Thinking about indoor cloth drying

[Radiance]

The neiborhood I live in doesn't allow to dry clothing outdoors, so I thought I HAD to use the dryer.

Well, you know what? Many times, at least 3 out of 5 I leave the dried clothes in the dryer a day or two, then I have to either run it for another 20 minutes or iron (I don't even know where my iron is so I run the dryer for additional 20 minutes). If I had hanged those clothes, they would have dried on their own.

So, I've experimented with some fabrics, and most dry well hanging on my bathroom from regular hangers or from the pinch ones (I don't know how are they really called)

Others are too stiff or too wrinkled, but this is because I use dryer sheets to soften clothes.

I have had no problem with static.

My main problemis that my washer does not tell me when is it rinsing, so I have to guess when to add the softener.

Anyway, I think I can separate the clothes by fabric and hang the ones that can be hanged and leave in the dryer only those that don't dry well hanging, taking note of the fabric so I don't buy those anymore.

What do you think? Even cottons dry well after 20-30 hours.

[Radiance]

Hey, I found a great idea:

..."I hang up my wet clothes inside during the day to let them dry. When I get home from work, I put them in the dryer for about five minutes to get rid of the wrinkles. I don’t have a clothesline, but this works just as well."...
from
Frugality in Practice: Air-Dry Your Clothes (Even Indoors!) * Get Rich Slowly

[MonkeyMama]

You can also get a rack for drying

Amazon.com: Used and New: Indoor Clothes Drier Y Airer Rack, 79'

This looks most like the one I bought in 1995 (there's lots of other styles).

I bought this when I didn't have a dryer in college.

I still use it to this day. I wash all my work clothes in cold water, and hang dry them. (I do not do dry cleaning!)

We have an extra large closet though, so it just fits well in there. But heck, you can put it where you would have put your dryer.

My only experience is that things dry a lot faster in the summer (12 hours usually will do). In winter, may take longer. We really have zero humidity though, which probably helps. Some items I fluff in the dryer first, just for a bit, because they "feel nicer" that way. Liquid fabric softener may help though.

[Radiance]

I'm going to WAL-MART TONIGHT! and get me one. My closet is not big enough, but I can put it in the dinner room for what I care, there is nobody dinning during the day.
Man! small steps into better life, so nice! Thanks Monkey Mama

[Caoineag]

We do all of our drying as line drying. Most of my clothes would just be damaged in a dryer anyways. You will find a lot of your clothes will last longer without the wear and tear of a dryer. I did make one adjustment though. I hate sandpaper like towels so now I am converting over to microfiber towels which are soft no matter what.

[Radiance]

If my clothes last any longer I will not buy more clothes for the rest of my life...Most my items are over 3 years old and still running. ;-)

Microfiber towels... do they dry the body well? I hate having to scrub myself to get dried after a shower.

[Caoineag]

They actually dry you quicker because they are super absorbing. Very handy when you have long hair, lol.

[MonkeyMama]

Yes, to be clear, most of my work clothes are "hang dry only" or are on the delicate side. Some are "dry clean only." Certain materials do okay in a cold wash and hang dry. I do it to keep them from shrinking, etc. IT definitely expands the life of the clothes though, that is for sure.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

If you have a bathtub, you have a place to dry clothes: Racks can be set right in the dry tub. Collapsible wall mounted racks that stretch out over the tub can be installed. Retractable lines that stretch from one wall to the other can be installed, and unhooked when not in use. A spring-tension shower curtain rod can be pressed against two walls traversing the middle of the tub lengthwise and then clothing can be put on hangers and hung from the rod.

Where to hang laundry is one of those problems that it is great to ask a 90 year old. They will remember the days when there were no driers. And they would probably be amused that we even have to ask! (My dad is older than that and he tells me women used to hang their undergarments inside of the sheets and pillow cases out on the clothesline. They were shy to have their underwear seen even when they were not in it!)

