# Silly question about drying clothes...



## mateosbaby (Mar 15, 2010)

I do feel silly asking this question, but how do you dry your clothes in the winter without a dryer? We just moved to a new house, and didn't get up a clothes line this past summer, but I will have one next summer (promise! LOL). But what about during the winter? I hesitate line drying them inside because when I did that at our old house (the dryer kept breaking), though it was a more open laundry room, it was horribly humid in there. This laundry room is not nearly as open - I can only imagine the humidity!

BTW, as an aside, we are in a neighborhood. How do you dry those other things that you don't need your neighbors staring at? :ashamed:


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## Navgatr (Aug 3, 2011)

Without a dryer (vented to the outside), That humidity will always end up in your house.
You could try spreading the clothes out into different rooms, hanging over chairs, etc. 
Sometimes that humidity is needed in the winter.
Clothes will still dry outside in the winter, even if they freeze.
If hanging you unmentionables out on the line (assuming you have multiple lines from pole to pole), you could hang sheets and towels on the outer lines and your more private stuff in the center.


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## homstdr74 (Jul 4, 2011)

If the weather isn't favorable for drying clothes, we have several clothes drying racks that we set up around (but not too close to) our wood burning heater. We also have set up drying racks in the upstairs room directly above the heater, since there are vents that take the warm air upstairs. The clothes are usually dry in the morning. And no, we have never noticed a humidity problem, probably because of the wood heat.

Can't tell you about the neighbor problem--our nearest neighbors are 1/4 mile away, so they can't notice whatever's on the line.


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## atobols (Jan 7, 2010)

We lived in Germany a few years ago and nobody had a dryer. It was completely normal to go over to somebody's house and see a couple drying racks in the dining room or back hallway. The good drying racks like this Leifheit that hold an entire load on one rack. I brought mine back to the US because I loved it so much.


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## homstdr74 (Jul 4, 2011)

Ours are more like this one:

http://tinyurl.com/4yg3hw2


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## kenworth (Feb 12, 2011)

I strung clothes lines in the basement. If no basement, shirts can be hung on hangers and placed in different areas of the house. 

An apartment years ago had a bannister that was upstairs, perfect for sheets. 

Anymore, I don't give a rats patoot about hanging undies or other underclothes outside or who sees them. At least they are _clean!_


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## CJ (May 10, 2002)

Who cares what people think? We all wear undergarments, nothing to be ashamed of. I hang ours out year round, unless the weather is nasty, then I hang some on racks insides, but I LOVE the Tide Smart Dry Hangars. They are just fantastic!


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## MoonShine (Mar 17, 2003)

That's not a silly question at all. It can be a pain drying clothes during the winter and it's been on my mind lately with the bad weather coming up soon. I am one for hanging out clothes on the clothesline during winter if it's not rainy/snowy. When it is bad outside, I used to hang things on wire hangers and have them hanging all over the house (and some will always get knocked down and land on the floor). I picked up two drying racks at yard sales, I'm hoping that helps some. I actually do like the added humidity during the winter.


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## acde (Jul 25, 2011)

clothes hung on hangers and extra shower rods in shower is what i do, I also clip clothes pins on hangers for socks and skirts, i have flat hangers from hsn that work great


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Len designed and built us a wood stove, which he installed in our living room, then modified it to heat our water. He built us this simple rack, suspended from the ceiling, in the corner of our living room:









Yes, works for hanging ornaments or decor on, too! I can hang a full load of laundry on this rack, as I used clothespins placed in areas, to allow multiple ones to be hung. 

As for drying clothes indoors? If you heat with wood? There is NO problem, at all! The air is natually drier, so we have 2 teakettles on our wood stove at all times...


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## BlueberryChick (May 12, 2008)

I use wooden racks inside during the winter, as well as rainy days during the rest of the year. When there's a fire in the wood stove, things dry really fast.

My parents didn't have a dryer until after I moved out, at the age of 22. Therefore, I did not grow up using one. Our neighbor convinced her husband to buy her a dryer, probably in the early '70s, by telling him she _knew_ we had a dryer because my mom never hung clothes out in the winter. 

My dad called the outdoor clothes line our "two-pole, four-wire, solar dryer".:thumb:


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## knbquilts (Dec 12, 2005)

I use wooden racks and hangers over the shower rod. When we lived in town I just hung our undergrments on the inside because we had a small square clothesline.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Really beats the accordian fold racks - thanks Atobols! I dry inside even in sunny weather for things I don't want sun-faded or weakened, like rayon.



atobols said:


> We lived in Germany a few years ago and nobody had a dryer. It was completely normal to go over to somebody's house and see a couple drying racks in the dining room or back hallway. The good drying racks like this Leifheit that hold an entire load on one rack. I brought mine back to the US because I loved it so much.


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## ai731 (Sep 11, 2007)

Like everyone else has said, drying racks are the way to go. Get a good quality one, the cheap ones break when you dump a wet pair of jeans on them. For faster drying, put the rack near whatever heat source you use to heat your house in winter (woodstovem electriv radiator, furnace hot-air vent, etc.)


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

lorichristie said:


>


You can literally hang (10) pairs of jeans from this rack, place clothespins on either side of each double set of slightly hooked sections, and hang 20 more hangers with other clothing... Our rack is installed on the ceiling and any one who can weld, could build one. Our wood stove has a blower, so our clothing drys much faster than on a wooden rack. We have been using the same one for 3 years now.


