When the weather turns cold, drying clothes outside can be pointless, but there is a simple way to hang laundry indoors without the musty smell.
Putting clothes in the dryer may seem like a no-brainer in the fall, but they use a lot of electricity, and using it frequently can lead to higher utility bills when people may be worried about the cost of heating their home.
However, Wendy Graham, sustainability expert and creator of Moral Fibres, has shared that there is a way to hang clothes indoors and wash them without them smelling.
She said: “Clothes start to smell damp when they take too long to dry. Adequate ventilation of the room where you dry the clothes by opening a window can help.
“Using a dehumidifier can also help by removing moisture from clothes without the high operating costs associated with dryers.”
How to wash clothes so that they dry quickly
Clothes often start to smell if there is a lack of air flow in the home, because there is more moisture in the room, which takes longer to evaporate, so the clothes take longer to dry.
However, make sure you wash the clothes correctly and use the correct spin cycle so that the clothes dry quickly.
Wendy said: “My second tip is to spin the clothes on the highest spin cycle the washing machine will allow.
“Some washing programs don’t spin at maximum spin, so the last spin cycle at maximum removes excess moisture. This speeds up the drying of the clothes, which means they don’t smell musty.”
Also remember to fill the washing machine only three-quarters full in the drum, as overloading also makes it difficult to dry clothes indoors.
Wendy said: “It can be incredibly tempting to cram as many clothes as you can into the machine. However, I know this goes against clean laundry and also the drying process.
“This is because if you do that, there is not enough space in the machine for the laundry to mix.
“There is also less water left for the detergent to dissolve, because the clothes absorb too much water. This means your clothes aren’t as clean as you’d like them to be, so you may need to wash them again.
How to hang clothes correctly
Clothes often start to smell if there is a lack of air flow in the home, because there is more moisture in the room, which takes longer to evaporate, so the clothes take longer to dry.
Make sure that there is always an open window or a dehumidifier in the room where you dry the laundry.
You can speed up the drying process by making sure there is enough space between clothes and by making sure everything is hung as close as possible.
Hang your clothes on a clothes horse and don’t put wet laundry in the cooler, as it wastes energy and costs more money.
Wendy said: “Standard clothes horses aren’t your only option. If you don’t have the floor space but you have the ceiling height, one option is to try a ceiling mounted clothes fan. Growing up I knew these as pulleys, but you might know them as kitchen servants.”
He added: “Meanwhile, some people swear by drying their clothes indoors with an electric clothes dryer. From what I’ve read, they are very energy efficient and much cheaper to run than a tumble dryer.
Keeping a few of these techniques in mind the next time you do laundry will help you save money on your energy bills and keep your clothes smelling good this fall.