Oh, and with a little child, do ask for the hangers whenever you buy him clothing that is displayed on hangers in the store. Some stores are happy to give them to you. They are almost always plastic, which makes them good for hanging wet things. Even after he grows the little hangers will find purpose in hanging smaller items of your own wardrobe.

[cptacek]

I wondered if those shammy cloths would work well...my hesitation was if they made your hair static-y?

[rob62521]

I have a narrow laundry room, so I bought an adjustable shower curtain rod and hang my clothes on hangers over the washer and dryer. I still use the dryer for some items, but the rod works great.

Downy used to have a fabric softener ball that you threw in the washer with the softener in it and it would somehow release the softener at the right time because I didn't enjoy constantly checking on the rinse cycle. I bought mine at Target a couple of years ago.

[Radiance]

ok,
I am skipping the dryer with 80% of my clothing. the other 20% goes to the dryer so I don't have to iron. Lesson learned, buy easy care clothing only! (I do refure to do dry cleaning)

I bought a rack, which is horrible, do not buy a brand called "RE" it is the most unstable, weak piece of drying rack. I lost the receipt so I am stuck with it. It does work but I have to balance out the clothing as I hang it and do not touch it because all comes tumbling down.

What didnt fit on the dryer rack I put on the bathtub tube hanging from pinch hangers.

I have no static issues, I guess all is cotton and similar, I think Rayon creates a lot of static. The cloting is a little stiff, but the effect disappear as you wear it. I didnt use a softener because I missed the rinse cycle. I used to have a washer that beeped on the rinse cycle, but now it doesn't

I will have to time it and but an alarm clock

[canadamom]

We use a clothes rack with wheels. It is a bar that you can hang clothes on. (Looks like the movable racks in a hotel valet). I just move it to the room that has the most air flowing .
Use hangers and hang all items with a little space in between but even jeans dry this way.

[creditcardfree]

I read about line drying indoors years ago, but I didn't have an unfinished attic or basement so I dismissed it. My laundry room was in a hallway, too. I think I will start trying our unfinished basement .

I just started using wool dryer balls in my dryer instead of fabric softner sheets. They help soften clothes and reduce most static cling. I bought the wool yarn at the fabric store with a coupon and made four balls for less than $6. There are directions online for this type of thing. They seem to help shorten the amount of drying time, too. I just leave them in my dryer...so I can't forget to use them.

[Radiance]

I think I will start trying our unfinished basement .

The truth is that the bathroom and the closet worked just fine. Now, my house is on A/C all day long at 77 degrees. Not sure if that helped.

[mom-from-missouri]

We have a line for outdoor use.
For indoor use I have a wood rack (found at Wal-Mart years ago), a line that goes across part of the basement--it actually goes through our classroom but we hang posters from it at times. It is the type of line you can retract when not in use. Then I took an old wooden screen door and removed the metal screen from it and replaced the screen with fiberglass screen as it doesn't rust. My DH has an old 54 pickup in the basement garage so I lay it across the bed of it during the winter and it is great to lay sweaters and knit items on to dry. It gets air circulation on both sides. When its not in use I stand it behind a basement door and no one sees it. It could also fit across a bathtub as well.

[wincrasher]

You may find that more money could be saved not running the AC at 77 every day than running the dryer a few times a week.

[Radiance]

Yeah, but for some reason if I dont do that the house smells funky (only to me) and I get allergies to the roof.

I did the vent cleaning and the carpet professional cleaning for the little carpet I do have, still.
I am changing more and more of my cleaners to natural stuff (thanks mom from Misourri for the recipes)

My doctor says I might be allergic to something on the air that needs humidity and lives indoor only (outside humidity is annoying but no allergies)

hmm, maybe there is a way to keep the air dryer without A/C???!!

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Radiance

maybe there is a way to keep the air dryer without A/C???!!

Have you tried a dehumidifier?

[Radiance]

How about that! I google it up and they run for about $150.
I might give it a shot