How to Air Dry Different Types of Clothing

General Tips for Air Drying Clothes

When using an automatic washer, be sure that your clothes are well spun out before hang drying your laundry. Using a fabric softener will help your clothes stay soft during air drying.

After you have hand washed the garments, roll them tightly in an absorbent towel. (but not bras with underwires) Unroll the towel and move the garment to a dry part of the towel and roll again. Continue until garment is no longer drippy. It may take 2-5 rollings. Do not wring delicate items. You can wring jeans, towels and other sturdy items.

For all clothing pieces that are not stretchy, give them a good healthy shake prior to hanging to separate the fabric to reduce the drying time. A good shake also removes wrinkles, makes ironing easier, and keeps the clothes softer.

Also see our other articles. Guide to Drying Laundry Indoors covers all the rooms in the home, and all the different type of indoor drying racks. While Drying Laundry on a Clothesline describes great reasons for drying laundry outdoors, and provides some useful tips.

How to Air Dry Different Types of Clothing

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Shirts:

There are two ways to hang shirts. Shirts can be hung on hangers with the top buttoned and the collar positioned correctly. Or you can hang the shirt from the bottom at the two side seams with clips. You may also need to clip up the sleeves to keep them off the floor or ground. Shirts that have been hung on hangers usually can be taken directly to hang in the closet when dry. Hanging on hangers often allows you to skip the need for ironing. If it is a windy day and you are drying outside, you can hang the shirt on two hangers with the hooks facing each other so they make a complete circle and then slip the rope down between the hooks to hang it.

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Jeans:

It is very important that you shake those jeans out prior to hanging - it will keep them from stiffening up. When hanging on a laundry drying rack you will need to use multiple arms of the rack for the jeans so that the denim gets as much air circulation as possible. When you hang the jeans attempt to "open" the tops of the jeans as much as possible so that air can get into the pocket area to help speed up drying time. Jeans will dry best in the sun. When drying inside, locate the drying rack near a heating or air conditioning vent. A floor or ceiling fan will also help speed up the drying process. Air flow is important.

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Slacks:

The fabric determines the best way to air dry slacks. Many polyester blends dry quickly and can simply be folded over one arm of a drying rack. Heavier cotton slacks may need to be spread over two arms to allow more air circulation, much like jeans. For dress slacks, carefully straighten the fabric and seams before drying to help reduce wrinkles.

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Underwear

Undergarments can be hung from your clothes rack in multiple ways. They can simply be slipped over the arms of our round drying rack. You can hang them by one or two corners with clothes clips on a line, or simply folded over our tall laundry rack.

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Bras and Delicates:

Bras and other delicate garments often benefit from gentle hand washing and air drying. Always check the garment's care label before washing. For bras with underwires or molded cups, avoid twisting or wringing the fabric to remove water. Instead, gently press out excess moisture with an absorbent towel, taking care not to bend or distort the cups. A good method is to hang the bra in a location that the bra can drip out the excess water, like a bathtub or shower drying rack if drying inside. If that is not possible, pat the bra with an absorbent towel until it will no longer drip, then hang on your rack with your other clothes. Bras can be hung in multiple ways. It is important to not over stretch the elastic so hanging in half with one cup on each side of the rack arm causes less stress on the elastic. You can also hang by the arms with a hanger or directly on the arms of our round rack.

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Skirts:

If it is a skirt of a fabric type that dries easily simply fold over the clothes rack the same as for slacks. If it is a heavy or denim skirt hang over two arms of your drying rack, like jeans. Some crinkle skirts are designed to dry while twisted, helping preserve their wrinkled texture. If the garment's care instructions recommend this method, twist the fabric and lay it across the drying rack or clip the ends to hold the twist. Twisted skirts take a long time to dry, so turning them to keep them in the sun or to expose a new side to the breeze is helpful.

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Dresses:

Most dresses can be folded over a couple arms of your laundry rack. The other option, which takes a little more work, is to put the dress on a hanger and then drape the bottom over another arm. If the dress is very long and would touch the ground you can also weave the center of the dress over the top of a middle arm to hang the dress in a W shape. If it is a slightly stretchy material you will want to be sure that the dress is well supported so that it does not stretch while drying. The W shape provides the most support.

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Towels and Wash Cloths:

Air-dried towels can sometimes feel stiffer than machine-dried towels, but a few simple steps can help. Avoid using too much detergent, and make sure the towels are thoroughly rinsed. Shake them vigorously before hanging to loosen the fibers and help reduce stiffness. Then do not hang in direct sunshine where the towels will "bake". If you have a choice, wash towels on days when there is a breeze. If you wash on a calm day, then when you walk by your towels give them a little pat or shake as you go by to keep them from stiffening up. If you happen to end up with stiff towels, shaking them again prior to folding will help.

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Sweaters, Pantyhose and other Stretchy Items

Sweaters and other stretchy garments can lose their shape when hung while wet. Gently reshape these items and lay them flat across a drying rack or on a clean, breathable drying surface. Avoid hanging heavy, wet sweaters by their shoulders because the weight of the water can stretch the fabric.

Wool and other delicate natural fibers should generally be dried away from direct sunlight and excessive heat. Lightweight stretchy items, such as pantyhose, can be draped over a rack arm without pulling or stretching the fabric.