Your clothes are still wet, but you should dry them immediately. Basically, the purpose of drying clothes is to remove water from the fabric in any way: using heat, twisting, circulating air, or pressing it. Try putting a clean, dry towel in a regular clothes dryer to speed up the absorbing process. Try ironing or using a hairdryer to heat up the water on the clothes. Before drying: machine wash clothes at high speed, then wring them out to remove any remaining water and speed up the drying process.
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Method 1 of 3: Squeezing Water on Clothes
Step 1. Wash clothes on high speed in the machine
If you use a washing machine, you can prepare your clothes to dry faster. Use the machine's high speed setting to get as much water out of the clothes as possible before you dry them. According to the Energy Saving Trust, the increase in energy required to wash clothes at high speed is much smaller than the energy required to dry them by machine.
Step 2. Squeeze the clothes so they dry faster
Hold the garment tightly with both hands. Squeeze, twist, and pull the cloth to get as much water out of it as possible. Be careful not to pull too hard, or the fabric of your clothes will loosen. If you are indoors, wring clothes over the sink or tub; however you can squeeze clothes directly onto the ground when outdoors.
Squeeze your clothes before drying them, either by machine or by drying them. The more water you can remove before drying, the faster your clothes will dry
Step 3. Squeeze the towel-lined garment to absorb the water
Prepare a large and thick towel, then, place your wet clothes on it. Roll up the towel tightly with the wet clothes inside. Twist the towel roll: starting at one end, twist it slowly all the way through. Squeezing clothes like this will draw water out of the clothes, which is then absorbed by the towels.
If you try this for the first time, you can't get all the water out of your clothes, consider using another dry towel to do it again
Step 4. Try using a salad stirrer to spin your clothes
Put wet clothes in a salad stirrer, if you have one. You can use this tool to start the drying process, or as an alternative to an energy-efficient dryer, because it can remove water from your clothes. You'll still have to wait for your clothes to dry afterwards, but turning your clothes around should speed things up significantly as they don't get too wet anymore.
Method 2 of 3: Drying Without Machine
Step 1. Use a hair dryer
If you have a hairdryer at your disposal, try to speed up the drying of your clothes. First of all, wring out the wet clothes, place them on a flat and dry surface. Run the hairdryer on a warm or hot setting – what you really need is airflow, not temperature. Blow the air dryer slowly over the entire surface of the garment, the front and back, until it is completely dry.
- Turn the garment occasionally to dry the pockets, sleeves, and collar. Blow the hair dryer from the inside and outside to make sure it is completely dry.
- Be careful not to hold the hair dryer at one point for too long. If some of the fabric surfaces are too hot, your clothes could catch fire.
Step 2. Use a clothesline or a clothes dryer rack
Hang your clothes on a clothesline if possible, or use a drying rack. Clotheslines are usually quicker, but aren't always easy to use. Be sure to hang clothes separately so they have enough room and airflow to dry quickly. Turn and turn clothes periodically to dry evenly.
- Try installing a clothesline or drying rack near a heat source. Hang clothes about 30 cm from the stove, heating machine, or fireplace. Be careful when placing flammable materials near heat sources; if you allow clothing to overheat or stick to a heat source, a fire may occur. Do not place clothing directly over a heat source.
- Try setting up a place to dry your clothes in the wind – anywhere there is moving air. Hang clothes by a window (or outside) if there's a breeze, or turn on a fan to displace the air inside the house.
- If you're using a drying rack with separate rods, try hanging clothes that need to dry immediately on two bars at a time, and not just one. The greater the surface area of the garment exposed to airflow, the faster it will dry.
Step 3. Use an iron and a towel
Place the wet clothes on the ironing board, just as if you were ironing them. However, place a thin towel on it. Iron the towel vigorously on high. Be sure to turn the garment over so you can press both sides. A layer of towels on wet clothes will allow some of the temperature into the clothes, while absorbing some of the evaporated water.
Do not iron wet clothes directly. This can loosen and damage the fabric, making your clothes irreversible. Always use a towel for protection when ironing wet clothes
Method 3 of 3: Machine and Towel Dry
Step 1. Dry the wet clothes with a few clean, dry towels
The towel will absorb the moisture in wet clothes and make them dry faster. You can use one to five towels; In general, the more towels you use, the faster your clothes will dry. Keep in mind that this method is best suited for drying only one or two garments. The more clothes you put in the machine, the less effective the towels will be – as a result, the longer it will take your clothes to dry.
Step 2. Put the clothes in the dryer along with the towels
Do not put other clothes. At most, put two or three wet clothes, but not too heavy. Be aware that towels often leave lint, so there's a good chance the lint will stick to your clothes.
If you want to avoid lint, use a cotton t-shirt instead of a towel – even if it's less absorbent than towels. Also add dryer sheets to reduce the chance of lint sticking to your clothes
Step 3. Clean the trapped lint
The accumulated lint can block the airflow in the dryer, as a result the machine has to work harder with more energy to dry clothes. Depending on the type of dryer you have, the lint catch bag is usually located either on the top or on the inside of the door. Find this pouch, and pull it out. If the bag is lined with lint, or is slightly clogged, clean or peel off the lint layer with your fingernail.
- Consider using a vacuum cleaner to effectively clean the lint. You can do this to complete the lint cleaning by hand. There's no need to make sure the bag is completely clean – once most of the lint has been removed, your tumble dryer will be back to running near its peak condition.
- Once you've cleaned the lint catcher bag properly, you can simply put the net back on. Make sure it is positioned correctly, and you are ready to dry your clothes.
Step 4. Dry your clothes
Put the wet clothes in with a dry towel, and make sure the tumble dryer is not too full. Run the dryer on the highest temperature that is safe for the type of fabric you are wearing – this option varies from tumble dryer to another, but it's best to use a lower temperature for soft or light fabrics. Turn on the dryer, and do whatever else you need.
Step 5. Wait for 15 minutes, or as long as you can
Open the dryer door and separate your clothes from the towels. Your clothes should now be barely dry. But if not, put it back in and dry for a few more moments. Be patient, depending on the machine you are using, it may take around 5 minutes.
Be sure to take out a dry towel (which may not be so dry by now) if the drying time is 20 minutes or more. After this time, towels that are now damp may actually hinder the drying process
Warning
- Make sure the lint catch bag is empty. Since some of the contents of the dryer are dry, the fibers inside are at risk of burning due to static electricity.
- Use a towel that you won't be using immediately. Certain types of clothing may require washing your towels afterward.
- Drying this way consumes a lot of electrical energy, so it's best to get ready and dry your clothes early.
