Everyone who doesn'tblessed with a tumble dryerare familiar with the problem: where to dry laundry in winter? The outdoor area is particularly recommended, regardless of whether it is a terrace, balcony or garden - even if you have a dryer. But why should you dry laundry outside in winter and not inside and what alternatives are there? In our article we will explain to you what you should pay attention to, how to proceed in the event of frost and how you can dry clothes quickly despite the cold weather.
Our grandmothers did it and we should do it too: freshly washed clothes are best left outside, even if you dry them in winter. But does that even make sense?
Does laundry dry outside in winter?
The short answer is simply “yes”. Of course, the process takes longer at lower temperatures, but it works. Please try to catch a sunny day too, because...Laundry driesmuch faster in the sun! However, since sunny days can be quite sparse in our latitudes and at this time of year, you can also choose another day. The only important thing is that the humidity is not too high. If it is foggy or rainy, you should not dry your laundry outside in winter (but this also applies to all other seasons).
Dry laundry in frosty conditions
This is also possible, which may surprise some people. Why can you dry laundry outside in winter, even when it's freezing cold? Of course, the wet clothes freeze first. But over time this ice evaporates. “Sublimation” is the name given to this process in physics, in which water changes from its solid state directly to its gaseous state. This frost drying actually has a practical advantage over drying in the blazing sun: if you dry laundry in frost, and this is especially true for towels and other items of laundry made from terry cloth, they stay nice and soft while they get hard in the blazing sun.
The wind also helps when drying laundry in winter. The laundry items are ventilated and thus dry more quickly. It can also help the laundry become smoother, so yousave ironingcan.
Can you still dry laundry in the room?
For many people it is normal to dry their laundry in their apartment in winter. Some people even have no other choice, be it because there is no outdoor area available or simply because it is too humid outside. What then?
If all you have to do is dry your laundry in your apartment, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
- If possible, choose the attic or basement. Firstly, because such a drying rack takes up a lot of space in the room and secondly because it increases the risk of mold formation.
- If you dry laundry indoors in winter, be sure to air it regularly and well. 10-minute burst ventilation is the best option. A tilted window is enoughnotout of.
- Turn on the heater. As you probably know,the heater makes the air dry. Accordingly, the moisture is wonderfully removed from the clothing.
- Items that are difficult to dry can be blow-dried or ironed, but this will also result in more electricity costs.
- If you want to dry laundry in the apartment, you can also choose a wet room (usually the bathroom), as these are specially designed for damp conditions. If you dry your laundry in the bathroom, we still recommend regular airing.
Under no circumstances should you dry your laundry in the bedroom! If there is due to high humidityMold forms, this is particularly dangerous to health.
How long does laundry take to dry in winter?
As for how long it takes to dry laundry in winter, there is no exact answer. Of course, it depends on whether you ultimately chose indoors or outdoors, as well as the temperature and humidity of each area. Indoors, the whole thing can take up to three days. The fact that the sun is shining and the wind is blowing and how you have hung the laundry also makes a big difference.
Now, if you dry your laundry outside in the winter, how long should it stay there? Outside, it can take at least a day before you can put the laundry away again in a dry place.
Tips to speed up laundry drying during the winter
If you want to dry laundry quickly without a dryer, there are a few things you should pay attention to both during the washing process and when hanging it up later. So, what is the quickest way to dry laundry outdoors in cold weather as well as indoors?
- You can dry clothes quickly if you spin them well beforehand and take them out of the washing machine as dry as possible. Of course, you should also follow the instructions on the label. Not all clothing is suitable for the spin cycle.
- When drying laundry in winter, hang it properly: use clothespins to avoid double layers.WashMore often a few parts, rather than many (of course with a suitable program to save water). Here's how you canon the clothes horseSkip the rods/clotheslines and create larger spaces. It is best to dry socks, underwear and other small items between larger items of laundry.
- You can dry clothes quickly by hanging suitable clothes on hangers instead of on drying racks (e.g. shirts, t-shirts and dresses).
- Regardless of whether you dry laundry on the balcony in winter, on the terrace, in the garden or indoors - smooth out the hanging laundry to avoid creases in which moisture can accumulate.
- Bed linen dries fastest if the opening is oriented in the opposite direction to the wind. It is then inflated and the circulating air promotes the drying process.
