Don't Leave Baby's Clothes to Dry Outdoors Overnight – Superstition?

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I bet most of you have heard your parents or you parent-in-laws said this before. Do not hang baby’s clothes out to dry  overnight . They must be kept indoors before sunset! I have been following this advice for as long as I can remember without questioning the rationale behind this.

Science vs Superstition


I assume it was some kind of superstition, where after dark, some “dirty things” may find the baby clothing cute and stay with it etc. I wasn’t really convinced by this superstition beliefs really. So why can’t we leave baby’s clothes out to dry at night? For many families, laundry is usually done at night after a long day at work. After the clothes are washed, you would naturally hang them out to dry (unless you have a dryer of course). Here are some scientific explanations why your clothes shouldn’t be left to dry outdoors at night:

Bugs Party


Once night falls, the bugs are out to party. Insects and bugs are generally more active at night than the day. Moths, cockroaches, and those pesky flying ants/termites moves around freely in the dark. They carry bacteria and germs with them. Their body may trap pollen or simply have secretions which are harmful. Flying termites may leave their wings on your clothings. Imagine while you were sleeping, these bugs land on your baby’s clothes, party all night there and leave behind a whole load of harmful substance on your freshly cleaned laundry!

Unaware of what happened overnight, you bring in the clothes and put it on your baby. Baby’s skin are delicate and they may get a rash or other allergic reactions after coming into direct contact with the pollen and secretions. They may also fall sick easily coming into contact with the germs and bacteria on the clothes.

Humidity


Another reason why baby clothes are not suitable for drying out at night is that the sun and its ultraviolet rays in day helps kill bacteria and dries the clothes quickly. However, in the night, the air is damp, and the clothes cannot dry completely and this allows bacteria to breed. Clothes with bacteria growing is not something you want to put on your baby right?

Plenty of Sunshine


Actually, it is advisable to bring in adult’s clothing as well due to the same reason. If the clothes are not completely dry by nighttime, bring them indoors and then hang them out again the next day. If case you have forgotten to bring them in during the night, it is recommended that you continue to dry the clothes outside the next day to let it sun for a while in order to dry them completely and let the sun sterilise your clothes for you.

Do you believe in the scientific or superstitious reason? Either way, I am bringing in my clothes in at night. How about you?

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