The rainy season might bring on cool weather for everyone, but it is every homemaker’s nightmare when there’s hardly any sun so that clothes can dry. It messes up our laundry routine! Furthermore, laundry is one of those chores that snowballs and pile up on you if it is not sorted out on a daily basis.
Living in a country with high humidity and moisture in the air makes it so much worse! The clothes end up moulding and smelling bad due to being wet for too long. So how to dry clothes fast in rainy season? Here are some useful tips to help you out.
13 ways how to dry clothes fast in the rainy season
1. Is your washing machine clean?
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Before you even think about laundering your clothes check your washing machine first. Is it clean? Do you diligently clean out lint traps or set your machine to clean itself?
It is crucial that your washing machine gets cleaned out once in a while. Mould, grime and bacteria can build up over time, resulting in smelly clothes. To deodorize and clean out your washing machine in one step, run a short cycle using vinegar and baking soda. When it is done, leave the cover open so that the drum can air-dry properly.
2. Prioritise
Remember that you don’t have the luxury of space and still need to tackle how to dry clothes fast in rainy season. This means you are limited when it comes to how many washes you can do in a day for the lack of drying space.
Until the weather gets better, you will need to remind everyone to think twice before throwing a barely worn garment into the laundry basket.
One good tip is to put an extra laundry basket in the bathroom for super urgent clothes like school uniforms and children’s PE gear. This way the essential washes get done and you don’t have to go digging for urgent clothes to clean.
3. Spot clean
Let’s face it, stains are unavoidable even when you’re being really careful. But just because a garment has a spot on it, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is time for the wash. Spot-cleaning equals less laundry and is one way how to dry clothes fast in the rainy season because there’s only that spot to dry!
All you need to do is wet and rub a small amount of cleaning agent onto the stain with your finger. Then with a toothbrush, gently work it into the stain using an up-down motion. Tap the stains with the bristles instead of using a scrubbing motion which can damage the fibres on your clothes. Finish by rinsing just the spot with some water.
4. Use a bra wash bag or mesh
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We know you love your expensive bras but let’s be honest here. There is no way we can wring that much water out by hand. So invest in a good bra wash bag or mesh and just throw them into the machine. The machine spin dry cycle would do a much better job.
5. Presoak
Pre-soaking your clothes might seem pointless and you might be wondering how is that going to help with how to dry clothes fast in rainy season? Well, aside from making your laundry smell so much cleaner, what it really does is give your clothes a deep clean.
However, even though soaking is great for getting rid of really tough stains and smells, you should only soak your clothes for 30 minutes up to an hour for the purpose of loosening dirt. Soaking certain fabrics for too long might just end up ruining their fibres. Try using vinegar and baking soda instead. Both have been known to combat tough stains and smells.
6. Avoid smelly laundry
A common problem in the rainy season is not being able to hang clothes in the sun so that it can dry properly. Often times, when drying indoors, clothes don’t get to dry properly. As a result, it causes moisture to get trapped in them, which leads to that stinky, unpleasant smell of wet clothes.
There are two ways to combat this. One way is to use a fabric conditioner that not only keeps your clothing smelling but also antibacterial properties to prevent them from getting stinky during the rainy season.
A more natural way to achieve this is to add a few drops of vinegar to the water of your last rinse cycle. The vinegar will help restrain the growth of bacteria when you dry your clothes indoor thus eliminating the possibility of stinky clothes.
7. Drying indoors
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It is always good to invest in a portable clothes drying rack If you live in a country that has rainy seasons annually. Also, it would be best to spin them as dry as possible or have them drip dry first before hanging them to dry indoors. One way how to dry clothes fast in rainy season is to set up a fan and direct it so that it is blowing your laundry. It is also important to open a window so that moisture can escape and there is a constant flow of fresh air into the room.
A couple of ways you can reduce the moisture levels in the room is to place a sack of sea or unrefined salt in the corner of the room that you’re drying your laundry in. A stack of newspapers would work the same as well. Essentially what they do is absorb excess moisture in the room which will reduce the risk of fungus and mould growth.
8. Iron your laundry
If you find that the thicker parts of the garments are still a little damp after drying indoors a couple of days, you can always dry them up with a hot iron.
9. Dryer tips
A definite way how to dry clothes fast in rainy season is to own a dryer. But even if you own this incredibly helpful machine, there are still a couple of tricks to maximise its usage. The fastest way to dry your clothes is to add balls of scrunched up aluminium foil into the dryer to get rid of static cling. This helps to keep the clothes separated, which then allows them to dry faster.
Another nifty trick to try which shortens drying time is to add in a dry towel along with your wet clothes into the dryer. Just remember not to do this with dark coloured clothes, otherwise, they would end up covered in lint!
10. Dry your laundry overnight in an air-conditioned room
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While we may not have heaters in our houses due to the tropical climate all year round, most of us would have air-conditioning units. And this is actually how to dry clothes fast in rainy season: in a room with the A/C on.
If you think it is such a waste to turn the A/C on just so your clothes can dry, then set your laundry up just before you go to sleep and your clothes would be dry by morning. A ceiling fan works just the same.
Be sure not to overlap your laundry and try to hang them while exposing as much surface area to the dry air.
11. Folding laundry
The most common mistake is leaving it in the basket or dryer for too long until it creases. The best way is to fold them right away. Always remember to shake and smooth them out flat before folding. The general rule of thumb is that any clothing that is slippery and hard to fold is probably best hung on hangers. This includes silk, polyester and nylon fabrics.
If you have a huge pile of laundry to fold, try enlisting the help of others at home. If everyone chipped in some help, this monotonous chore would be over before you know it. Even if it is not perfect, at least it is done.
12. Putting clothes away
Always put your folded clothing away immediately because leaving them to sit around will only encourage more dust. Put them away in a systematic way taking into consideration how often you use a particular clothing. For everyday clothes, put them within easy reach and put the not so frequent ones on higher shelves.
For drawers layer the clothes vertically instead of vertically so that everything is visible. This would reduce the need to rummage through the drawers for something specific.
13. Come home with clean clothes
Going on vacation? Then come home with clean clothes whenever possible. That way you don’t even have to worry about laundry even if it is monsoon season. At least for the immediate batch anyways. Just unpack them straight into the wardrobe and worry about the next batch later.
When you think of how to dry clothes fast in rainy season, it is not difficult with all these tips. Make it better through good planning, smart thinking and this won’t be a problem at all.
Read also: Why you should never let your child play outdoors in a thunderstorm
This article first appeared on NONILO.com. It is edited and published with permission for theAsianaprent.
