

[Dicey]

Compare your climate to theirs. If yours is dryer, you should be fine. When I used to avoid dryer use*, I would dry for 5 minutes, then hang everything on hangers and place on shower rod to dry. Really sped up drying time and cut down on wrinkles. Also, you can close the door and use the bathroom fan to get rid of any excess moisture.

*One of the many benefits of achieving FIRE is that I just use the damn dryer without guilt.

[CNM]

I used to dry cloth diapers on a rack that I had set up in my living room.  I didn't have a problem with air spores, but I noticed that over time it had warped my wood floor!  I never saw any puddles or water accumulation, but I guess that the moisture got to it anyway. 

Thankfully, no more cloth diapers in my life so that's not an issue.  I have an indoor line that I sometimes dry on and it is over a tile floor. So far no problems with it.

[onlykelsey]

Moisture sounds like it would be a legitimate concern in a Glasgow-style climate, but I've welcomed the small humidity jump in most climates I've lived in.

The leftover chemicals make sense, although that's easily avoided by not using softeners, which are often carcinogenic.  I imagine there are not good effects from using softeners next to your skin regardless of your drying habit, though.

[Cassie]

When I was young and lived in the Midwest my apartment got mold from indoor drying so I had to stop.  It also made my allergies much worse.

[Lake161]

We dry indoors on purpose to raise the humidity in the house. Before doing this we would have to run a humidifier 4-6 hours a day all winter, and. 1-2 hours a day spring-fall. Now no dryer and no humidifier, and house at 40-45% humidity. As others have said, it all depends on climate.

[Cranky]

My drying racks are under the heater vents in the basement, and stuff dries really fast. As everybody says - in the winter I'm trying to increase the humidity in my house. Also, I don't use fabric softener.

[Sibley]

My thoughts, take em or not. :)

1. Do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets. If you want something, put some white vinegar in the washer.
2. Avoid perfumes. OP, you mention allergy issues, and for some people, perfumes are a real problem. If they're not for you - great. You're just helping to not make someone else miserable. Laundry, and soaps can really be an issue because if you're sensitive, you can't escape from your clothes. (Or hands. It's really great being temporarily allergic to your hands)
3. If you live in a region which is typically humid/damp, line drying may simply not work. If that's the case, mold is likely more common in general and is a common allergen.
4. Regular cleaning of the house is going to help a lot more with reducing dust, etc than not line drying would. It's also more likely to make the house not smell bad than air fresheners.

[calimom]

Sweetie, do you have an electric clothes dryer? If so, just toss all your wet laundry into it. If you do that and still have mold allergies, maybe you're just allergic to housework? :P And if that's the case just send the whole mess out.

[worms]

I'd be wary of over-interpreting from this study.  It was conducted in three phases.  The first involved questionnaire data from 100 households, the second actual data collection from 22 households and the third was desk-top analysis.  Two important points, though... the study was only on a mix of social housing and it was in Glasgow.  Glasgow has a major problem with poorly heated, poorly ventilated social housing, associated with high levels of fuel poverty and a very wet, cool climate.  Poverty levels in Glasgow's social housing sector also contribute to very poor health outcomes across almost any measure you choose to examine.  No data were collected on actual levels of mould growth or house dust mite populations and it is quite likely that all these properties were already above humidity levels that would support both - even without indoor drying being added to the mix.

The study offers some very good conclusions for Glasgow's social housing stock, but it's relevance in other countries and market sectors is likely to be limited.

[former player]

I'd be wary of over-interpreting from this study.  It was conducted in three phases.  The first involved questionnaire data from 100 households, the second actual data collection from 22 households and the third was desk-top analysis.  Two important points, though... the study was only on a mix of social housing and it was in Glasgow.  Glasgow has a major problem with poorly heated, poorly ventilated social housing, associated with high levels of fuel poverty and a very wet, cool climate.  Poverty levels in Glasgow's social housing sector also contribute to very poor health outcomes across almost any measure you choose to examine.  No data were collected on actual levels of mould growth or house dust mite populations and it is quite likely that all these properties were already above humidity levels that would support both - even without indoor drying being added to the mix.

The study offers some very good conclusions for Glasgow's social housing stock, but it's relevance in other countries and market sectors is likely to be limited.

Agreed.  Glasgow is north of Moscow.  (That's the Moscow which is the capital of Russia, not the Moscow which is in Idaho.  Although Glasgow is north of that Moscow too.)

[worms]

Agreed.  Glasgow is north of Moscow.  (That's the Moscow which is the capital of Russia, not the Moscow which is in Idaho.  Although Glasgow is north of that Moscow too.)

Or indeed the Moscow in Ayrshire, Scotland, (population about 120) which is about 10 miles south of the Glasgow city boundary! :)

[deborah]

Whether you dry the clothes in a dryer or dry them around the house, you are getting rid of the SAME amount of moisture in the clothes (arguably more in the dryer). So, if you are drying indoors you are going to increase the humidity by the same amount.

In Moscow in Russia, they probably hang their clothes outside to dry in winter. They go stiff. Then they sublimate (the ice changes to a vapor) in a few days and are dry and fluffy. I suspect this works in Canada too.

[Cranky]

Clothes dryers vent outside, though, so it's not quite the same.

[mskyle]

Clothes dryers vent outside, though, so it's not quite the same.

I think you *can* vent an electric clothes dryers inside (not a bad idea to keep that heat and humidity inside in winter). Definitely in the US it's much more common to vent outside, not sure whether that's the norm in other places.

[Sibley]

Whether you dry the clothes in a dryer or dry them around the house, you are getting rid of the SAME amount of moisture in the clothes (arguably more in the dryer). So, if you are drying indoors you are going to increase the humidity by the same amount.

In Moscow in Russia, they probably hang their clothes outside to dry in winter. They go stiff. Then they sublimate (the ice changes to a vapor) in a few days and are dry and fluffy. I suspect this works in Canada too.

Deborah, you have solved a mystery that has bothered me since I was 8 years old. How do you get from frozen clothes to dry clothes. Thank you.

[Spruit]

I second everyone that suggested going without fabric softener anyways. Nasty stuff!
Nevertheless, in my situation (damp climate, little frost in winter) it is unwise to use a drying rack inside. That's also because this particular house has a moist issue, I've hung out clothes without problems in other apartments in the same climate. I've noticed a change in mold growth when we got ourselves a condense dryer. Can't say for sure about the effect on my health, as I often get the sniffles in winter regardless of drying method.
  If you're worried, just try going without line drying in winter and see what it does for your house. It's not worth compromizing your health.