How to Dry Your Clothes in Winter Without Using a Dryer, According to Laundry Pros

Whether your dryer is out of commission or you don’t have one in your home and a trip to the laundromat in cold winter weather isn’t appealing, here are six expert-recommended tips for drying clothes without a dryer.

We asked three laundry pros to share their best tips, which include hanging clothes, laying them flat, and much more. Read on for the pro’s tips and tricks for how to dry clothes in winter without a dryer.

Hang to Dry

Hanging clothes on hangers, a drying rack, or a clothesline is a great alternative to using a dryer.

“Just make sure to leave enough space between wet items and smooth out any bunched areas so that air can circulate properly,” Danny Leung, the founder of Detoorp, says.

To speed up the drying process, he recommends hanging them up in warmer areas of the home and away from drafts.

Want more cleaning and organizing tips? Sign up for our free daily newsletter for the latest hacks, expert advice, and more!

Turn on a Fan

If your home feels stuffy or you’re hanging wet clothes in a humid area such as a bathroom, Hannah Yokoji, the head of marketing at The Laundress, suggests positioning a standing fan to blow directly on the clothing. The constant airflow will help speed up the drying process, she explains.

Lay Flat to Dry

Items such as thick sweaters are too heavy to hang up when wet as they absorb a lot of water during the wash cycle.

“These types of heavy, knit items should not be hung up to dry, but rather laid flat to dry,” Sammy Wang, a P&G fabric care senior scientist, says.

Similarly, she recommends laying flat delicate items which are prone to stretching out instead of hanging them vertically. Wang explains how this will help prevent excess stretching and help the items keep their original shapes.

Get a Dehumidifier

Leung recommends investing in a medium-sized dehumidifier in the room where you’re air drying clothes. He explains that the dehumidifier pulls moisture from the air, which helps speed up the drying process and means most garments should dry overnight.

“Winter air tends to be drier indoors due to heating systems and a dehumidifier accelerates moisture removal,” Leung notes.

Use a Hair Dryer on Low for Damp Spots

“If you have items with a damp spot due to water-only spills, uneven line drying, or from spot cleaning, you can dry the damp spots with a hair dryer on the low setting,” Wang says.

Entire items may take a while to dry with a hair dryer, but it’s a great option if you’re in a pinch. Wang explains how this method will work the best and quickest on thinner fabrics like chiffon or quick-drying performance fabrics.

Dry Clothes Near a Heat Source

Place a drying rack or hangers with wet clothes near a heater or heating vent. This method is most effective for drying smaller items such as socks, underwear, or lightweight clothing according to Leung.

“The warmth from the heat source speeds up evaporation without damaging fabrics,” he notes.

Make sure the clothing isn’t touching the heat source directly and there is a safe distance to prevent a fire hazard.

Tips for Drying Clothes Without a Dryer

• Use fabric softener. “Something to consider when air drying clothes is that clothes may end up feeling stiffer or scratchier after air drying than machine-drying,” Wang says. To keep clothes soft even without a dryer, she recommends using a fabric softener that will soften and condition fabrics.
• Don’t place wet clothes directly on a heat source. Even though it may seem like clothes would dry faster if they were directly on a hot radiator, do not place them on radiators or any other heat sources. Yokoji explains how this is not only a fire hazard, but how it can also result in damaged or stained clothing.
• Flip garments while they air dry. Wet clothes can be wrinkled and look shrunken, so stretch them out gently to help them regain their shape and smooth them out by hand to remove creases. Then, when line or flat drying them, take Yokoji’s advice and flip them periodically to ensure even drying.
• Open windows. It may seem counterintuitive to open windows in the winter, but Yokoji says that opening windows for air circulation, even in winter, can also help prevent mustiness and promote faster drying.
• Let garments dry completely. To avoid musty odors, Yokoji says garments should not be folded and stored until completely dry.