KM Viray
Detergent and laundry soap commercials have often shown us that when we dry laundry indoors, our clothes end up with rather unpleasant smells. But did you know that’s there’s an even more important reason you should never dry your clothes indoors?
According to some studies, the moisture evaporating from wet laundry can cause respiratory illnesses. In medical exams conducted on a citizen from Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, moisture can turn into molds, which can harm the body when inhaled.
Craig Mather, 43, used to dry his clothes inside his house until he got a lung infection. He suffered serious lung problems due to mold spores that occurred from drying clothes on the radiator in his living room.
“I started to recover only when I was diagnosed with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and was prescribed the specific drugs to combat fungal infections,” he said.
After being cautioned about drying his clothes inside his house, Mather noticed a great improvement in his health after a year.
Mather’s case is only one of many respiratory diseases that have been attributed to the practice of drying clothes indoors. In a country like the Philippines, drying clothes indoors can raise the humidity level in the home and create ideal conditions for the development of mold spores.
According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, mold growth is encouraged by warm and humid conditions. Their effects on humans can vary, such as from nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing, or skin irritation to more serious and severe reactions. Severe reactions may include fever and shortness of breath. Some people with chronic lung illnesses, such as obstructive lung disease, may develop mold infections in their lungs.
“One bunch of washed laundry contains almost two liters of water that is released into the room. Most of us are immune to infections that grow in these wet conditions or have a body that can fight the infection. However, patients with asthma may experience problems with coughing and breathing difficulties, and in people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients treated with chemotherapy and patients with AIDS and autoimmune diseases, fungi can cause pulmonary aspergillosis. It is a condition that can cause incurable and sometimes fatal lung damage, “said Professor David Denning of the University of Manchester who advises the laundry to be dried outside or in the dryer, away from bedrooms and living room.
Featured photo from livingasustainabledream.wordpress.com.
