How to Air-Dry Clothes and Still Keep Them Wrinkle-Free (2024)

Laundry

Laundry How-Tos

Mary Marlowe Leverette

Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40+ years of experience and 20+ years of writing experience. Mary is also a member of The Spruce Gardening and Plant Care Review Board.

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Updated on 11/24/23

Reviewed by

Katherine Picott

Reviewed byKatherine Picott

Katherine is a professional home organizer and certified KonMari consultant with over 5 years of experience helping clients get their homes in order. She launched her own professional organizing business, Tidy Milso, in the summer of 2020, to help reorient those feeling overwhelmed with both clutter and disorganization in their homes. To date, she has logged over 500 hours of organizing with her clients using Marie Kondo’s KonMari method.

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Fact checked byMarcus Reeves

How to Air-Dry Clothes and Still Keep Them Wrinkle-Free (3)

Project Overview

Working Time:10 - 15 mins
Total Time:2 - 8 hrs

Skill Level:Beginner
Estimated Cost:$10 to 80

If you are hand-washing sweaters and a few delicate items, have a broken dryer, or have no automatic dryer available, air-drying laundry indoors is the best method to try. The process is very simple, and with the right tools, air-drying laundry indoors will offer benefits to your budget and your clothes.

Learn what you need and how to air-dry laundry indoors easily.

Why Should You Air-Dry Clothing?

Air drying clothes inside or outside is more gentle on fabrics than tossing and tumbling in a dryer. It also helps prevent static cling.

Air drying clothes is energy-efficient, reduces utility bills, and prevents possible dryer fires from excessive lint. And, indoor drying increases the humidity level during winter months when the air in homes can become overly dry.

Laundry schedules vary greatly depending on the number of people in a household and the type of clothes. To prevent your home from being covered with drying clothes, wash a load of laundry weekly and put away the freshly dried clothes as you hang the freshly washed load.

Tip

Some items like sweaters, bras and delicate lingerie, and wool, silk, and some rayon fabrics should always be air dried.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

1 to 2 indoor drying racks or clotheslines
12 clothes hangers
12 clothes pins
1 circulating fan

Materials

1 container laundry detergent

Instructions

How to Air-Dry Clothes and Still Keep Them Wrinkle-Free (4)

How to Air Dry Clothes Indoors

Select the Best Drying Rack for Your Home
The best type of drying rack for your home depends on the space you have available, the amount of laundry you handle, and even the type of laundry you plan to dry. A collapsible rack is best for most homes, as it can be easily put away when not in use.
If you plan to dry sweaters, you need a rack that has a ventilated horizontal surface so the sweaters can dry flat. For lingerie, a retractable clothesline in the shower may be all you need. A wall or ceiling-mounted rack in the laundry room is convenient for small loads.
No Drying Rack Available?
If you don't have a drying rack, you can still air dry clothes indoors by using the shower rod or a towel bar.
Use clothes hangers to create additional hanging surfaces. Pants or skirt hangers have built-in clothes pins to grip wet items. Never air dry wet laundry on surfaces that can be damaged by moisture (uncoated metal, untreated wood, upholstered furniture).
Remove Excess Moisture
Since you want the laundry to air dry as quickly as possible, it's best to remove as much moisture from the fabrics as possible. Check the spin cycle setting on your washer. The higher the setting, the faster the spin and the more moisture that is removed.
For hand-washed items, after squeezing out as much rinse water as possible, place them on a thick towel and roll it up to absorb excess water before hanging or laying the garment to dry.
Prevent Wrinkles
How you hang the laundry will reduce the amount of wrinkling. Give each piece of laundry a good shake before hanging them to air dry to help relax the fibers.
- Hang pants by matching up the inseams and hang them from the dryer rod with the waist down.
- Clip the shoulders of shirts and tops to one of the dryer rods with clothespins.
- Fold bedsheets and blankets in half or thirds and drape them smoothly over the widest dryer rod.
- Use clothespins to hang towels and dishcloths from a dryer rod or fold them in half over the rod.
- Reshape bra cups before hanging them over a rod to dry.
Improve Air Circulation
Hang items individually and with as much space in between them as possible so they will dry more quickly. Thick layers of fabric take much longer to dry.
Improve the air circulation by adding a fan or dehumidifier to the drying area, turning on a bathroom vent fan, or opening windows to increase airflow. In the winter months, place a portable drying rack near a heating vent.
Tip
Place a drying rack away from the walls to prevent the moisture from being trapped. This helps reduce the chance of mold and mildew forming.