General Question

JK_DTR's avatar

What are the quickest ways to dry clothes at night with no dryer?

Asked by JK_DTR (57points) June 11th, 2019

So… I have graduation tomorrow and my just dryer broke. Of course it did, I have horrible luck!

I’m trying to figure out how to get my uniform dry now. I hung my clothes up for a few hours but they’re still very damp.

I don’t want to put them outside since it’s almost midnight, but If it’ll help I guess I could.

Will it though? There’s not gonna be any sunlight for many more hours and I have to leave early in the morning so they probably won’t get any at all.

I’m debating putting my uniform in the microwave, but I’m afraid of the results…lol…help me. :<

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31 Answers

AshLeigh's avatar

Just leave them hanging, and if they’re still damp in the morning you can use a hairdryer (assuming you have one)

I definitely wouldn’t put them in the microwave.

JK_DTR's avatar

Yeah…I figured that was probably a bad idea…ha ha…

I have a hair dryer but that would probably take me forever to get it dry.

Better then nothing I guess…worst day ever. :{

zenvelo's avatar

Hang them inside all night. Get up early and get them in the sun.

Patty_Melt's avatar

Use an iron. It will turn most of the remaining moisture to steam.

anniereborn's avatar

I would assume you have a fan. If so put that sucker on high and aim it towards your clothes.

raum's avatar

I’ve used a microwave to dry a tee shirt before. Just makes it warm and steamy. I wouldn’t use it for anything that has buttons, zippers or elastic.

It was also a cotton tee shirt. Not sure how synthetic fibers would fare in a microwave.

I’d use a hair dryer or an iron. But before attempting to dry it, I’d try to soak up as much of the water as possible.

Roll it up in a towel. Put a small towel inside the article of clothing if possible to separate the layers of wet fabric. Apply lots of pressure. Depending on fabric, wringing it out might damage it.

Repeat with paper towels.

The more water you get out with pressure, the more you cut down on drying time.

ucme's avatar

I mean, put a radiator on a timer for a couple of hours.

jca2's avatar

What helps is if you can hang them so the layers aren’t touching each other. In other words, if you have clothes pins, put the pins on the back of the pants and pin them to the bottom of the hanger, so the front of the pants are gaping and some air can get in between the front and back. Same with shirts.

I know it’s morning now and hopefully your problem has resolved itself.

Hanging clothes outside can be helpful if it’s sunny, but often overnight there’s a dampness in the air and so that won’t dry clothes.

I have a deck, and during the daytime, I may put things on the deck furniture to dry in the sun. They dry really quickly that way.

kritiper's avatar

Hang them out on a/the clothesline.

JLeslie's avatar

Did they dry in time? I would have told you to roll them in a towel squeezing water out. the towel will absorb water more then just ringing it out with your hands. Then take it out of the towel and hang the clothing, but be careful if it is a stretchy material not to hang the shoulders in a hanger that could get hanger marks.

Someone above suggested an iron, that is a good idea too if in the morning it isn’t dry you can use the iron to help remove the last bits and let it dry a little longer.

JK_DTR's avatar

Yes the pants dried but everything else was still damp.

Thank you all for the suggestions anyway.

I couldn’t find my iron so I could only to hang them. They eventually dried fully, but it took a while. I stopped myself from throwing them in the microwave..because I was afraid ha ha.

At least the graduation went okay! Hopefully my luck is turning around…

flo's avatar

For next time, wearing the clothes also helps to dry them.

JK_DTR's avatar

Really?

Everything besides the pants were pretty uncomfortable to wear while damp though, but I’d definitely do that next time if it would help.

flo's avatar

I guess a lot of people don’t like the feeling of wet clothes. But it’s amazing how fast clothes get dry when you wear them. The body is a major source of heat.

Patty_Melt's avatar

That doesn’t work for warm, humid days.

flo's avatar

@Patty_Melt It works on warm, humid days, too, in my experience.

dabbler's avatar

If you are someone who perspires on warm humid days the clothes will never get dry on you.
At best they will approach the dampness level they would have if you were wearing them, sweating into them, on the warm humid day and they would no longer really be clean.

dabbler's avatar

If you are traveling and have only one other change of clothes and that’s now in the laundry then by all means put on the damp clothes.

flo's avatar

I don’t think. “If you are someone who perspires on warm humid days the clothes will never get dry on you.” is scientifically correct.

flo's avatar

…because you can’t start sweating until the clothing is dry, esp. if you’re not exerting yourself at all.

raum's avatar

I don’t think. “...because you can’t start sweating until the clothing is dry…”
is scientifically correct.

flo's avatar

“If you are someone who perspires on warm humid days the clothes will never get dry on you.” is not scientifically correct.” better grammar. (self correcting)

zenvelo's avatar

^^^^ @flo better grammar, but still wrong.

flo's avatar

@zenvelo You would have shown how it’s wrong, if it were wrong. So, what does that mean?

JLeslie's avatar

I put on slightly damp clothes in a pinch to dry them if it’s a very thin fabric. If it’s a blouse or dress it works fine, your body heat does help it dry. I live in a humid warm place. If it’s a waistband that’s wet that has double fabric that’s not going to work well. In fact, if a t-shirt has wrinkles from being folded I put on the shirt and then with damp hands I flatten out the wrinkles, and it’s typically dry by the time I get to where I’m going. That’s driving in an air conditioned car. I’m not soaking the whole shirt, just some spots. In fact it’s just that sort of drying, like if a garment isn’t quite dry all over from the dryer and you’re in a rush, it will dry on your body. If you are going into a cold place I don’t recommend it, like cold weather or very cold air conditioning.

flo's avatar

@JLeslie Exactly. After a shower no need for a towel. Just put on a long t-shirt or something and you’re dry in no time, humid or not.

jca2's avatar

Coming out of a shower, soaking wet, and putting clothes on without using a towel first sounds very uncomfortable.

flo's avatar

If it’s a hot day?

jca2's avatar

@flo: It would be like coming out of a swimming pool and taking off the bathing suit and putting on clothes. Hot day or not a hot day, still uncomfortable.

flo's avatar

I guess for some.

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