Laundry Drying Tips
- Date: 2007-01-23 - Word Count: 596
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A lot of this might be common sense, but common sense is always worth repeating. There are two aspects of drying, the first is to eliminate odors and the second is to dry the clothes better.
Let's first take a look at eliminating the odor
1. Don't leave clothes in the washer - This also includes letting your clothes collect in the washing machine with the lid closed! The dampness, sweat, dead skin and dirt collect inside the machine's already airtight drum that causes the clothes to stink even more and grow mold on the inner drum. The inner drum mold is very difficult to clean, and will dry, flake off and soil your clothes once they are clean. You may not see the mold on the drum, but it is there.
2. Do Not leave WET clothes inside the washer - In addition to the factors above, your clothes will develop a pungent odor that will take many additional washings (and bleach or vinegar) to remove. Get your clothes to the dryer or hung up ASAP.
3. Do Not wash with too many clothes at once - the fewer items you have, the better they are washed and the easier they dry.
4. Always leave your washing machine lid OPEN - this lets air circulate in the drum and dries the drum out after each washing.
With the above steps you can eliminate a fair amount of washer-related smells that wreak havoc on clothes.
The next step is to improve your drying method. Simply hanging the clothes on hangers on your curtain rod is not very effective, especially if you can't be home to open windows and let air circulate (especially in humid locations).
If you have space, a folding 'drying rack is recommended, these are sold online or in hardware stores, make sure you have satisfactory air circulation, a dehumidifier may be necessary along with a fan, if you dry in the house. Make sure whether you air dry outside or in that you space the clothes far enough apart so that they dry faster. This is the most frugal option.
If the above is not an option for you, then make sure the dryer you are using is well kept to dry at it's best capacity
1. Clean out the lint trap- this alone seems to cause the most trouble for people, the buildup of lint in the trap will not only extend the drying time and waste money, but may be the cause to a fire in the future.
2. Clean out the air duct - this is the metal or foil tubing that runs from the back of your dryer. Lint moves out from this area as well, though in a smaller amount, and can get caught along the twists and turns of the air duct.
3. Make sure you are putting in damp clothes only - If your clothes are still quite soggy from the washer, running it through the washer's spin cycle one more time is more cost effective than running the dryer longer.
4. Dry heavier items last - When you first use the dryer it is very cold, but as you use the dryer more, you will be able to cut down on drying time as the heat from one cycle is used to dry another load of clothes from the washer.
5. Use Towels - If you find you have a hard time drying a load of clothes, through in a large, DRY towel to decrease the drying time. Drying a load of towels first may be the best solution.
Hopefully, some of this practical, but important advice can help you get through the laundry day a little better.
Let's first take a look at eliminating the odor
1. Don't leave clothes in the washer - This also includes letting your clothes collect in the washing machine with the lid closed! The dampness, sweat, dead skin and dirt collect inside the machine's already airtight drum that causes the clothes to stink even more and grow mold on the inner drum. The inner drum mold is very difficult to clean, and will dry, flake off and soil your clothes once they are clean. You may not see the mold on the drum, but it is there.
2. Do Not leave WET clothes inside the washer - In addition to the factors above, your clothes will develop a pungent odor that will take many additional washings (and bleach or vinegar) to remove. Get your clothes to the dryer or hung up ASAP.
3. Do Not wash with too many clothes at once - the fewer items you have, the better they are washed and the easier they dry.
4. Always leave your washing machine lid OPEN - this lets air circulate in the drum and dries the drum out after each washing.
With the above steps you can eliminate a fair amount of washer-related smells that wreak havoc on clothes.
The next step is to improve your drying method. Simply hanging the clothes on hangers on your curtain rod is not very effective, especially if you can't be home to open windows and let air circulate (especially in humid locations).
If you have space, a folding 'drying rack is recommended, these are sold online or in hardware stores, make sure you have satisfactory air circulation, a dehumidifier may be necessary along with a fan, if you dry in the house. Make sure whether you air dry outside or in that you space the clothes far enough apart so that they dry faster. This is the most frugal option.
If the above is not an option for you, then make sure the dryer you are using is well kept to dry at it's best capacity
1. Clean out the lint trap- this alone seems to cause the most trouble for people, the buildup of lint in the trap will not only extend the drying time and waste money, but may be the cause to a fire in the future.
2. Clean out the air duct - this is the metal or foil tubing that runs from the back of your dryer. Lint moves out from this area as well, though in a smaller amount, and can get caught along the twists and turns of the air duct.
3. Make sure you are putting in damp clothes only - If your clothes are still quite soggy from the washer, running it through the washer's spin cycle one more time is more cost effective than running the dryer longer.
4. Dry heavier items last - When you first use the dryer it is very cold, but as you use the dryer more, you will be able to cut down on drying time as the heat from one cycle is used to dry another load of clothes from the washer.
5. Use Towels - If you find you have a hard time drying a load of clothes, through in a large, DRY towel to decrease the drying time. Drying a load of towels first may be the best solution.
Hopefully, some of this practical, but important advice can help you get through the laundry day a little better.
Related Tags: tips, laundry, drying, hanging clothes
Dawn Cadwell continues to live a frugal, simple life as much as possible, learning as she goes. Frugalforlife is a free resource to those in need,curious or just looking for a few tips. Thank you for your time. Copyright © 2005 - Dawn Cadwell. All rights reserved. E-mail notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: Frugalforlife(at)Gmail(dot)com
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