In this guide
From November until the spring, the washing line gets a rest and the airer comes out. Clothes end up draped over radiators, chairs and doors, and a few weeks later the windows are running with water every morning.
That damp has to go somewhere, and too often it ends up in the wardrobe or on the clothes themselves. Here is how to dry your washing indoors without inviting mould into your home.
1. Why indoor drying causes damp
A freshly washed load holds a surprising amount of water. As it dries, all of that water goes into the air in your home.
Warm air holds moisture easily, but when it meets a cold window, an outside wall or the back of a wardrobe, the moisture turns back into water. That is the condensation you see in the morning, and over time it is what lets mould and mildew take hold.
2. Get more water out before you hang it
The less water a load holds when it comes out of the machine, the less ends up in your air and the faster it dries.
If the care label allows, add an extra spin or choose a faster spin speed for towels, jeans and cotton. Keep gentle spins for delicates, wool and anything that creases badly.
3. Pick the right room and keep the air moving
Dry your washing in one room with the door shut, rather than letting the moisture spread through the house. A room with a window you can open a little, a trickle vent or an extractor fan works best.
Avoid drying clothes in the bedroom, where you spend the whole night breathing the same damp air. Leave space between items on the airer so air can get round each one, and do not overload it.
4. Go easy on the radiators
Draping wet clothes straight over a radiator feels quick, but it blocks the heat from the room and pushes a lot of moisture into the air at once. It can also leave stiff, misshapen clothes.
Stand the airer near a radiator instead, with a gap so warm air can rise through the clothes. Knitwear is best laid flat on a dry towel, gently reshaped while damp and kept away from direct heat.
5. Only put clothes away when they are fully dry
Clothes that feel dry on the outside can still be damp at the seams, cuffs and waistbands. Folded into a drawer or packed into a wardrobe, that last bit of moisture has nowhere to go.
Check the thickest parts before you put anything away. Leave a little space between hangers, and if your wardrobe sits against a cold outside wall, pull it a few centimetres away to let air circulate behind it.
6. If mould has already reached your clothes
Small spots of mildew on cotton towels or bedding can often be washed out at the hottest temperature the care label allows. Dry them completely, outside if you get a fine day.
Wool, silk and anything marked dry clean only are a different matter. Scrubbing them at home can damage the fibres and spread the marks, so it is safer to hand them to a professional, along with anything you are unsure about.
