Editing Clothes line (section)

==Drying laundry indoors==
[[File:Klestørk 3.jpg|thumb|Clothes drying indoors]]

Laundry may be dried indoors rather than outdoors for a variety of reasons including:

* inclement weather
* physical disability
* lack of space for a line
* reduce the damage to fabrics from sun's UV rays
* legal restrictions<ref>{{ cite web | url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/20_right_to_dry_states_outlaw_clothesline_bans_is_yours_among_them | last=Neil | first=Martha | publisher=[[ABA Journal]] | date=August 14, 2013 | title=19 'right to dry' states outlaw clothesline bans; is yours among them? }}</ref>
* to raise the humidity level indoors, and lower the air temperature indoors
* convenience
* to preserve privacy and as a safeguard against vandalism

Several types of devices are available for indoor drying. A [[clotheshorse]] can help save space in an [[apartment]], or clothes lines can be strung in the [[basement]] during the winter. Small loads can simply be draped over furniture or a shower curtain pole. The drying time indoors will typically be longer than outdoor drying because of the lack of direct [[solar radiation]] and of the [[convection|convective]] assistance of the wind.

The [[evaporation]] of the moisture from the clothes will cool the indoor air and increase the humidity level, which may or may not be desirable. In cold, dry weather, moderate increases in humidity make most people feel more comfortable.  In warm weather, increased humidity makes most people feel even hotter.  Increased humidity can also increase growth of fungi, which can cause health problems.

An average-sized wash load will convert approximately {{nowrap|4965 kilojoules}} of ambient heat into latent heat that is stored in the evaporated water, as follows. A typical 4&nbsp;kg load of laundry can contain 2.2&nbsp;kg of water, after being spun in a laundry machine.<ref>{{ cite web | url=http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-clothes-tumble-dryers-work.html | title=How clothes dryers work {{!}} The science of drying clothes | first=Chris | last=Woodford |author1-link=Chris Woodford (author)| date=July 13, 2018 | publisher=ExplainThatStuff.com}}</ref> To determine how much heat has been converted in drying a load of laundry, weigh the clothes when they are wet and then again after the clothes have dried. The difference is the weight of the water that was evaporated from them. Multiply that weight in [[Kilogram|kg]] by 2,257 kJ/kg,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/fluids-evaporation-latent-heat-d_147.html|title=Fluids - Latent Heat of Evaporation}}</ref> [[Enthalpy of vaporization|which is the heat of vaporization per kilogram]], to obtain the number of kilojoules that went into evaporating the water, or multiply by 0.6250 kWh/kg to get [[kilowatt-hours]]. If the moisture later [[condensation|condenses]] inside the house, the latent heat will return to ambient heat which could increase the temperature of the air in the room slightly.<ref name="evaporation">Diamond, Sheldon R. (1970). Fundamental Concepts of Modern Physics. USA: AMSCO School Publications, Inc. pp. 205. "During evaporation... The surroundings thereby become the ultimate source of the energy required to change the phase of [water] from liquid to gas."</ref> To obtain a good approximation of the effect this would have in a particular situation, the process can be traced on a [[Psychrometrics|psychrometric chart]].