UK households warned ‘do not dry clothes outside’ in spring

Pollen can adhere to clothing while outdoors, so leaving washing to dry outside for extended periods can result in bringing pollen into your home, exacerbating symptoms even while indoors, reports the Express. It’s advisable to shower and change your attire after returning indoors, as pollen tends to stick to skin and hair, and it’s crucial to remove it to avert dispersing it within your residence.

Allergy UK offers guidance: “Check pollen forecasts daily and stay indoors wherever possible when the tree pollen count is high. Hay fever symptoms usually appear when the pollen count exceeds 50. Rain washes pollen from the air so counts should be lower on cooler, wet days.”

Further advice continues: “Avoid drying clothes or linen outside when pollen counts are high. On high pollen days, shower and wash your hair and change your clothing, especially before going to bed. Wipe pets’ coats with a damp cloth to remove pollens when they have been outside.”

The Met Office highlights that the optimal strategy for hay fever sufferers is to be well-prepared, suggesting that individuals monitor pollen levels through its detailed pollen forecast service.

Yolanda Clewlow, the UK Pollen Forecast Manager, clarifies: “In previous years, just one pollen species has driven the forecast, switching during the season when the new species takes over.”

Clewlow adds: “But this year, the forecast is able to allow multiple pollen species to be included in the output at the same time. This means different locations may be high for different species at the same time.

“So for example, there may be ‘high’ levels coming from grass in the southwest, while ‘high’ levels are from oak in Scotland. We would previously not have been able to show the pollen species in such detail.”