Properly hanging and drying laundry

Can laundry be dried incorrectly?

When the laundry comes out of the machine, it is still slightly damp and needs to dry thoroughly before it can be stored in the cupboard. This is important to prevent mold and unpleasant odors. Damp laundry that cannot dry for a longer period creates the perfect environment for this.

The best preparation for proper drying is spinning at high speed. This removes a lot of moisture from the laundry. Of course, this is only suitable for garments that can handle it. Towels and bed linen can usually be spun at high speed without any issues.

How to hang laundry properly

To ensure your laundry dries well on the line, make sure that air can circulate properly. The best way to do this is to hang the laundry by the hem. This reduces overlapping layers and allows more contact with the surrounding dry air.

Laundry will also become less stiff and develop fewer wrinkles if you shake it out before hanging it up.

Be careful with strong sunlight. Towels are generally easy to care for, but printed, dark, or strongly colored textiles should not be exposed to it. Direct sunlight can cause colors to fade or damage prints.

Where sunlight helps: with stains such as tomato or berry stains. These can disappear thanks to UV radiation.

Where does laundry dry best?

The best place to dry laundry is fresh air—outdoors. This works in both summer and winter. What matters most are air temperature and humidity: laundry dries much better in freezing temperatures than in humid conditions or rain. It dries fastest on warm days with a light breeze.

If you need to dry laundry indoors, make sure there is sufficient ventilation so that moisture can escape the room. In the cold season, this means airing out the room several times a day by fully opening the window instead of just tilting it. In summer, you can keep the windows open continuously.

A tumble dryer is of course also reliable for drying clothes or towels. However, due to its sometimes high energy consumption, it is not always the most efficient option. On warm days with low humidity, drying laundry on a rack or line is usually the best choice.

What happens if towels don’t dry completely?

Towels that remain damp for too long develop a musty smell—just like clothing. While you can remove this with home remedies (or by washing them again), it is still inconvenient. Make sure rooms are well ventilated and maintained at a sufficient temperature (around 20 degrees) to avoid extra work.

Some towels dry particularly quickly (read more here), but in general: the more luxurious and thicker the material, the longer the drying time.