Get your clothes dry in just a few hours with this handy hack.
We all know how stressful it can be to try and get clothes dry in the winter. You can’t hang them out on the washing line because it’s usually raining, and running a tumble dryer can be expensive – if you even live in a property that has access to one.
For most people, this only leaves the option of loading up a clothes airer with your laundry and hoping that it doesn’t take a week to dry. While handy, these devices come with their own issues, as not only do they take a long time to get your clothes dry, but the slowly evaporating water can increase the risk of mould in your home and make your laundry smell musty.
But there is a way to make your clothes airers more effective at drying clothes, and all you need is one small electrical appliance that you probably wouldn’t think to use in the middle of winter.
The trick was shared on TikTok by Ann Russell, who responded to another woman who complained that “most rental flats don’t come with a tumble dryer”, which often means clothes “smell like mould” when they eventually dry.
Ann said that clothes airers – or airing racks – are the key to getting clothes dry without using a tumble dryer, but noted there’s a specific way you should arrange your laundry to make sure it dries quickly without a nasty smell.
There’s one other thing you should be using alongside your airer too – a fan.
She said: “If you have all your washing on an airing rack and there’s no room for air to circulate, it will take a week to dry and it will reek. You want a fan. Not a fan heater, you want a fan. Just one that blows air. All you’re doing is making wind happen inside your house.”
Ann insisted it’s vital that when you hang your washing to dry, you make sure there is space between each item. You can make more room on your airer by taking items like shirts and putting them on coat hangers and hanging them from door frames and windows.
Any remaining clothes should be hung on the airing rack with gaps in between, and then finally, you should plug in your fan and let the gentle breeze circulate through your washing.
The woman added: “Plonk a fan down so that the wind happily blows at [your clothes]. Leave a window cracked, unless you’ve got a dehumidifier, so that the damp air can escape, and you’ll find that it dries really quite quickly.”
Ann claimed that with a well-placed fan and spaced-out clothing, you should be able to get your laundry dry using this method “overnight”. She added that heavier fabrics like hoodies and jumpers may take slightly longer, but the trick is definitely more effective than leaving your clothes to dry by themselves.
Commenters on the post praised Ann’s advice, while some added their own tips, including using a dehumidifier to help draw the moisture out of clothes, as well as investing in a heated airer.
One person said: “Put the clothes rack in your bathroom and run the dehumidifier with the door closed. Clothes dry within two hours.”
Another added: “I have a heated drying rack with a cover, and it’s a game changer! Especially on the west coast of Scotland where it’s SO humid. Only way I keep up with school uniform drying.”
