How to dry baby clothes quickly

Last modified on Thursday 31 March 2022

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Drying your baby’s clothes and bedding is easy in the summer – hang them outside in the sunshine and job done. But in the winter, getting things dry in a hurry is not always easy.

Which is not good news when bedtime is fast approaching and your baby’s sleeping bag, pyjamas or favourite comforter are still wet from the wash. Aagh.

Luckily when it comes to laundry, the brilliant mums and dads in our Netmums forum have lots of tried-and-tested tips. We’ve rounded up their advice for the best ways to dry everything from bedding to babygrows quickly.

And we’ve also got the answers to all your laundry questions, including the best laundry detergent to use, how to prevent clothes from shrinking in the tumble drier AND how to get rid of damp when drying clothes inside.

How to wash your baby’s clothes

Before you get started on the drying, here’s a quick guide to washing your new baby clothes.

Separate your wash ... Keep your whites bright by sorting clothes into piles of lights and darks. Take out anything that’s been in contact with poo or sick (cloth nappies etc) as they need to be washed at a higher temperature. And be sure to set aside anything with a 'flame resistant' label so you can wash it without fabric softener.

Choose a laundry detergent for sensitive skin ... We love Fairy Non Bio PODS® : no need to measure anything, just pop a Pod in the washing machine. For added peace of mind, Fairy Non Bio has been voted the number one laundry brand for sensitive skin*.

Get washing ... For a gentle clean and huggable softness, use Fairy Non Bio Sensitive Skin Dream Team : Fairy Non Bio PODS® and Fairy Fabric Softener .

Job done, now onto the best ways to dry baby clothes (without shrinking them!)

*Online panel of 3,433 women among which Fairy Non Bio detergent/softener was voted most often as the #1 detergent and fabric softener for sensitive skin.

1. Tumble dryer

Using a tumble dryer may be one of the easiest ways to dry baby clothes quickly, but it's not good for the environment. If you can ditch the dryer, great. Even using it less will have an impact on your family's carbon footprint.

If you do need to use a tumble dryer, our Netmums have these tips ...

Here's what our Netmums say:

‘Always look at the tags to make sure they are tumble dryer safe and most of the time only dry on a low setting! Don't think I've ever shrunk anything!!'

‘We have no problems with clothes shrinking, I always use the right temperature according to what I want to dry and I put the clothes in for half an hour then check on how dry they are.’

‘Buying a tumble dryer was the best thing I did. Doesn't cost all that much electric - I use more watching TV - and everything is done in one day now.’

‘I could not manage without my tumble dryer even in the summer. It just makes the whole laundry process so much more efficient. I don't find much shrinkage, I think you just have to watch the heat settings, use the cool setting if the fabrics are delicate such as synthetics and don't leave items in for too long so that they bake.’

‘I would always suggest a tumble dryer, when you have kids it saves so much time.’

'Mum said to tumble dry them all on a low heat as this will keep them soft. Just check labels first'

2. Washing line

A washing line is a brilliant way to dry clothes quickly, and the sun can even help to keep your baby's whites white! Just keep an eye on the weather or investing in an indoor line.

Here's what our Netmums say:

‘Unless it's raining, the washing gets put up on the line outside.  Sometimes it stays hanging out there for a day or two but does normally dry in this time.  If I do bring it in and it's a little damp I just hang things over the downstairs radiators for half an hour or so.  On some occasions I have had to bring it in still wet but I do find it then dries quicker in the house having been outside first.’

‘I look at the weather. If it's a dry day it goes on the line outside.’

‘I've just got a really good indoor clothes line. It goes across the whole length of the bathroom and it's near the ceiling so I stand on a stepping stool to hang stuff up. I can fit loads on there and it dries really quickly because it's quite hot in there.’

'I washed all Gabrielles stuff when on maternity leave and LOVED watching it all blowing on the line!! Sad maybe?'

3. Clothes airer

Loads of parents in our Netmums forum swear by a clothes horse or airer. Worried about mould or damp appearing as clothes dry? They’ve got a tip for that too!

Here's what our Netmums say:

‘I have two clothes horses to put our washing on and use our dehumidifier to take the damp out of the air. It has a laundry function which blows hot air so dries them quicker.’

‘The hint is to do "regular turning" of the clothes, plus I also regularly turn the airer so each side gets time closer to the radiator.’

‘I find doing an extra fast spin after the main wash has finished makes a big difference and even heavy sweatshirts and jeans then dry overnight on the airer.’

‘We don't have the heating on overnight and the stuff on the airer still dries. As long as you have a window open to let the moisture out, you won’t get damp.’

‘I do one load every morning and hang it on my airer in the bedroom next to the radiator and window. I open the window a tiny bit, the heating is on for a few hours a day and my washing is dry and smells lovely by the next morning.’

4. Radiator

Another way to dry baby clothes quickly is to hang them on a radiator. Worried you'll get damp and mould from the condensation as the clothes dry? Our Netmums community have a hack for that ...

Here's what our Netmums say:

'We have a dehumidifier which I put on when I have a large load of washing. It takes out the moisture from the air and I find the washing dries quite a lot quicker when I put it on.'

‘I do a load everyday and after it's done I put the fast spin on again and then once more if it's a heavy load. Clothes are almost dry after and take about 10 mins on radiators to finish off.’

‘I have always put them on the radiators. If you air your house regularly then hopefully there won't be a problem with dampness or mold.’

‘I tend to hang bits and bobs on radiator hangers in the winter too when the heating is on as this dries them mega quick.'

‘I use the radiators, got a big one in every room in the house so I can get 2 loads of washing dry in about 1 hour.’

'I put all mine on the radiator they smelt lovely after so did the house.'

5. Heated airer

Plug-in heated airers are a popular choice with our Netmums community. Not only are they pretty economical, there's a clever hack to make them even quicker at drying clothes ...

Here's what our Netmums say:

‘Not only does it dry your clothes quickly it also heats the room it's standing in. Wouldn't be without it now. A little tip if you do get one: cover the airer with a sheet (dry or wet) when it's drying clothes and they dry even quicker.’

‘I have a heated airer. It is fab, costs very little to run and heats the room it's in. I'd really recommend it.’

‘We have a heated airer and it's definitely quicker than drying without it. Usually I turn mine on to warm for a few hours then let things dry naturally.’

6. Airing cupboard

Ooh our Netmums parents do love an airing cupboard! So if you’ve got one at home, your drying is sorted .

Here's what our Netmums say:

‘If I need them to dry fast I hang them in the airing cupboard.’

'On wet days we have a mixture of an airer and a boiler cupboard so one load will hang up in the boiler cupboard and one on the airer. Then when the stuff in the cupboard is dry and moved I just move the airer in there and it dries much quicker!’

'I use airer and put it in the airing cupboard - helps if you use nice conditioner.'

Looking for more laundry tips and tricks? Check out our articles below or swap ideas with other parents in our forum.

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