How To Dry Clothes Fast: The Student Friendly Guide
Laundry is literally the worst. It’s not enough to just sort the garms, you have to wash, dry and even iron some of them. And, don’t get us started on putting it all away. Folding and hanging got us like…
No one has time for it, but fresh outfits need to be fresh.
Waiting for clothes to dry is such a bore and can take FOREVER. Don’t worry though, we’ve got it covered with some great hacks to dry your clothes double quick time.
1) Dryer
Number one on our list is obviously the dryer.
You’ve got a pretty decent dryer in your student accommodation so make sure you use it.
Drying fewer clothes at a time means they’ll also be ready faster.
Be sure to check what setting you need and save on that energy.
2) Strategic Hanging
Putting your clothes in a warm place will make them dry faster.
Hang them on doors, in the shower, by a radiator, boiler, kitchen (anywhere that’s warm) and make sure they have lots of room.
You don’t want to crowd spaces of heat as your clothes won’t dry efficiently and will stay damp and gross.
3) Electric Airer
A pricey option but these electric airers do the job very quickly.
They’re so good at drying clothes that they might even shrink if you leave it on for too long.
Available in a range of sizes and prices, these might be the one if you’re that perfect combo of boujee and impatient.
4) Rotate Your Clothes
Make sure you flip and turn your clothes if they’re on a radiator or hanging up.
Remember to also turn out pockets as they can be pretty tricky to get dry.
5) Airer
An airer is life changing. Being able to hang your clothes in one place, and come back safe in the knowledge they are ready to wear, is just bliss.
They come in various shapes and sizes so you’re your student accommodation, the more compact the better.
Perhaps one that attaches onto a radiator for super speedy drying is the one for you.
Check out homeware shops like Wilkos, Home Bargains and B&M Bargains or large supermarkets for loads of choice.
6) Iron On Towel
An oldie but a goldie for getting those clothes dry. Put your treasured piece on an ironing board as if you were going to iron it.
Place a clean and dry towel on top of your garm and then glide that hot iron over the towel.
The warmth will draw out the moisture from the fabric and make drying all that speedier.
Be careful though, never put a hot iron directly on a piece of wet clothing. The heat from the iron may permanently damage the fabric and render it unwearable.
7) Roll And Dry
To speed up your drying process, wrap your clothes in a towel to absorb water.
Simply lay it on top of a large, fluffy towel and roll to one end. Once you’ve squeezed out the excess water, hang it up or hang it on a drying rack.
8) Strategic Drying
Irrespective of whether you use a drying rack or not, you should shake out your clothes and lay or hang them neatly to avoid wrinkles.
Crumpled clothes take way longer to dry as the heat can’t reach the whole surface area .
Tips To Keep Your Clothes Fresher For Longer
1) Hang Them Up
Rather than keeping a pile of clothes on the floor or using your chair as an extension of your wardrobe, hanging your clothes in their proper place makes them fresher for longer. We know we sound pretty parentish but trust.
2) Use Clothes Fresheners
Even though it may seem pretty gross, there are things you can buy to spray on your clothes to make them stay fresher for longer.
We’re not recommending you use these on essential items like underwear, t-shirts and socks, but for bulky coats and jumpers that take aaaaaaaaggggggeeeeeeeeessssssss to dry, this might be a life saviour.
Just a quick search on Wilko’s, for example, brings up a huge choice of fabric sprays and clothes fresheners. At these prices, it’s hard not to be tempted.
How To NOT Dry Your Clothes
We’ve all been there – our mates telling us to hurry up but you’re just waiting on those clothes to get dry!
Well, even when you’re in dire straits, here are a few things you should never do.
1) The Oven
Yep, it really has happened before. A well-meaning, impatient soul shoved their clothes in the oven like a packet of Potato Smiles, hoping their washing would come out dry.
It just came out crisp and the whole block had to be evacuated because the fire alarms went off.
Basically, don’t do it.
2) Hairdryer
It’s for your hair babe. While a hair dryer can dry a sneaky wet patch, using it to dry your clothes from soaking to wearable will make it too hot and blow its fuse.
Best to not try this one.
3) Hair Straighteners
We’re just putting this in for those who may have the slight urge to use hair straighteners. No. Just don’t.
Stick to the classics and be patient, yeah? If you need some help with using a washing machine, check out our handy step-by-step guide. While you’re waiting for all that washing to wash and dry, you could make good use of your time and study. Find out about the best time management apps to maximise all that free time.