Drying Laundry Outside During Pollen Season

Skip the line during pollen season. Fresh sheets on the clothesline smell great, but wet laundry on a breezy day works like a giant pollen trap. Then you carry all of it back inside, onto your bed, your towels, and your skin.

You do not have to give up line-drying forever. You just need to time it around the pollen. Here is why damp laundry grabs so much of it, and when hanging clothes out is fine.

Why Line-Dried Laundry Traps Pollen

Pollen floats on the same breeze that dries your clothes. Damp fabric is slightly tacky, so grains land and stick instead of blowing past. A few hours on the line during a high-count afternoon, and your sheets come in dusted with the stuff. The Mayo Clinic flatly recommends against hanging laundry outside because pollen sticks to sheets and towels.

Sheets and pillowcases are the worst offenders, because they end up right against your face for eight hours a night. That is a big part of why allergies flare at night. Clean-smelling but pollen-coated bedding undoes a lot of your other efforts.

It's Not Just Sneezing

Pollen against your skin can do more than make you sneeze. When pollen settles on exposed skin, it can trigger itching, redness, and hives in sensitized people. If you pull on a line-dried shirt and your skin starts to itch, the pollen riding on the fabric is a likely cause. Our guide on pollen and itchy skin digs into that reaction.

When Line-Drying Is Actually Fine

The clothesline is not off-limits year-round. It comes down to when the air is clean.

• After a steady rain. Counts drop to their lowest right after a storm passes, so that is a safe window to hang a load.
• On calm, low-count days. Little wind means less pollen moving through the air and onto your fabric.
• Outside your pollen season. Once your area's trees, grasses, and weeds are done, or after a hard winter freeze, line away.

During your local peak, though, dry indoors or use the machine, and keep bedding inside no matter the day.

Line-Dry or Machine-Dry?

When in doubt during your season, the dryer wins.

How to Keep Pollen Out of Your Laundry

• Dry indoors during your peak season. A machine dryer or an indoor rack keeps the pollen off entirely.
• If you line-dry, time it. Hang laundry after rain or on a calm, low-count day. Check the count first, and use the daily pollen cycle to pick the hour.
• Wash bedding weekly in hot water. Water above 130°F rinses out pollen and kills dust mites at the same time.
• Shake it out before it comes in. If clothes did dry outside, give them a firm shake at the door so the loose pollen stays out.

If your skin reacts to fabric or your symptoms will not settle, it is worth talking to an allergist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you dry clothes outside if you have allergies?

During pollen season, it is better not to. Damp laundry on a line traps pollen, and you carry it back inside onto your clothes, towels, and bedding. Drying indoors during peak season keeps that pollen out of your home.

Does pollen stick to laundry?

Yes. The Mayo Clinic advises against hanging laundry outside because pollen sticks to sheets and towels. Wet fabric and a breezy day make it worse.

Should I wash my bedding during allergy season?

Weekly, in hot water. It rinses out the pollen your sheets collect and kills dust mites, both of which build up right where you sleep.

Sources

• Mayo Clinic. "Seasonal allergies: Nip them in the bud." mayoclinic.org
• American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). "Skin Allergy." aaaai.org
• American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). "Tips to Remember: Outdoor Allergens." aaaai.org

Check the count before you hang a load

See today's pollen and rain chance for your city on the 5-day forecast.