Do you air dry most of your clothes? How/where?

Basya

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 1:04 pm

I find that clothes last significantly longer if they are air dried (hung on drying racks), it also prevents shrinking. That goes for all shirts, sweaters, polos, skirts, pants, dresses, uniforms, shabbos robes etc. For 5 people, doing laundry once a week, we use about 6 drying racks (folding type). It takes up a ton of space and takes at least a day or 2 for everything to dry. Since the area I do it in has a highish humidity, it's more like 3 days. I would like to repurpose the room, and have no idea where we will dry the clothes now. It does seem like a waste of space... Looking for a better solution.

amother

Amethyst

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 1:11 pm

We are 4 ppl, but 2 toddlers/preschoolers.

Here's my system. 1 drying rack, in my dining room (bedroom would work too). 1 dark motzei shabbos. It dries overnight. Don't crowd the rack.
Another dark Sunday morning, fold/put away first load, hang second. Mid afternoon, I hang the 3rd load. I remove whatever is dry, usually not everything.

Robes, shirts and men's dress pants go on hangers. No uniforms yet but I'd hang on hangers too. Over doors/knobs. (they sell over door racks for hangers, I should really get that). The folding rack gets sweatshirts, me and kids, tights, bras, tichels, kids pants/leggings. (Dh is in white shirts)

Wednesday, I do another load of mostly my son's pants, otherwise its too much.

Velours, I dry. As the season goes on and usually end up drying more to make my life easier.

I'm in NYC. It is cold now, not humid.

You own already 6 folding racks?

Chayalle

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 1:12 pm

Maybe doing laundry once a week is the problem. We were a family of 5 till recently (DD got married BH) and I do laundry multiple times a week. My two older DD's do/did their own laundry, they each had a laundry day, and I put on my own loads for DH, me, and younger DD whenever the hamper is full. When the racks are empty (because the laundry on them dried) it's usually time for the next load.

I do put underwear, socks, towels, and linen in the dryer, and I find it effective to do such loads (like changing the linen, or washing all the towels) at a time when the laundry racks are unavailable (because these loads go in the dryer anyway).

Chayalle

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 1:15 pm

BTW if your laundry is taking too long to dry, consider whether you are using a fast enough spinning cycle which wrings out more water from the load.
Taught to me by the appliance repairman.

mha3484

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 1:21 pm

We are 7 and and air drying would be so impractical. I use the lowest setting on the dryer and everything comes out great. The only thing that gets high heat is towels/ cleaning shmattas. Everything else gets extra low.

Basya

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 1:21 pm

Thanks for the replies. Yes I own 6 racks. Actually, laundry for me and dh gets done over Thursday night, Friday and motzei Shabbos. kids done on Sunday. Too hard to do during the week. I don't have room in my dining room or bedroom for racks and hate the eyesore of it...

amother

Broom

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 1:27 pm

I do loads by people/rooms. So Monday might be me and dh, Wednesday the boys, Thursday the girls. I can consolidate it into two days if needed. I dry underthings and pajamas and hang everything else on a rack- sometimes also on hangershung from wherever, including the rack.. During humid times, after a day and a half, everything but sweaters gets put into a quick warm cycle in the dryer to finish them off- it's not much time and much gentler than a full dry. Since it's multiple dryings that is the issue, I dry everything but sweaters after the 9 days and Succos and Pesach, when everything is getting done at once.

SuperWify

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 1:34 pm

A rod in the laundry room would be best, since I don’t have either currently I dry on my banister.

I dry until damp in the dryer to cut out drying time and keep things soft and wrinkle free.

Last edited by SuperWify on Mon, Feb 05 2024, 1:56 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Holly

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 1:37 pm

Basya wrote:

Doesn’t your clothes smell if it takes 3 days to dry? I also air dry most my clothes, but they usually dry overnight.

Your best bet is to get it to dry faster… maybe buy a dehumidifier? Also spread the clothes out to a few rooms if possible, the wet clothes is keeping the rooms more humid. And definitely leave doors open.

amother

DarkYellow

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 1:53 pm

I hang dry for a double digit family everything besides sheets and only partially towels ( so they don't end up stiff). I hang everything in my basement on a line which has multiple heater vents in the room. In the winter the vents aren't enough because this is a basement so I turn on a dehumidifier.

I used to hang it outside during the spring/ summer/fall weather permitting, in a different house. Made laundry much more fun but was a big shlep to take outside.

amother

Pewter

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 1:56 pm

I hang everything except socks, underwear, towels and linen

We're a family of 5 in an apartment. I have 2 drying racks that we keep at the side of the living room. Obviously I would prefer to have a laundry room but I don't so it is what it is. I do laundry twice a week.

amother

Fern

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 2:23 pm

We are 7 BH and I air dry most clothes. I separate color loads by dryer vs hanging for the kids, so I don't have to sort from the washing machine. I have two drying racks in the den and they're basically in use all week sun- Thurs. I don't wash hanging laundry on Friday because I like the racks away for shabbos. I do loads according to when the racks are available but they take less than 24h to dry in my house. I would use a dehumidifier otherwise. I usually have five loads a week that I hang all or some of. Thea rest are socks/ underwear/ pajamas, towels, or sheets.

amother

Navy

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 2:31 pm

We put up a rod in the laundry room. And we use the shower rods as backup as needed.

It's easier to do loads every day and since the rod is near the washing machine it's much easier to keep putting up wet clothes to dry at any given time.

Elfrida

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 3:18 pm

My parents,never owned a dryer, and nor do I, so I've never used one in my life. We hang everything.

In the summer it all goes on laundry lines or drying racks on the mirpesset, and normally dries overnight. I like to take it in first thing in the morning, so that the sun doesn't fade anything. In the winter, it dries outside but takes longer. When it's rainy we have to dry things inside, so they get put on hangers, and hung wherever is convenient (or least inconvenient!). Some things go over chair backs, and others on the radiator. It's a nuisance, but workable for when we need to do it.

Basya

Mon, Feb 05 2024, 4:51 pm

It sounds like so many of you have drying racks consistently full in your common areas. I was really trying to avoid that, and hoping for a better solution that would be out of sight and/or in a small area.... Appreciate your responses though!