While many of us will be making use of the warmer weather to dry our clothes outside, experts have warned there is something you should consider first
If you use pegs to hang out your washing to dry in the warmer weather, like many of us do, it could actually be causing some damage to your clothing, according to the experts. When the temperatures crank up, most households will run at the opportunity to dry their washing outside rather than use indoor hangers but it turns out this is not all good news for your garments.
While drying clothes outside can speed things up and help your clothes smell fresher, using pegs could create other issues. As the weather gets warmer, you’ll likely find yourself putting your washing outside so it’s a good idea to take a couple of top tips from clothing brand Superdry into consideration.
Superdry has issued a warning: “Take caution when using clothes pegs, as they can leave unsightly and potentially permanent pressure marks on delicate fabrics.” The high street fashion brand adds that in order to take extra care to protect delicate items, you should avoid using clothing pegs altogether and be careful not to leave items outside in the wind as they may blow away, the Express reports.
Superdry continued: “Additionally, you can enhance the whitening effect further by lightly spritzing clothes with white vinegar before hanging them outdoors, helping the sun to keep your whites looking fresh.
“However, some fabrics will become stiff if dried in this way, especially those made from natural fibres like cotton.
“To avoid this, trying partly drying outside and finish off with a few minutes in the tumble dryer.”
You can also gently pull garments into shape to remove creases before hanging out or placing them on the drying rack. This will also reduce the amount of ironing time required, which is always handy.
One suggestion is to also move your clothes airer outside which will dry your washing just as well as on the line but without the potential damage caused by pegs.
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As another heatwave is on the way this weekend, ensuring you make the most of the weather to dry your clothes will mean you’ll be left with fresh-smelling and quick-drying clothes.
However, you may want to reconsider drying your clothes outdoors altogether this summer if you suffer with hayfever.
Hay fever symptoms can be more intense when the weather is warm, humid and windy, and unfortunately that’s exactly what’s forecast this month.
Pollen is sticky and can cling to clothes, hair and skin when you’re outside so leaving your washing to dry outdoors for several hours, provides pollen with the perfect opportunity to enter your home through your clothing and worsen symptoms.
Instead, hay fever sufferers have been warned to dry clothes indoors when pollen levels are high as this will help to keep pollen at bay and minimise your symptoms.
Hay fever season generally begins at the start of spring in early April and lasts all the way through until September. However, different types of pollen are released over this period.
Tree pollen comes first, followed by grass pollen from mid-May to July and then weed pollen from the end of June until September.
The UK is currently experiencing the grass pollen season, which is what most sufferers have an allergy to, and there is usually a peak in the first two weeks of July. So if you feel as though your symptoms have been worse as of recent, this is probably why.
