Home Q&A: How to dry clothes indoors safely and sustainably

When it's cold and wet outside, there are ways to be more eco-friendly with our tumble-dryer use 

A high spin speed on your washing machine should wring the clothes dry as fully as possible, allowing the dryer a less arduous run. File picture

If you have a suitable space with excellent ventilation, use a drying rack to dry clothes or finish them off from damp-dry from the dryer.  You can also finish air drying clothes in a short cycle in the dryer to fluff and decrease.

A high-spin speed on your washing machine should wring the clothes dry as fully as possible, allowing the dryer a less arduous run; 1200rpm is perfect for most materials, bar delicates. Untangle garments and, where possible, dry similar weights together as they will “come home” at the same time.

Select the correct drying level (for instance, cupboard dry) rather than working off tumble dryer timers. Timers can atrophy clothes when not closely watched. Opening the machine to monitor results reduces the drum temperature, making the cycle even longer.

When drying a mixed load with varying weights, stop the machine and swiftly take out clothes that are already dry. Finish the rest, adjusting the settings if needed.

Always dry up to the set dry weight of the load as given for your washing machine (the load is wet when and heavier when it arrives at the dryer). Too much, and the load will be tangled, suppressed and likely to drive the machine on for a longer cycle.

Get to know your filters (look up the PDF if you don’t have a manual). Some more expensive machines offer self-cleaning filters. Full, wet or dirty filters will ruin your machine’s performance.

If your tumble dryer fails, it’s worth consulting with a technician as to whether it is worth saving. A very old venting machine is likely to be failing on multiple fronts and is best replaced. Consider the whole costing over ten years, not just the initial investment in a new heat-pump dryer.

To speed up the performance of a heat-pump condenser, throw a nice, fat dry towel into a moderate load. This will soak up some of the moisture and evaporate it easily. Rubber dryer balls are also useful.

• Got a question for our Home team? Email [e-mail]