We are now into the beginning of grass pollen season in the UK which is the trigger for a staggering 95% of hay fever sufferers*. With temperatures set to reach over 20 degrees and millions of Brits heading outdoors to make the most of the long weekend, the timing could be slightly challenging for hay fever sufferers.
Highlighting the concern, searches for “pollen” have risen by 260% in the last 30 days, “local pollen alert” by 3,100%, and “hayfever: by 839%. But, whilst most people think that pollen is something they encounter only when outdoors, the problem can actually continue when you come back home due to it being carried straight through the front door on your clothes.
With this in mind, Matthew Glynn, appliance expert at Hisense, shares 8 simple laundry changes that can cut the amount of pollen that gets stuck into your clothes and the everyday habits that are quietly making symptoms worse.
Here are 8 laundry hacks to help keep hay fever symptoms at bay this week, as pollen counts surge across the UK:
- Shake clothes to remove pollen
Before putting your clothes in the washing machine, be sure to shake them off outside. This will help to minimise the amount of pollen you need to remove through a wash cycle, as well as help prevent bringing any unwanted pollen into your home.
- Run an additional rinse cycle
After your washing machine has finished with a standard cycle, do an additional rinse cycle. This will help to remove any additional pollen that the first cycle didn’t quite get.
- Wash at a higher temperature
Some washing machines do have an anti-allergy function that you can use to eliminate pollen from your clothes. These cycles typically use a higher washing temperature and include an extra rinse to remove allergens. If you don’t have this setting on your washing machine, a 60°C wash is recommended to remove pollen from clothes, bedding, and towels – just be sure to check this is suitable for the items you’re washing.
It might also be worth seeing if your washing machine has an allergy steam setting. This quick, intensive 20-minute steam at the end of the cycle can remove over 99% of bacteria and allergens.
- Ditch the fabric softener
Fabric softeners and laundry perfumes contain significantly more potential allergens in the form of softening agents, unnatural fragrances and preservatives, all of which can irritate your respiratory system when you’re already sensitive to pollen. And the fix is to add three to five tablespoons of white vinegar to your wash instead, which naturally softens clothes without adding irritants.
- Never dry laundry outside during high pollen day
This is the big one. When laundry is dried outside, it can collect pollen from the air, which is then brought back indoors on the fabric, increasing your overall exposure to pollen. Your freshly washed bedding essentially becomes a giant pollen trap. One study found that mechanical drying removed more than 95% of the pollen and allergen load from fabrics, so if you can, use a tumble dryer or dry clothes on an indoor rack instead.**
- Follow the 12pm rule if you do dry indoors near an open window
Pollen is easily picked up by warm air and rises early in the morning and falls back down during dusk, meaning midday is the worst time to have windows open. If you’re drying clothes on an airer indoors, keep windows closed to avoid pollen drifting in and settling on the damp fabric.
- Wash your bedding more frequently and on a hot wash
Bedding is a key place where pollen particles collect, particularly as we spend a lot of time with our faces on pillowcases, so it’s best to wash it more frequently during the summer months. When you do wash it, use hot water to kill dust mites and remove allergens more effectively, just make sure to check care labels first.
- Clean your washing machine regularly
A washing machine that’s harbouring build-up of limescale, detergent, and debris can reduce the efficiency and performance of your washing machine, meaning pollen could be redistributed onto clothes during washes. Be sure to frequently clean your washing machine to avoid this.
Many washing machines do come with self-cleaning programmes; however, for those that don’t have this feature, this is how to give your washing machine a spring clean.
- Start by emptying the drum and making sure there aren’t any stray items in your washing machine.
- Next, you can make your own cleaning solution by pouring roughly 2 cups of white vinegar into the drum, along with half a cup of baking soda.
- Select a hot water cycle and start the machine, allowing it to fill up and do a few rotations.
- Then pause the cycle, allowing the water and cleaning solution to sit in the drum for half an hour, before restarting and letting it finish the cycle.
- Once it’s completed the first cycle, do one more hot water cycle, allowing it to rinse away any of the cleaning residue.
Don’t forget to wipe the rubber door seal with a baking soda paste and clean the detergent drawer in hot, soapy water, using an old toothbrush to get into those hard-to-reach places. The filter, usually found at the bottom front of the machine, should also be rinsed under the tap. When cleaning the filter, place a towel down on the floor underneath where the filter is as well as a container to catch any water that will come out.
Matthew Glynn says, “Grass pollen season is the one that affects most hayfever sufferers and it tends to catch you off guard because it overlaps with the time of year when we want to be enjoying the warmer weather outside. What people don’t always realise is that every time you come back indoors, you’re bringing that pollen with you on your clothes. But luckily, your laundry routine is one of the most effective ways to break that cycle.
Photo by Yan Krukau: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-a-woman-blowing-a-dandelion-5215668/
