Experts warned a common household habit could be triggering damp and mould in our homes.
With the plummeting temperatures of winter making it a challenge to dry laundry, many of us have to resort to inconvenient and bulky clothes racks and airers, while some opt for draping items over radiators in an attempt to get things dry swiftly.
Interest in ‘how to dry clothes in winter’ has surged by 226% in the last month alone, prompting the specialists at Shark Clean to weigh in with a warning on why we should avoid using the radiators to dry our clothes.
According to these experts, using radiators to aid in laundry drying is a big no-no as it not only ramps up humidity levels in your home, which can lead to damp and mould, but it can also spike energy bills.
This is because the central heating system is having to work overtime to warm your space while laden down with wet washing.
Instead, the pros recommend hanging clothes on an airer within a well ventilated room. It’s also important to ensure there’s no overcrowding as this will only drag out the drying time.
This tip gained traction when raised in AskUK’s bustling Reddit forum, where one individual queried: “Do you dry washed clothes by putting them on the radiators? My family never did this, but my wife’s does as standard.
“Now in my wife and my house, it’s standard practice. We don’t have a dryer yet and after one day with normal radiators on their schedule the clothes are generally dry. But my parents always said it’s bad, but no real reason.”
Fellow Reddit users weighed in on the debate in the comments section. One individual suggested: “Hang them near a radiator on a clothes rack, they’ll get a waft of warm air which will dry them better… The main issue though is the humidity – all that water is getting released into your house and unless it’s well ventilated, you’ll get mould spots in the corners of rooms.”
Another concurred and said it’s “better to get those little airers that hang off” radiators instead. A third offered: “Always on a clothes horse near a radiator, not on it. You can damage the radiator, walls and your clothes. It’s not great for anyone in the house with asthma for example. It can cause excess moisture which settles on the walls and furniture and becomes mould.”
And another added: “We do. Even the mum-in-law who is a cleanliness fanatic does. There is no other way in winter, [in my humble opinion]. BUT, as others are saying, be careful about the condensation, open a window or something to ensure the water vapour can escape.”
