Common laundry drying method can spur serious mould as experts issue warning

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Medical experts are urging households to avoid one speedy laundry drying technique that can spur serious health problems.With the days getting shorter and the weather getting grimmer, putting the washing on the clothes line to dry isn't really an option.

Instead, damp laundry must be kept inside and while the usual method is to place wet garments on a clothes airer or costly tumble dryer, many opt for the radiator instead.While the direct heat will help clothes dry faster, it can actually spur the growth of a type of mould which may in turn lead to breathing problems.

According to scientists, as the wet clothing is heated, the moisture is then released into the room, creating the "ideal breeding conditions for mould spores".The Mirror reports academics at the National Aspergillosis Centre in Manchester previously reported that drying clothes on warm radiators raises moisture levels in our homes by up to 30 per cent.

One form of mould that can thrive in this level of damp is aspergillus fumigatus, which can lead to potentially fatal lung infections.Professor David Denning, a now retired professor of infectious diseases and global health and medical mycology at the University of Manchester, said in 2014: "It's estimated that as many as 87 per cent of us dry our clothes indoors in the winter.