Woman shares simple hack for drying clothes in just two hours

A woman has shared a simple hack for drying wet clothes in just two hours without a tumble dryer – and it promises to help cut costs on your energy bill.

Alix Byrne, 24, from Glasgow, found her tumble dryer too expensive to run and said her clothes smell less than fresh after using it. 

Living in a small one-bedroom flat with her partner, Andrew, she noticed they were constantly going through laundry and struggling with enough space to hang the clothes to dry, using multiple clothes horses at once.

When putting out her bedding to dry one day, she covered the clothes horse with the bed sheet, placing it near the radiator.

Before, Alix was used to drying her clothes next to a radiator but found that it could take hours to dry and some would still be damp 

Incredibly, she found that the sheet had created a pocket of hot air, drying the clothes underneath within just two hours.

‘It was kind of a eureka moment,’ Alix, a postwoman, explained.

‘I was trying to find where else to hang the bed sheet to dry, apart from over the kitchen door which ends up smelling of whatever you’re cooking.

‘I usually keep my clothes frame by the radiator, especially in winter and I just thought, “Why not throw the bed sheet over the frame, tuck the ends behind the radiator and under the stands then the hot air from the radiator will dry my clothes in hours”.

Instead of just waiting, Alix decided to grab a bedsheet and place it over all the clothes on the rack next to the radiator

‘I stay in a small, cosy, one bed flat with my partner and we always have two clothes frames at once as we have busy lifestyles and go through a lot of washings, which takes up too much space.

‘We have a tumble dryer but to be honest, it costs far too much and doesn’t really leave your clothes smelling the best.

‘I think the reason this hack would benefit people is it saves money on tumble drying. You probably have the heating on anyway as it’s January.

‘It saves up space as your clothes would be dry within hours and the clothes horse can be packed away again and into the cupboard.

To create the hot air ‘pocket’ for the clothes to dry in, Alix tucked the bedsheet onto the sides of the radiator, ensuring it was surrounding her clothes

‘Instead of the usual 24 hours and your clothes are still damp – then low and behold, it’s time for another washing!

‘It doesn’t have to be a never-ending cycle anymore.’

Alix shared the incredible results on Facebook, where her post racked up more than 4,000 likes.

Thousands of users took to the comments section to share their own experiences and tips.

Making sure all the clothes were neatly inside the pocket, Alix left them to dry for two hours before they were done 

One person said: ‘Done this for years it’s actually brilliant all my clothes dry so quick!’

‘Definitely giving this a go, takes about three days to dry a airer full of washing,’ commented another user.

Someone else said: ‘Well this looks like a bloody game changer!’

‘This works a treat btw a few hours and it’s dry,’ agreed another viewer. [sic]

‘Oooh a dryer tent!’ said someone else. [sic]

One person added: ‘It’s brilliant, I can confirm this works.’

Someone else said: ‘Omg why haven’t I saw this before, constantly wondering how to dry washing faster with all radiators being full, dryer full and clothes horse full.’ [sic]

Another user described the hack as a ‘complete game changer’.

Alix also shared a few top tips to maximise results.

She said: ‘People ask if dampness occurs, but I use a double bed sheet over a king sheet so it’s not totally covering the whole clothes frame and there’s still gaps for the air to escape and heat the room up – win win!

‘If you’re worried about damp, crack a window slightly or have a dehumidifier nearby.

‘People have also asked if this can cause fires but I don’t think a radiator is hot enough, if you’re that worried just turn it down on a low heat for longer and keep an eye on it.

‘I’ve found on a medium-high setting, they were dry within 2-3 hours and 4-6 on low give or take.

‘My clothes also still smell fresh of the fabric conditioner because they dried so quick.’