Drying Laundry

Drying laundry in the winter without a drier has to be one of the most soul destroying bits of housework.

You end up with soggy washing hanging around for days on end, which then goes hard & crispy by the time it is dry.

In my fantasy home I would have an enormous laundry room with a wonderfully high ceiling for hanging things and a state of the art drier.

But back on planet earth, I'm a Londoner and as a small rabbit hutch will set you back 250 grand in old London town, what I actually have is my washing machine in the kitchen, which is also where we eat.

And so, on those weeks ... most weeks ... when it is just too wet to get stuff on the line everything has to be dried around the house.

As I'm determined not to go through another winter with the house looking and smelling like a launderette, I've been collecting tips on how best to dry laundry, and they really, really are making a difference!

I've included my top 15 tips for drying laundry in winter without a drier in the list below.

Do let me know what you think and what works for you.

And if you want more laundry advice check out the great links from other bloggers at the bottom of the post ... and feel free to share your own ...

Tips for Drying Laundry in Winter

Do one load of laundry daily: It's almost impossible to get a machine load dry in less than 24 hours so you need a daily laundry routine. Multiple loads of washing hanging around will take longer to dry or won't dry at all.
Pegs are your best friend: You cannot have too many. You can buy a load for under a fiver so don't skimp.
NO peg sharing: Peg everything separately as the fabric under shared pegs will never get dry.
Put shirts & trousers on the airer on hangers: they will get drier quicker and won't need ironing.
Peg clothes on the airer: don't fold clothes over the airer rails as the double layers won't get dry.
Peg the smallest overlap possible: Whether on the washing line or on the airer you want the smallest overlap possible as folded over layers close together won't dry.
The wind is your best friend: Watch the weather forecast like a hawk and whenever you can wash the stuff hardest to get dry e.g. towels & sheets on windy days.
Use your machine timer: if the weather is going to be dry, load machine the night before & put it on timer to be washed when you get up so you can put it straight out. Even on dry days in winter it can take the whole day to get dry.
DO NOT put washing on radiators: Washing needs heat & air to get dry. If you cram stuff on radiators you'll end up with scrumpled up damp spots. And what is dry will be stiff.
Two small airers are better than one big one: Those enormous airers look great but if you cram too much on the clothes in the centre won't dry. It's also easier to find room around the house to put up two small ones without getting in everyone's way.
Get a clothes rail for shirts, dressed & trousers: If you've got space get a smartish clothes rail and dry best clothes on hangers on the rail. It will give them more room than an airer and won't look like you've got washing hanging around.
Dry clothes in a small room that warms up quickly: If you don't have a laundry room, put airers in a small room, whack the heating up in that room alone and shut the door. The airers shouldn't be right by the radiator, as you won't the whole room to warm up.
Air rooms quickly after drying clothes in them: When the washing is dry, open one big window for 5 minutes to thoroughly air the room. This will help stop your bedroom or wherever else smelling like a laundrette.
Hang sheets & towels without folding: If at all possible hang sheets and towels in a single drop from two trouser clip hangers or from two metal hangers with 2 pegs on each of them. You could use the banister, a curtain rail or the door frame.
Just do less laundry! We've been trying our hardest as a family to do less laundry and it really is easier to get washing dry if you've just got less of it.