Dry Clothes for New Adventures at Tuvan Preschool
At Tuvan Preschool in Stöpen, just north of Skövde, spending time outdoors is a natural part of every day. As a parent cooperative preschool with a strong outdoor education focus, children and teachers spend most of their day outside throughout the year, regardless of the weather. This places high demands on ensuring that clothing and equipment can be dried quickly and be ready for the next activity.
When Nature Is the Classroom
Tuvan Preschool has 20 enrolled children and four teachers. Through its outdoor learning approach, play, education, and excursions take place outdoors, with nature serving as an integral part of the learning environment. Depending on the season, children spend between five and seven hours outside every day.
Being outdoors is not just an activity, it is a core part of the preschool’s philosophy. The focus is on physical activity, outdoor life, independence, and developing a close relationship with nature. Whether it is raining, snowing, or windy, the day continues outdoors.
When the Weather Shapes Everyday Life
When children spend most of their day outside, wet clothing becomes a natural part of everyday life, especially during the autumn and winter months. Hats, gloves, rainwear, and overalls need to be dried quickly so they can be used again.
At the preschool, the drying cabinets are used daily to dry both the preschool’s laundry and the children's outdoor clothing. From October to March, the cabinets are often used several times a day to ensure that the children always have dry clothing ready for their next outdoor activity.
In a setting where children need to get back outside quickly, efficient drying is essential. Clothing must be dry within a reasonable amount of time to keep daily activities running smoothly and to ensure the children remain comfortable outdoors.
A Simple Solution for Wet Clothing
When many children come inside at the same time with wet and dirty clothing, a solution is needed that is easy to use and fits the pace of the preschool environment.
"After a morning spent outdoors in rain, snow, or slush, we can hang the children's wet and dirty outdoor clothing directly in the drying cabinet. It's simple and convenient, and we don't need to wash the clothes first, which would have been necessary if we used a tumble dryer."
— Victoria, Tuvan Preschool
The ability to quickly hang everything from rain mittens to overalls saves time and makes it easier to keep daily activities running without interruption. For the staff, this means less handling and better opportunities to focus on the children and educational activities.
More Than Just Dry Clothes
For a preschool that spends time outdoors in all weather conditions, a drying cabinet is about more than simply getting clothes dry before the next activity. The heat generated during the drying process also helps reactivate the water-repellent treatment found in many functional and rain garments, helping them maintain their protective properties for longer.
A drying cabinet can also contribute to improved hygiene in preschool environments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the research institute RISE conducted a study on behalf of NIMO to investigate how drying cabinets affect common viruses found in preschools. The results showed that normal use of a drying cabinet inactivates both coronavirus and norovirus, the virus responsible for winter vomiting disease.
Read the study report here.
For environments where many children spend time in close proximity every day, this means that a drying cabinet not only contributes to dry clothing and improved comfort, but can also play a role in creating a more hygienic environment.