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Because the clothes line was already occupied and we do not have a laundry dryer I was stuck with a load of washed clothes and no place to dry them. What are some alternative ways to dry your clothes? As a temporary solution I placed my wet laundry in paper bags and stacked them in a corner of my room. I only washed underwear so I did not have any big or heavy pieces of laundry. The laundry dried rather slow and was still a little damp after 3 days. The laundry also smelled a bit like paper / carton. Apart from that I could not find any negative consequences using this method.

What are some alternative methods given the scenario described?

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I don’t recommend any method that leaves wet laundry in a pile - if you are lucky, it will just take quite long, but more likely than not you will end up with a stinky humid pile that needs rewashing or has even developed mold spots.

With wet laundry, you want to separate the individual pieces and ensure quick drying and good ventilation.

If you need a makeshift clothes line without any extra material, find a humidity resistant object and drape the individual pieces over them. My personal favorites are radiators (they need not be on), shower rods and the back of chairs (but not your grandparents’ antiquities, please). A broomstick placed horizontally can also hold a few more pieces.

With minimum effort, consider rigging up a temporary clothesline, tied between whatever works in your place. Minimal cost, minimal storage space and also handy when traveling.

But maybe the most important hack: If you find yourself with a pile of wet laundry and absolutely no way of drying it now, put it in the freezer. This will prevent it from getting moldy and smelly until you can dry it by whatever method you prefer.

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    Love the idea with the freezer! +1
    – CuriousIndeed
    Apr 1, 2019 at 21:03
  • While the freezer idea is totally right, that would work in an empty freeze. However we all have food inside our freezers that can lead to various smells, I would advice against that...
    – Mario Garcia
    Jun 13, 2019 at 14:24
  • @MarioGarcia Pretend it's meat and wrap it in Glad Wrap / Saran Wrap? That should keep the smells from mixing in either direction.
    – Lawrence
    Jun 13, 2019 at 15:28
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  • Put two chairs about 4 to 6 feet apart.
  • Get some twine or light rope and run a dozen or more lengths of twine between the two chairs. Tie securely on both sides.
  • Put newspaper or brown paper bags on the floor under this if the items are dripping wet so you can keep the floor from getting warped or moldy.
  • Hang light items over individual twines, items like socks, underwear and tee shirts.
  • Hang heavy items like slacks or hoodies over multiple lines or over the chair back.

I've done this in hotel rooms with a few hand-washed items using a single chair and a single towel rack in the bathroom. This also works.

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    To keep the chairs from tipping towards each other, you may be able to turn a broom horizontally, put the bristles against the back of one chair at the top, and put the top of the handle against the back of the other chair at the top. Friction could keep it in that position, but duct tape (or a chip clip) would help!
    – BrettFromLA
    Apr 2, 2019 at 21:46
  • To keep chairs from tipping towards each other, turn them to face each other rather than back to back. There's always putting something heavy on the chair seat to prevent tipping too.
    – Stan
    Jun 10, 2019 at 18:16
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I've used this for about 2 years now:

It's plugged in and the bars heat up - they get pretty hot too. It's like multiple radiators so I can normally put a load of washing on it. It folds up for easy storage too. I thought it was quite affordable (£30)

Description on Amazon - (18 BAR ALUMINIUM LIGHTWEIGHT INDOOR PORTABLE FOLDING / FOLDAWAY ELECTRIC HEATED HORSE CLOTHES / TOWEL DRYER AIRER - FOLDABLE - WASHING LAUNDRY DRY WAR)

18 BAR ALUMINIUM LIGHTWEIGHT INDOOR PORTABLE FOLDING / FOLDAWAY ELECTRIC HEATED HORSE CLOTHES / TOWEL DRYER AIRER - FOLDABLE - WASHING LAUNDRY DRY WAR

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If you have a garden or any place under the window where the sun's rays fall, you can spread a mat and put as many clothes you can on them. Place each of them one cm apart. Don't just put them. Open/spread the clothes. Better put the clothes to dry inside-out, so that the stitches get dried first.. Or when you wear them, you'll feel uncomfortable..

Putting clothes to dry in a mat under the sun works pretty quick...

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Put clothes on hangers and hang on a shower rod, chair back, doorknob or even in a closet but leave plenty of air space around hangers and leave closet doors open.

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If just drying socks take them to washroom with a hand dryer with a nozzle. The airstream will fill the sick like a balloon. A hairdryer would also work for a sock.

For larger items an iron will dry stuff but you’ll need a bath towel underneath and leave the steam on the iron off.

Spinning clothes twice will help a lot if your machine has a spin only option.

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