Another cheap option is to use a traditional clothes airer. The trick is to space your clothes out, so they dry evenly. Instead of placing them by a radiator, you could put them next to a warm oven after cooking to make use of the excess heat (just don't put them too close!).
'One of my favourite drying tricks is to hang clothes on a hanger and then hang them on the curtain rail with the window ajar,' says Lynsey Queen of Clean. 'You will be surprised at how quickly clothes can dry like this. Plus it also makes the clothes less creased, so much easier to iron.
Air Dry or Air Fluff Cycle
On this cycle, there is no added heat. The dryer simply pulls in fresh room temperature air and the drum turns and tosses your clothes to help them "fluff-up." The cycle does help remove dust, lint, and pet hair from fabrics by drawing them into the dryer filter screen.
Tumble dry no heat means using the dryer without any heat. The dryer simply tosses your clothes using room temperature air. This setting is often used to fluff-up garments, and help remove dust or lint.
It's advisable to avoid drying laundry in the rooms where you spend the most time: for example, the living room and bedroom. Instead, you should place the drying rack in the bathroom, the kitchen or hallway where you spend less time.
However, you can expect clothes to take about 3-6 hours to dry outdoors on a nice warm breezy day. Your delicates and lighter fabrics might take less time, while your bulky sweaters might take a bit longer. However, if you are drying things indoors, you can expect it to take anywhere from 18-24 hours.
"The wet clothes expel moisture into the air as they dry; which, if not ventilated enough, can condense on cold surfaces and eventually develop into build-ups of mould and mildew," says Lee Devlin, Managing Director at Homecure Plumbers. "Where possible, dry wet clothes outside or use a dryer.
CAUTION: Drying clothing, especially large items like shirts, jeans, and bed sheets in the microwave can cause electrical fires. It is NOT recommended.
Pick the right room
It's important to ensure that the room your clothes are drying in is well ventilated. This will not only help to prevent damp and mould (see below) but also your clothes will dry quicker. Opened windows are the best way to get fresh air circulating through your home (even if it's cold outside).
Air drying laundry inside tends to take more time, potentially leaving dried items with a musty smell, Karpova says. Try to place drying racks around sources of air flow, she says. You can increase air circulation indoors by opening windows, provided it's not also humid outside, or turning on fans.
If you need to dry clothes overnight but don't want to leave them outside, you might decide to hang them on a clothes horse indoors. However, repeatedly letting clothes dry inside can lead to dampness and mould in your home, according to Dr Nick Osbourne, a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Health.
Laurence warned: “Avoid drying laundry in the bathroom as it's already a damp space and you don't want to add more humidity to the air. Plus, clothes will take longer to dry in an already-damp room. “If you have a dedicated laundry room, a spare room or garage, this is the best place to dry your clothes.
Now let's apply these concepts to our wet clothes. There are two common things which can warm up the hanging clothes and thus make them dry quicker: ambient hot air, and light. All else being equally, wet clothes hanging on a hot day will dry much quicker than wet clothes hanging on a cold day.
While it's hard to generalize about how long it will take your laundry to air-dry—fabric type, air temperature, and presence or absence of wind all play a part—expect it to take 2 to 4 hours for most types of fabric on a pleasantly warm day with a light breeze.
They may hang clotheslines out of the way in the basement or arrange drying racks over wood-burning stoves. One popular item in Amish communities is a “bicycle wheel dryer,” which Williams explained is a drying rack for small items like socks, towels, and head coverings.
Keep garments separated to allow air circulation and faster drying. Place clothes near a fan or a heat vent to air-dry more quickly. Lay sweaters and other stretchy garments flat on a drying rack to help retain their shapes. Turn them at least once to allow them to dry evenly.
"If it's humid and cold outside, your clothes might dry only very slowly or not at all. That would be an ideal situation to use an indoor drying rack to take advantage of the heat inside your house. If it's dry and cold outside, you might get freeze-dried clothes.
Most dryers have a setting listed as "air dry," "air fluff," or "no-heat," which indicates the program adds no additional heat while spinning your garments. Instead of adding hot air, this cycle blows room-temperature air onto your clothes as it tumbles them.
This setting may appear under the name “air dry” or “air fluff” on your dryer's setting list. The main thing to remember with this setting is that it uses no heat. The dryer will draw room temperature air from the surrounding area as the drum tosses your clothes.
It is never normal for clothing to smell bad after being air-dried. The most common reasons for odours include laundry mistakes, high humidity or air-drying fabrics that do not respond well to the method.
Warmer air holds more moisture than cooler air. In the winter, the cold air that seeps into your home from the outside has a lower humidity -- meaning that it carries very little moisture. You crank up the heat inside your house, which adds warmth but doesn't increase the amount of moisture in the air.