15+ Effective Ways for Drying Clothes Indoors

Washing is an easy task. If you own a machine, then it is as simple as throwing your unclean clothes on the floor, gathering them up a few days later, tossing them into the machine and pressing a few buttons here and there! However, drying clothes indoors is a challenge, isn’t it? Air drying clothes indoors has always been a dilemma for people in general and homemakers in particular over the last few years due to urbanization and change in lifestyle. The situation gets worse during rainy season.

Earlier, when most of the population lived in villages or small towns, this problem probably never popped up as the village houses usually had a backyard garden or a courtyard where they could easily tie the ropes and dry their clothes in the natural air, in the open. This practice uses free renewable sources – wind and sunlight. As we marched towards modernization and a large chunk of population moved to the cities and started living in apartments, space became a luxury and drying clothes indoors became a tradition! The rapid urbanization has created high-rise buildings where most of the people live in either 2 or 3 room flats. When you live in a city, space is at a premium! The furnished rooms including the bathroom and kitchen hardly have any space for air drying clothes indoors. The first provider of the balcony may have never imagined that some fine day in the future, the luxurious extension of the home-the balconies would turn into spaces for drying clothes!

However, this is the reality. Our balconies have become our convenient spot for drying clothes, no matter what the weather is. Summer or Monsoon, we have our clothesline spread out on our balconies. Many people living in flats ponder how to dry clothes inside and hope to find indoor clothes drying ideas that can help them conveniently airdry clothes inside.

Drying Clothes in Backyard

Problems Faced While Drying Clothes

  • In most developing countries, people live in small apartments or flats. There is literally no space available for drying clothes. People dry their clothes on balconies or on balcony railings, which often causes major accidents.
  • Slums are even worse. Practically no space is available for the people living in slums.
  • Lack of space in the backyard, even if it exists.
  • Drying clothes on balconies hampers the beautiful look of your home.
  • During monsoon, drying clothes inside becomes a necessity and half-dried clothes give out a foul smell.
  • In cold climates, the clothes take a longer time to dry due to the scarcity of sunlight.
  • Not everyone can afford to buy expensive mechanical dryers.

And, remember this is a problem we face on daily basis.

Minimum Space Required For Drying Clothes Indoors

For a family of 4 to 5 persons, considering 6 to 7 garments per person (including small and large), there would be around 25 to 35 garments to dry, which requires a minimum horizontal space of 9.14 m to 15.24 m (30 to 50 feet) in length. The garment normally requires 3 to 4 hours of daytime for drying, depending upon the season. Hence, for a 3 m (10 feet) wide balcony, you need to tie a minimum of two and preferably three rows of strings at 200 mm to 300mm(8 to 12 inches) apart.

Unfortunately, all the above space problems which occurred when we air dry clothes inside went unnoticed and ignored even by architects and builders. Most housewives have adopted crude and precarious indoor clothes drying ideas, which sometimes can lead to fatal accidents. There are instances of people falling from the balconies and dying, in a bid to dry clothes. Thus, in absence of a well-designed space or system, every housewife is left with these million-dollar questions like How to quickly dry clothes? Or how to dry clothes in winter and monsoon? Or how to dry clothes inside? Don’t worry we bring you comprehensive drying clothes indoors solutions.

“How to Dry Clothes Inside the House?”

Considering the problems faced by people in drying clothes indoors, we, are providing you with some workable drying clothes indoors solutions!!!

With the advancement in technology, varieties of devices are available such as sliding, movable; wall mounted drying racks or clothe dryer, washer dryer (washing machine with dryer or tumbler dryer), etc. Foldable clothes drying racks are also available in the market. This is a wonderful clothes drying solution, which can be folded and slid to a corner. However, these foldable clothes drying racks too need space. With the availability of new drying racks and clotheslines, you can make smart use of all that ‘invisible’ indoor space which will not only help you in drying clothes indoors but also help you save money on electricity!

Ways for Drying Clothes Indoors

Different ways of Drying Clothes Indoor

So here are some tips which answer the common questions like how to quickly dry clothes inside the house or how to dry clothes in winter and monsoon seasons? Let us look at some innovative ways of drying clothes indoors:

01. Clothes line to Air Dry Clothes Inside Home:

Drying Clothes on Clothesline

The first and very simple option is to have a look around your house and locate a suitable place where the clothesline can be tied. If you reserve some space for drying clothes indoors, then hang your clothes on the clothesline, which is tied between two nails/pegs on the wall. 

