The autumn season is known for being a cosy time of year that is often spent snuggled up indoors in front of the telly.
But the downside of spending more time inside is you often end up with wet laundry invading your rooms as you try to get it dry. The cold and wet weather that blights the UK at this time of the year makes getting your laundry done a bit of a hassle, which is why many households will rely on the tumble dryer to speed things along. But while a tumble dryer will get your clothes dry faster, it does put a strain on your finances as they can be very expensive to run. To help save the pennies this autumn and winter, experts recommend ditching the tumble dryer for a much cheaper alternative instead that won’t cost you anything extra on your energy bills.
According to laundry experts, rolling your wet clothes inside a dry towel after a wash is a cheap way to get everything dry and it will get the job done quicker than simply throwing items straight on an airer. This is because the dry towel helps to soak up excess water from your clothes which then makes it much easier for the clothes to air dry faster.
The towel drying method is ideal if you aren’t lucky enough to own a tumble dryer, but if you do it’s a much cheaper way to remove water from clothes without putting a strain on your energy bills. Plus, it also eliminates the need to do an extra spin cycle on the washing machine, so it’s great for cost-saving all round.
Experts at Dolly Dowsie explain: “Lay a dry, absorbent towel flat and place your wet clothing on top. Roll the towel up tightly with the clothing inside and give it a firm squeeze.
“This process helps to soak up the extra moisture in your garments, helping you to dry laundry quickly. If your clothes are particularly wet, you may need to repeat the process with a second dry towel.”
Laundry experts say you may need multiple towels to speed up the drying process, depending on the size of your load, but you can also add in some paper towels on top to soak up even more moisture, which will get clothes dry even faster.
Once you’ve squeezed out the extra moisture with a towel, simply hang your laundry to dry on a clothes airer and place this close to an open window or somewhere with good airflow.
Make sure that clothes are spread out at least an inch apart and it can also help to turn them over after a few hours so they dry evenly.
Experts at Lifestyle Clotheslines add: “If you want to quickly dry your clothes without a dryer, try the towel roll method. This technique involves wrapping wet clothing in one or multiple dry towels to absorb water then adding paper towels on top for extra moisture extraction. Doing this technique can help speed up the drying process significantly while saving time and effort along the way.
“Start by taking each piece of clothing from its damp state and rolling it tightly inside one single dry towel, when using multiple garments at once make sure to separate clean linens if possible.
“Once that’s done, twist both ends of the towel – ensuring that it’s tightly twisted to guarantee that it successfully squeezes excess water. Insert some sheets of paper towels into the creases that were created during folding-in so any additional drops get soaked away too.
“Finally, inspect how effective this has been. If not, you may have squeezed too many items at once. Remove some items then repeat the steps until you achieve the desired results.”