The length of time it takes to air-dry clothes indoors depends on various factors, such as the type of fabric and the humidity level in the room. On average, it can take anywhere from a few hours to a full day.
A fan will help move the damp from the clothes around, but won't actually dry them any faster. Water will evaporate from the clothes, and the fan could blow it out of the room, but in a closed system (ie, with the door shut) it won't make much difference.
For a load of laundry that was spun in a washing machine, and hung indoors in average conditions, the "easy" items will be dry in about 5 hours, and the "difficult" items will finish in about 9 hours. Also see our Air Dry All Types of Clothing article for tips on each different clothing type.
As previously discussed, a room fan just pushes air around. It won't necessarily make the air in a space dryer, but it can contribute to a room's reduced humidity levels. This would be the case if you were to run a fan with the windows open.
Leave an inch between garments to allow faster drying. Indoors, place clothes near an air vent, extractor fan, heat source or dehumidifier to speed up the process. Always have a window ajar when possible to allow fresh air to flow freely.
The fan will circulate the air, helping to dry your clothes faster and fend off mould. At just over 1p an hour, according to Sust-it's electricity cost calculator, a standard desktop fan is a cheap dryer substitute and, thanks to the summer heatwave, you may already have one stuffed in a cupboard.
Turn out any pockets and make sure dense materials like denim are as much heat as possible. Air movement will also speed up the drying process, so let clothes dry outside or near an open window. If you're in a real hurry, blast them with a hairdryer, rotating frequently and airing out pockets, sleeves and collars.
Turn on the ceiling fans: Keeping the air moving is an essential part of keeping excessive moisture away. Using ceiling fans, pedestal fans and other air-moving appliances can make a big difference and suck excess moisture out of the indoor air.
Avoid leaving your fan running overnight or while you are out of the house. Ensure you have working smoke alarms on every floor of your home. Once you've had your electric fan for a few years, think about replacing it as older motors can overheat.
It's important to note that while sitting under a fan after sweating can provide many benefits, it's also important to use it in moderation. Directly blowing air in your face for extended periods of time can cause discomfort, and in extreme cases, it may dry out your skin or eyes.
Once you've hanged your clothes, you can hasten the process with the use of a fan or heater if you have any. If this doesn't work for you, another trick is to set your laundry up in your room while the air conditioner is on. Leave them overnight to help the clothes dry faster.
Abandon Your Clothes Overnight
Martha Stewart says leaving wet clothes overnight is “perfectly alright.” Martha's blog even says this can be a smart move if you're air drying the next morning—because sitting overnight helps get rid of excess water.
If opening windows is not an option, keep interior doors open and run your ceiling fans counterclockwise during warmer months and clockwise during colder months—these steps will get the air moving and improve ventilation.” Not only will this let in some fresh air, but will prevent moisture build-up.
Airers are generally cheaper to buy and run, but take longer, so for large loads, a tumble dryer may work out cheaper.
If you ask an older person what their parents and grandparents did before dryers were common in households, they'll likely tell you that they didn't do anything differently – they just hung their clothes outside to dry, even when it's cold outside. Even if it's below freezing outside, you get the same result.
The continuous breeze from either a ceiling fan or desk fan during the night can lead to dry skin and eyes, particularly for those who already have a tendency towards dryness. The fan's continuous airflow causes a more rapid evaporation of moisture from the skin and eyes, stripping away their natural lubrication.
It can cause coughing fits in the night
Similarly, this irritation can cause excess coughing. As we've mentioned, running a fan all night long dries out the air in your room. Breathing in this dry air can irritate your throat and lungs, causing you to wake up coughing throughout the night.
A ceiling fan is made up of different parts and pieces, and they will wear out over time. Sure, your ceiling fan can run throughout the day and night without issue, but running it for several days or months on end may not be the smartest choice and will reduce the overall lifetime of your fan.
Causing dryness.
The cold, dry air released from a fan throughout the night can irritate sensitive skin, nasal passages and eyes.
Ceiling fans, tower fans, and box fans typically range from 40 to 100 watts of power when operating at full speed. This amount of electricity is not very much, especially compared to the other appliances and electronics in your home. At its lowest setting, a fan may only use about 10 to 30 watts.
Fans indeed reduce a room's moisture levels by improving air circulation. Mold needs moisture to thrive. So, using a fan makes it harder for fungus to grow in your home.
Do dryer balls work? In short, not really. There are marginal differences, but in most cases dryer balls actually increase your costs by a very small amount. We tested with a conventional electric vented dryer and an upmarket condenser dryer both with and without the balls and compared the two.
Does putting a dry towel in the dryer help? If you are putting soaked clothes in the dryer, tossing in a towel with your load may help absorb moisture and can possibly help speed up drying times.
HOW LONG DOES AIR DRYING TAKE? Air drying can take around four hours. The length of time can depend on a few factors: the type of material and the weather (humidity, wind and temperature).