Chris Michael, Director of Meaco, the UK’s leading air purifier specialist, explains how a dehumidifier can dry washing and improve health at the same time.
With the onset of colder wetter weather, clothes must be dried in doors, and if there is no tumble drier then a clothes horse or draping over a radiator is the only option. This is particularly true for smaller properties, like flats, with no access to the outside.
Clothes dry by releasing moisture into dry air. At the end of summer the relative humidity of the air increases as the temperature drops With windows kept shut, moisture inside a property is added to by everyday activities such as showering, cooking and breathing. Cold damp air means washing will take longer to dry, plus the moisture from wet laundry will further raise humidity levels. Signs of high moisture levels in a property can be condensation on windows and the growth of mould, damp on walls and adjacent soft furnishings. Mould releases mould spores (seeds) to spread around a home causing allergic reactions to some when inhaled.
A less visible effect of high humidity is a rise in dust mites, who reproduce when the relative humidity is high, and the allergic reaction some people can have to their droppings when inhaled.
One way to protect one’s health and reduce the effects of high humidity from indoor clothes drying, is to use a dehumidifier.
How to use a dehumidifier for drying washing fast:
- Take the clothes and hang them up or put them onto a clothes horse making sure that the clothes are not lying on top of each other.
- Place the rack into the smallest room you have.
- Put the dehumidifier next to rack so that the dry air from the dehumidifier blows over the clothes.
- Don’t let any water drip over the dehumidifier.
- Close any windows and close the door as well.
- Rotate the rack after an hour or so to dry all clothes evenly
- Use a fan that you might have spare from the summer to dry the dry air over the clothes faster
This will reduce condensation and mould growth, and dust mite rate of reproduction, so a home will be a healthier place to live; the home will feel warmer and washing will dry faster.
A small property will need a small quiet dehumidifier. Weight is also an issue as it can be moved between rooms. The MeacoDry ABC 10L and 12L range has been designed with flats in mind, with a whisper quiet noise level of 35dB, low-weight and availability in a choice of colours. The Meaco 25L Ultra Low Energy Dehumidifier has been designed specifically with drying washing in mind, it has a massive air flow, twice as much as other dehumidifiers. This combined with its large extraction rate will dry the clothes very fast. The air is forced across the clothes by a rotating air deflector that moves the air up and down across the clothes. In Laundry Mode it uses less energy and it has a Quiet Mode to reduce the noise level down to the target 41dB for use in a flat. It can do this because it uses a unique DC Technology. It is Good Housekeeping Institute approved. The Meaco DD8L Zambezi is the pick of the desiccant dehumidifiers for drying laundry as it decreases drying time because of the extra heat generated as it uses a heater as part of the drying process. It has a louvre that moves the dry air across the clothes, and has a special intelligent laundry mode, that also reduces energy consumption right down to just 40 watts as the clothes dry