Different Types of Clothes Drying Racks

During the winter months, the sunlight is scarce and thus clothes take little longer to dry and hence the question arises as to how to dry clothes in winter? In this condition, you can dry your clothes on drying clothes stand. In modern and luxurious apartments, builders have started providing dry areas, in which you cannot only wash your clothes but can also dry them. These days, clothes drying racks of various shapes and sizes are available in the market. These racks not only look good but also provide a great convenience for air drying clothes inside.

Mentioned below are different types of clothes drying racks:

02. Ceiling Clothes Drying Racks:

Ceiling Clothes Drying Racks

Ceiling clothes drying racks are most popular in apartments or flats and are mostly placed in the balcony due to the lack of space. They are hung from the ceiling and are provided with pulley system. This enables you to pull the drying clothes rack down, hang your clothes, and pull it back. The system is similar to a window blind. This is a perfect drying clothes indoor solution. They make proper use of the space and provide you with a solution on air drying clothes indoors where space is an issue. There are different types of ceiling clothes drying rack available in the market as shown in the figure above.

03. Foldable Clothes Drying Racks:

Foldable Clothes Drying Racks

Foldable clothes drying racks are very useful and provide an easy and hassle-free solution for airdrying clothes indoors even if you have a small home. Since they are easy to fold, you do not have to worry about how they will look in your home when not in use. They are made of stainless steel, which again is rust-proof. This means, you do not need to worry about the rust staining your clothes. These racks are available in wide variety as shown in the figure above.

04. X-Type Drying Clothes Stand:

X-Type Clothes Drying Rack

X-Types drying clothes stand is one of the oldest and the most popular style of clothes drying racks.  The X-frame type clothes drying stand provides enough space to hold a good number of garments. Moreover, they are light-weighted and collapsible. These are a better option for air drying clothes indoors, especially the heavier clothes or throw rugs. X-Type drying clothes stand is made of stainless steel, wood, aluminium, galvanized iron, plastic, etc. and is available in different sizes. As mentioned in ‘New York Media’, almost more than 70% of the people use this type of clothes drying rack due to its durability.”

05. Adjustable Rolling Clothes Drying Racks:

Rolling Clothes Drying Rack

Rolling Clothes Drying Rack is very useful for anyone who has time constrains or space limitations to set up a clothesline. They are real space savers! You can easily move the rack because of the rolling arrangement in the rack. They are made of stainless steel and hence are rust-proof. No matter if the racks are empty or full of heavy or damp clothes, they can be easily pushed out of the middle room.

06. Wall Mounted Clothes Drying Racks:

Wall Mounted Clothes Drying Rack

Award-winning author Andrea Hannah in her article ‘The 6 Best Clothes Drying Racks’ states: “Wallmounted clothes drying rack can be attached to any wall space and remain pretty invisible when not in use. ”As space becomes lesser, using these types of clothes drying racks is becoming more popular alternative and an efficient replacement for the conventional clothesline. They are useful to dry smaller pieces of clothes like hanky, socks, etc. You can use it anytime and when not needed, you can just push them back and close the unit.

Please have a look at the figure above. Here, we have come up with different types of wall mounted clothes drying racks:

07. Expandable Clothes Drying Racks:

Expandable Clothes Drying Rack

Would you like to expand your horizons when it comes to drying your clothes indoors? Then you need to learn about the expandable clothes drying rack that are ideal for drying delicate clothes like towel, socks, etc. It folds neatly for easy and discreet storage. This clothes drying rack is adjustable and no matter what size, what load or in whatever space you have to set up, this rack can be adjusted to fit your needs. Expandable clothes drying rack can be folded when not in use.

08. Portable Tripod Drying Clothes Stand:

Portable Tripod Clothes Drying Rack

The portable tripod drying clothes stands are versatile and self-standing. These types of clothes drying racks are ideal for long garments like shirts, dresses, etc. The curved arms have grooves that can hold almost any plastic or metal hanger. It can be easily folded for compact storing. The portable tripod drying clothes stands are meant to dry the clothes naturally thereby saving energy and keeping the clothes vibrant.

09. Star-Shaped Clothes Drying Racks:

Star Shaped Clothes Drying Rack

Star-Shaped clothes drying rack creates more space for air drying clothes indoors. It is perfect for the small space living. It is very easy to unfold as it magically expands when unfolded. Star-shaped drying racks have attractive looks too.

