Once autumn arrives, hanging washing outside stops being a reliable option: it rains, it's cold and clothes can stay on the line for two days without drying properly. So the clothes airer ends up in the living room. That's fine, as long as you keep a few things in mind, because drying clothes indoors puts a lot of water into the air. That moisture needs to get out; if it doesn't, your clothes smell damp and mould can appear on cold walls.
How much moisture drying clothes release
A full washing machine load releases, roughly speaking, between one and two litres of water into the air as it dries, depending on the fabric and the spin. Warm air absorbs that moisture, but when it touches a cold external wall or window, it cools and the water condenses. That's exactly where mould starts: on window frames, in corners and behind furniture pushed up against outside walls. Ideally, keep relative humidity between 40 and 60%. A simple hygrometer will tell you where you stand.
How to dry clothes indoors, step by step
- Use the fastest spin. The less water in your clothes, the less ends up in the air. Use the highest spin speed the care label allows. For towels and bedding, a second spin is usually worth it.
- Choose the right room. The best choice is a room with a window where you don't sleep, such as a study, or a bathroom with a window or extractor fan. The bedroom is a bad option: it's usually cooler, and at night the moisture from your breathing adds to it.
- Keep the door closed. Close the door to that room so the moisture doesn't spread through the whole house. If the heating is on, a normal temperature of around 20°C speeds up drying considerably.
- Ventilate fully, not halfway. Open the window wide for five to ten minutes, three or four times a day, ideally with a cross-draught. Leaving it ajar for hours barely refreshes the air and cools the wall down.
- Leave space. Hang items with air between them and don't push the airer against an external wall. The thickest items, such as jeans and towels, go at the ends, where air circulates better.
- Take things down in time. Whatever is dry goes into the wardrobe. Clothes left hanging for days pick up household smells.
Should you put clothes on the radiator?
It seems like the quickest option, but it only half works. Wet clothes draped over the radiator block the heat reaching the room, the heating runs for longer and humidity shoots up. It's better to place the airer a little way in front of the radiator, so the warm air flows between the clothes.
If your clothes smell musty
That smell appears when clothes take too long to dry and bacteria have time to multiply. What works:
- Smaller loads: it's better to hang out two half-loads than to cram the airer so full that nothing dries properly.
- Hang it out straight away: don't leave wet washing sitting in the drum for hours.
- Look after your washing machine: clean the door seal and detergent drawer regularly, and leave the door open after each wash. If the machine smells, so will your clothes.
- Wash at a higher temperature now and then: towels and sheets can usually handle 60°C. Always follow the care label.
What really helps
You don't need much: a sturdy clothes airer with plenty of line space, a hygrometer and, for rooms without a window or damp ground-floor flats, an electric dehumidifier. A fan pointed at the clothes shortens drying time, but it's no substitute for ventilation. If you have a dog or cat, remove the hair from blankets and covers before washing them, for example with a self-cleaning pet hair remover. Otherwise it clogs the filter and ends up stuck to the rest of the wash.
In short
Drying clothes indoors in autumn and winter is completely normal and, with a good routine, causes no problems: spin at the highest speed, dry in a room with the door closed, ventilate thoroughly several times a day and keep an eye on humidity. If it stays above 60% or the windows are misted up in the morning, that's your signal to ventilate more or use a dehumidifier.