You just can’t beat that fresh breeze scent that comes from drying your washing outside, but if you suffer from hay fever, this is probably a pleasure you deny yourself during the summer months - but you don't need to if you choose the best time to dry your clothes outside with hay fever.
Drying your clothes outside during summer is a great way to dry clothes fast; however, pollen can cling to clothes when you dry them outside, which can trigger symptoms for hay fever sufferers.
If you want to bypass the snuffly nose, dry eyes and scratchy throat, but still enjoy breeze-fresh laundry, you need to put your clothes out to dry before the pollen count reaches its peak.
Pollen is at its highest early morning and between 5 pm and 8 pm, according to research by NHS King’s College Hospital, leaving a short window in the afternoon to dry your clothes, between midday and 4 pm.
While I can’t say that drying clothes outside before and after the pollen peak will stop your hay fever or relieve symptoms completely, experts do say it is the safest time to do it.
‘Unfortunately, the best days to dry your washing outside are also often the days when pollen counts are high – when it's dry and sunny! If you have to dry clothes outside, peg them out between midday and 4 pm to try and keep the chances of pollen impacting them as low as possible. If you have bad hay fever, though, you may be forced to use your tumble dryer more than you might want to,’ explains Dr. Roger Henderson, leading GP and spokesperson for Olbas.
Of course, using a tumble dryer is far more costly than drying washing outside, so now would be a good time to invest in one of the best heated airers (a number of our best-rated heated airers are currently on sale out of the peak winter buying period).
How the weather affects pollen count
The weather can also have a big impact on on pollen count and while a bright sunny day may seem like the best time to dry your clothes outside, it’s likely the pollen count will be high.
‘A dull, overcast and windy day is probably the best sort of day to dry clothes outside if you have hay fever. Keep an eye on your local pollen count and take advantage of days when the count is low to dry clothes outside,’ says Dr. Roger.
‘Avoid windy conditions as this will bring pollen in from other areas,’ advises Dr. José Costa, Senior Allergy Consultant at The Children’s Allergy Clinic.
‘Keeping an eye on the weather forecasts will help you plan when to start your preventative medications. Bear in mind that pollen count isn’t just high in warm, dry weather - rain after the weather has been dry will increase the pollen in the air, making your symptoms worse.’
Dr. José advises using apps to track the pollen count in your area. Apps such as Your Pollen Pal and My Pollen Forecast UK are both handy ways to keep track of your local pollen count and plan accordingly.
You can also take other preventive measures, such as investing in one of the best air purifiers to improve the air quality of your home, which can help reduce the amount of pollen you come into contact with.
If you are going to dry your clothes outside a retractable washing line like this is great a brilliant space safer.
Now you know the best time to dry clothes outside with hay fever, will you be putting your garments back up on the washing line?
