How do students dry clothes?

Waiting for clothes to dry isn’t quite as boring as watching paint dry. But when there’s coursework to do, lectures to attend, and all those mates to catch up with, it’s understandably pretty low down your priority list. Follow these tips, and you’ll be back to the good stuff in no time at all.

Hang things up

The cheapest and most obvious way to dry your wet clothes is to hang them on a clothes line (if you’ve an outdoor space and the weather’s looking OK), or rack them inside using a set of hangers. As an added bonus, air-drying like this is best for your delicates, which a tumble dryer might damage or shrink. Just remember to double-check that your garments are fully dry, to avoid any musty smells in your cupboards.

Use an emergency iron

If you own an iron, you also have an emergency shortcut to dry clothes – useful in a we’re-due-down-the-pub-in-half-an-hour pinch! The trick? Carefully iron any slightly-damp clothes at the lowest temperature. This one’s especially useful for clothes that crinkle easily!

Try a dehumidifier

It’s not the most obvious option, but if you’re already running a dehumidifier to tackle condensation, mould or mildew, it can run double-duty for clothes drying, too! Simply hang your wet stuff in the same room as the appliance, and it’ll extract all that extra moisture from the air, speeding up the drying process.

Use a tumble dryer

Tumble dryers are the surest way to get warm, dry clothes in the least possible time. But before you pile everything in, make sure you’ve checked the care label in your clothes! The tumble-dry symbol is a simple circle inside a square, and means you’re good to go. Your label might also tell you whether to tumble-dry at low or high temperatures. If, however, the tumble-dry symbol has an X through it, it’s time to step away from the machine.

That said, it’s worth mentioning here that some garments might not show a tumble-dry symbol at all. This is often the case with woolly items, silk items, or fancy underwear – all of which can be misshapen or shrunk by heat.

For the very best results, it’s a good idea to check your clothes aren’t wringing wet, and that you don’t overload the machine. Either of these things will leave you waiting loads longer and using a lot more energy to get things dry.

Oh, and make sure you close up any buttons on your duvet covers, or you might end up with a big bag of socks!

Head to your local Circuit laundry room!