Winter laundry struggles: Avoid indoor drying pitfalls

Doing laundry is unavoidable, regardless of the season or our motivation. In spring and summer, laundry is enjoyable—clothes dry quickly in the fresh air, carrying a pleasant scent. In winter, however, the situation becomes complicated, and drying laundry becomes a skill that requires strategy. Is drying clothes indoors during the winter a good idea?

Almost everyone knows this scenario: the laundry is done, but the weather outside doesn’t permit hanging it up. A natural solution seems to be setting up the laundry inside the house, which is standard practice in winter but without drawbacks. We set up the drying rack and placed it near the heater to speed up drying, though this often leads to several problems.

Drying laundry indoors is risky because it increases the humidity in the home. Not having a dryer in winter doesn't mean we don’t deal with excessive moisture indoors—it's often visible on foggy windows and accompanied by a distinctive smell. Drying laundry indoors can further lead to mold growth, which is easily visible on grout, walls, or the ceiling. Mold is hazardous to health, potentially causing allergies, manifesting as a runny nose, rash, or asthma attack.

How can you dry laundry in winter without risking your health? There are a few methods, the most important being to check the weather forecast. Use a smartphone app to find warmer days that allow you to hang laundry on the balcony or terrace.

And what about cold or cloudy days? After finishing the laundry, throw a dry, large towel into the drum and run the spin cycle again. The towel will absorb most moisture, allowing you to safely hang laundry on an indoor drying rack without worrying about excessive humidity. A good solution is to divide the laundry into smaller loads, which will speed up drying.