A new study has revealed that tumble drying a load of laundry releases almost the same amount of potentially harmful microfibres into the air as those released down the drain during machine washing of the same load.
A new study has revealed that tumble drying a load of laundry releases almost the same amount of potentially harmful microfibres into the air as those released down the drain during machine washing of the same load.
Researchers from Northumbria University, worked in partnership with scientists at consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble on the study, which is published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.
The team found that the use of fabric conditioners and dryer sheets, especially in combination, could significantly reduce microfibre release from tumble dryers.
They also found that lint filters with smaller pores would trap larger masses, resulting in far fewer microfibres being released into the air, and that lint filters were better at capturing polyester fibres than cotton fibres. This means that most microfibers released into the air by dryers are likely to be cotton.
Read more at Northumbria University
Image: Test load in a tumble dryer - Dr Kelly Sheridan and PhD student Chimdia Kechi Okafor.JPG (Credit: P&G)
