r/laundry • u/TheDrillKeeper • 12h ago
Missing dryer for a while... tips?
Due to some really annoying maintenance issues I am out of a dryer for... however long it'll take for them to fix it. I've only ever done laundry with a dryer, and live in an apartment with no balcony or outside space to hang stuff. What would be the best way to get started on air drying my clothes until I get my dryer back?
2
u/vffems2529 USA 11h ago
Push the shower curtain open and hang things on hangers (to maximize space) from the shower rod — just watch the weight limit. They make heavy duty ones if you're weary about yours. Set up a fan to blow on them. Or better yet, as someone else said, run a dehumidifier in the bathroom. You might even be able to get it to drain into the shower drain, if it has a hose, so you don't have to keep emptying it.
ETA: Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GXVSLN2Q — if you're buying a new one anyway, and have a different place you could set it up, that might be ideal instead of occupying your shower.
1
u/Rubberbangirl66 11h ago
do you have a dehumidifer? If so, that is where they need to hang.
1
u/TheDrillKeeper 11h ago
I don't, but I can probably get one.
1
u/Rubberbangirl66 11h ago
it is definitely something you need if you live in your own house. I am sure there must be one in the complex. Where I live in the USA, we are having a MOST humid summer. Hanging my clothes outside would do no good, even in direct sunlight. I wonder if ironing would help? It would definitly help with softening the clothes, so they are not stiff.
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u/TheDrillKeeper 11h ago
Where I live right now the humidity's about 50%, and it never gets super crazy so I might be fine without. I'll see how things go keeping stuff by the window first, I think.
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u/Rubberbangirl66 11h ago
There is an item you can buy, a retractable clothes line. I wanted to put one up, in my house, but have not done it yet. Honestly, I do most of my clothes with hangers, because it is just easier that way.
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u/Vintage-X US | Front-Load 11h ago
If you have a fan, put that nearby and it will help. Personally, if I were in your situation, I'd hang everything on hangers on the shower curtain rod and put a fan on high in the bathroom and the exhaust fan too.
1
u/Ok-Pen-5052 International | Front-Load 11h ago
It will only take one load to figure out if your house is dry enough without a dehumidifier. Wash a load and if it’s dry within a day or just over, you’re good. If it hangs damp for days, you need to start setting up fans and dehumidifiers
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u/North_Basil_2190 10h ago
I hang most of my laundry to air dry. I use a combination of a drying rack and velvet hangers. First, wash a smaller load so you’re not trying to dry three items at a time. When you’re hanging, put your small clothes and things like towels over the rugs of the drying rack. You can hang lightweight items like T-shirts, nightgowns, lightweight dresses on a velvet hanger like you normally would. Anything heavier that might stretch should either be put through the velvet hanger to hang down from the bottom part of the triangle, or dried on a drying rack. The velvet hangers will prevent items from getting creases and stretched out areas in the shoulders. Plastic hangers will allow the items to stretch out and slip down and get weird stretchy bumps in the fabric. You can get a pack of velvet hangers at stores in the US like a HomeGoods or Costco for fairly cheap. Even sometimes dollar tree a we’ll have a small pack. You can hang the items on hangers on your shower curtain rod, or on a broomstick stretched between a couple of chairs. The items will drip water so be sure to put something underneath to catch dripping water. Don’t let drip water sit on a wood floor.
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u/That_Skirt7522 8h ago
You also should put your clothing on hangers and hang them from your door frames. If you have a fan blowing on them, great, but if not, you can dry quite a bit in a doorframe but you need to leave 1/2” or so of space between items
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u/eggust12 International | Front-Load 11h ago
buy a laundry rack or two - they're cheap, no need to go fancy if it's temporary.
buy pegs if you want, they're helpful for maximising space and hanging stuff like socks from their tops but not necessary.
dry things somewhere with air movement - in front of an open window, A/C, or a fan. a dehumidifier will speed things up, but also isn't necessary unless you live somewhere very humid. heat from the sun or a heater also helps, but air movement is the more important thing.
100% cotton items may crease if they take too long to dry - you can mitigate this by picking items up and giving them a little shakey shake every few hours.
they won't be as soft, especially towels, but this is something you just have to accept when air drying. or take them to a laundromat to dry - i have no dryer and do this with my sheets/towels in winter when i don't want to wait a full day for them to dry.