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Is drying your laundry hazardous to your health?

By | November 2, 2012, 8:20 PM PDT

Image via Flickr / Marta Crowe

Image via Flickr / Marta Crowe

A new study suggests that drying laundry in the house could have harmful health effects, especially for those suffering from asthma, hay fever, or similar allergies.

In the warmer months, people are more likely to hang their clothes outside to dry. But as the weather gets colder, drying inside the house makes much more sense. Unfortunately, according to a study conducted by the Mackintosh School of Architecture, many people have too much moisture inside their homes and that is often due to this practice.

The increased moisture is a problem because it can spur dust mite growth. 75 percent of the households looked at in the study had moisture levels that were too high. Researcher Rosalie Menon says the way to fix this is by designating spaces in new houses to be used for drying clothes. “These spaces should be independently heated and ventilated,” she said.

[via BBC]

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Jenny Wilson

About Jenny Wilson

Jenny Wilson was a contributing editor for SmartPlanet from 2011 to 2012.

Jenny Wilson

Jenny Wilson

Contributing Editor

Jenny Wilson is a freelance journalist based in Chicago. She has written for Time.com and Swimming World Magazine and served stints at The American Prospect and The Atlantic Monthly magazines. She is currently pursuing a degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

Follow her on Twitter.

Jenny Wilson

Jenny Wilson

Jenny Wilson does not hold any investments in the technology companies she covers.

She writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

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