Indoor Clothes Drying

Our clothes dryer has been on the fritz for most of a month now. Got the first issue fixed, dried about 5 loads of laundry and then the next time I went to use the dryer, something else wasn't working.

Well. Our dryer isn't new; probably more like 20 years old. It was a hand-me-down from Andy's parents when he was still a bachelor and has been a faithful servant! But we would like to get a few more years use out of it if possible!

So for the time being we are line drying all of our laundry.  Our outdoor clothesline broke when moving last year so we are needing to dry everything inside. Perhaps we will rig up some outdoor lines if this continues. Thankfully, we own three folding drying racks since I was already line drying some of our laundry.

I've learned a few tips about drying clothes indoors during the winter. Some of these things I've done for a while anyways and others are new.

• Hanging clothes can be hung on the shower rod. Pajamas, shirts and pants can be dried this way. Hanging larger items here frees up more space on the drying racks for the smaller stuff and towels. If items are hung early enough in the day, most things will be dry by morning shower time. Smaller things such as socks and underwear can be hung on skirt/pants hangers if needed. I like this because the clothes are out of the way.
• Curtain rods can also be used for hanging clothes.
• Use fans in front of racks. Especially for towels and heavier items. My biggest concern is that the towels will not dry fast enough and get smelly. The racks also take up a bit of space and I'm in a hurry to fold them back up out of the way!
• Position racks over vents. Warm or cool air will help speed up the drying process. 
• Rotate items on racks for even drying.  Sometimes the front items or one side of the jeans are dry but the rest still wet! Turn things around if needed.
• Adding white vinegar to the towels helps to soften them a bit. Not a lot but a bit.:-) Also shaking them out before hanging seems to help.
• Wear clothing several times before washing if possible. This helps cut down on the laundry to hang. We shower every day and use deodorant so if not stained, most outfits can be worn 2 times.
• Stagger loads of laundry. Don't do everything in one day. I will do sheets on a day by themselves and drape them over the racks. Towels always take up 2 racks so I wash them by themselves or when I don't have as many clothes.
• Wash only what needs to be washed. I'm not washing heavy pieces of bedding right now unless it really needs it! And in the case of blankets and such, I'd probably break down and go to the laundromat.
• Swallow pride. I really dislike visitors seeing our laundry drying in the house. But I have people in and out of my house almost every day. So I put it out of the way if possible (for space  reasons more than pride) and if not or if they use the bathroom during their visit, well, I just try to keep the unmentionables behind the bigger garments!
• Smile knowing you're doing something good for the environment!

What line drying tips do you have to share?