Why you should not dry towels in the apartment

Most people who live in cities dry their laundry in an apartment. Or on a balcony in the shade, where there is at least some access to fresh air. In fact, drying indoors can be dangerous to our health. This is especially true of bed linen and soft terry towels. Why towels need to be dried in the fresh air, the editors of the "Site" will tell in this article.



Why towels need to be dried in the fresh air First, drying towels in the apartment increases the humidity of the air. It affects health and can even be a cause of coughing, shortness of breath and headaches. In addition, due to high humidity in the apartment appears mold fungus. It settles on the walls, and also penetrates into the respiratory tract, causing various diseases and allergies.



Second, it takes longer for the towels to dry at home. In addition, dried in the apartment linen often does not smell as good as after drying on the street. Sometimes there can be an unpleasant, musty smell. To correct the situation, you still have to take things out in the fresh air. So why not do it right away?

By the way, the smell of fresh linen from the yard is one of my favorite flavors. It takes me back to my childhood, to the private home where I grew up and where my parents now live. I remember they always dried things outdoors, even in winter on freezing sunny days. Mom says that it is necessary to dry in the fresh air - this is the key to cleanliness and good health.

Scientific experiment But why is that? Do things from the balcony get less oxygen? Scientists from Denmark conducted a small experiment and found the answer to this question. They hung three towels in two different places: in a dark office room and two on the balcony - in the shade and in the sun. In addition, it is worth noting that the towels were washed in ultra-purified water (for the purity of the experiment).



The researchers then placed the towels in a special bag for 15 hours. While the towels were there, scientists took air samples from the bag. They also measured the chemical composition of an empty bag, dirty towels and air from the rooms where they were dried.



Comparing the data obtained, scientists were able to find out what towels are emitted, which are dried in the sun. It turns out that the sun and clean air contribute to the release of aldehydes and ketones - organic molecules that our nose recognizes as the smell of plants or perfumes. It also turned out that after sunbathing, the towels began to secrete pentanal, which is contained in cardamom, citrus octanal and neonal, resembling the smell of dew.

Sun and air Why so? Most likely, it is ozone, which can convert some substances into aldehydes and ketones. In addition, with the help of sunlight, some molecules are “excited” and form new compounds called radicals. In combination with ultraviolet light, they create the same freshness. Also in this process, water on a towel plays a big role, which collects molecules together and works as a magnifying glass, concentrating light and speeding up reactions.

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Similar processes occur on the surface of soil and plants. That’s why everything smells special after the rain. Due to the fact that aldehydes bind to cotton, the odor on clothes lasts even longer.



That is why we recommend drying towels in the fresh air under the sun. For those who have a private home, this is not a problem. Residents of apartments are advised to hang towels in the yard on a linen rope or on the balcony - but not in the shade, but in the sun. In this case, the towels will dry well and smell fresh and clean.



In winter, it is more difficult - in order for the laundry to dry well, you must first dry on the dryer, and then take out on the balcony or street. In addition, we recommend to put the dryer near the heater or battery to thoroughly evaporate the moisture. Another option is to buy a special drying machine. But it is better to still use old proven methods and dry outdoors. Or combine drying in the apartment and in the fresh air. I hope your towels are always fresh!