10. Radiator Clothes Airer:

Radiator Clothes Airer

Radiator clothes airer is another drying clothes indoors solutions. It is ideal if you’re short of space. It creates extra drying room for garments while keeping them out of the way at the sides of the room. This radiator clothes airer can be placed anywhere in the home. It is ideal for balconies, windows, doors, etc. For drying clothes on the radiator airer, just hook it over the heater. This is the perfect solution for quickly drying smaller clothes like hanky, socks, towels, etc. It is foldable when not in use.

The drying rack perhaps would be more useful in monsoon as they can be placed inside the room even when it is raining. But you also need to keep in mind that if the clothes are not squeezed properly, the floor below will become wet due to water dropping continuously.

11. Washer Dryer:

Washer Dryer

Nowadays washer dryer is more popular as a clothes dryer. Washer dryer means washing machine with in-built tumbler dryer. So, if you need to dry clothes quickly, it’s a good option as it washes and dries your clothes in the same cycle. So all you need to do is pick up the clothes from the machine and they’re ready to wear! It is very useful, especially during monsoon season. However, not everyone can afford to buy a clothes dryer machine as it is not within everybody’s reach, and moreover, you require a reasonable space to keep it. More efficient dryers are likely to be more expensive up front, but will have a lower ongoing energy costs, which will be quite significant in case of frequent use.

Commonly Adopted Domestic Drying Clothes Indoor Solutions

There are some drying clothes indoor ideas, which are used by housewives as a temporary solution for drying clothes inside. They are mentioned below:

12. Use the Staircase Railings:

Drying Clothes on Staircase

A long staircase also provides a suitable and practical place for drying clothes indoors. Particularly, in small houses or in chawl-type houses, these few cubic meters of additional usable space are suitable for drying clothes indoors and putting the spaces available to maximum use. You can dry your clothes on the staircase railings without any additional effort. But this of course is a hopeless resource for the helpless person and hence not desirable as the railing would lose the purpose for which it is meant. Then again, another drawback of this practice is that you may have to gather the clothes lined up on the stairs each time a visitor rings the bell! This will surely ruin the aesthetics of the house.

Checkout our article on functional requirements of staircase:

13. Window Grill:

Drying Clothes on Window Grill

The best option to dry your clothes during monsoon season is to hang them on the window covered with the grill. This is the best option for people who live in tiny apartments or flats. However, it will have an impact on the overall look of the house.

14. Under the Fan:

Drying Clothes Under the Fan

People also use fans for drying clothes indoors during monsoon. But it not only gives bad look but also leaves behind a foul odour in your room as well as the clothes. The dust on fan blades may fall and stain your clothes. This is the method that should be avoided for reasons more than one.

15. Plastic Round Peg Hanger:

Drying Clothes on Plastic Round Peg Clothes Hanger

Drying clothes on a plastic round peg hanger is the best option for small clothes like hanky, towels, socks, etc. You can hang them anywhere in the house. It is most suitable for drying clothes of small kids.

16. Ladder:

Drying Clothes on Ladder

The crude simple option for drying clothes indoors is the ladder. You can easily dry your clothes on the ladder as per your needs.

Here’s a video to sum up all the points mentioned above:

Takeaway:

Well, drying your clothes should not cause extra anxiety in your life. It should be a stress-free task. Living in a small-size apartment does not mean that you do not have options. When it comes to drying clothes indoors, there are plenty of options available, which are mentioned above. One of them might be helpful to you.

As Author Abhishek Jain (BijliBachao) says, “Cutting down on use of clothes dryers and using clothesline is identified as one such way of going green.”In a world where being more conscious of the environment is so important, it is essential to know more about different indoor clothes drying ideas.

If you find our ideas useful, or if you have any important additional inputs from your end, you are most welcome. We would love to hear from you and appreciate your suggestions. We would further request you to give your feedback/inputs in the comment box you see below!

Make sure to read our articles:

Monsoon Home Care Tips For This Rainy Season
Monsoon Home Decor Ideas For A Monsoon Makeover

Image Courtesy: Image 4(a)Image 4(b), Image 4(c), Image 6, Image 7, Image 8(a), Image 8(b), Image 8(c), Image 10, Image 11, Image 12, Image 14, Image 15, Image 16

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