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## eyore (Jan 7, 2011)

For shirts I put them on a hanger then hang on a garment rack. Shorts I lay across a drying rack. I dry the rest of my stuff. I have a enclosed breezeway so I have everything out there and turn the ceiling fan on to help dry them.
At times I have brought things in the house and either sit them closer to the baseboard heat so they dry faster or under a ceiling fan. 
If you google garment racks you will see there are a few different kinds.


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

CJ said:


> *Who cares what people think? We all wear undergarments, nothing to be ashamed of.* I hang ours out year round, unless the weather is nasty, then I hang some on racks insides, but I LOVE the Tide Smart Dry Hangars. They are just fantastic!


We don't have it to worry about out here, but when we lived in town and I used the clothesline, I hung our drawers right out there and didn't give it a second thought.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

If you get wooden drying racks: I hang my undies on the corners, makes more space for jeans and shirts.


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## chewie (Jun 9, 2008)

we use drying racks and i installed a retractable clothesline in the mudroom. our mudroom is huge, and is long, so it runs the length. i can hang at least one full load, usually 2, and they are dry in a day. we have in-floor heat. it amazes me how fast stuff really does dry! 

the DD's don't like how crunchy clothes are off this line, so i do permit a few mintues of 'fluffing' in the dryer for jeans.


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

My amish neighbors hang clothes out on the line even in the winter. They also keep extra lines on their porches.


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## Charleen (May 12, 2002)

Haven said:


> My amish neighbors hang clothes out on the line even in the winter. They also keep extra lines on their porches.


When we bought our house we found a set of hooks on the porch. 4 on one end, 2 on the other end, specifically to run a clothesline back & forth. We have a BIG wooden drying rack and a small one that sits on top of the washer, perfect for bras, panties and socks. I keep hangers by the washer so I can immediately hang up clothes. These I'll hang on the shower rod.

It makes quite a difference in the winter to add that extra humidity to the air.

I find that I don't wash the clothes as often during the wintertime. Sure, if it's dirty, I'll wash it, but cardigan sweaters are worn numerous times, jeans will be worn for a week or so. Sometimes, if I'm cabin-bound for a couple days, I'll wear the same pair of sweatpants but change the long johns underneath.


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## Catalpa (Dec 18, 2011)

Not a silly question, especially if you haven't done it before. I have a dryer but try to never use it. I dry my clothes on the lines outside year-round. When it's rainy or too windy I use a wooden drying rack or hang things on hangers on the shower curtain rod. My Amish neighbors make good use of their big porches and hang their clothes out even when it's raining.

I really liked the looks of that rack in the link! Mine falls apart on me a lot, maybe it's time for an upgrade!


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Catalpa said:


> Not a silly question, especially if you haven't done it before. I have a dryer but try to never use it. I dry my clothes on the lines outside year-round. When it's rainy or too windy I use a wooden drying rack or hang things on hangers on the shower curtain rod. My Amish neighbors make good use of their big porches and hang their clothes out even when it's raining.
> 
> I really liked the looks of that rack in the link! Mine falls apart on me a lot, maybe it's time for an upgrade!


Save your $...Like most, that rack is JUNK (thin metal). Everyone I talk to about the drying racks they buy tell me they break. The one my DH is built to outlive us. Here is another picture of it with 20 hangers of clothing. He has now designed one without the curves on the extensions. You can hang 200 POUNDS on the all steel one I have, unlike most of the racks, which are cheap junk. I can hang heavy comforters, blankets, sheets, and everything else on this simple but tough design. 










DH just built me another one, a type we are selling locally. That one just doesn't have the curve of the extensions. In the OP, what about private items... I can hang anything on either rack and the only ones who see that laundry, have to come in our home.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Here is the 2nd type of suspended drying rack (it is "threaded" so it can be dismantled easily- screws together, in other words):









For Christmas, I decorated this one, which is installed on ceiling of my kitchen dining area. I can hang pots or anything else from it, if I am not using it for clothing. I will be drying herbs on this rack since I will have so much in 2012.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Here is a little food for thought... Just imagine how much folks pay for clothes dryers and then add an average of $196 per year to run them...

Those of us who hang dry our clothes all year around are saving an avg of $196/year!

Considering that fact, buying a high end drying rack would seem to be a far bigger priority...


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## emdeengee (Apr 20, 2010)

I use a drying rack for large items like bath towels but plastic hangers for everything else and hang them on a rod suspended over the washer and dryer. The shower curtain rod works as well for over flow - but not heavy items. Just hang items or drape over the center bar of the hanger. My laundry room has furnace vents that help to dry the clothes and I leave the doors open so that air circulates. If the house gets too humid just open all the windows and doors for a bit to blow the humid air out. It is good to have fresh air in the house even when it is cold outside.


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## rxkeith (Apr 13, 2009)

another one here that uses drying racks during the winter, and over flow goes on hangers over the shower rod. heating with wood speeds up the drying process. not gonna use the line outside during the winter. had clothes on the line late last year that got blown off in heavy winds, and buried by several inches of snow. found everything, but not an experience you want to repeat.


keith


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

I'll have to take pics of how I hang blankets, sheets, towels, etc... on the racks I have posted pics of. You can put clothespins on hangers...


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