--- title: "How to dry clothes indoors without causing damp | Home Comfort Lab" description: "A load of washing releases litres of water into the air. How to dry clothes inside without wet walls or mould." url: https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/dry-clothes-indoors-without-damp/ --- # How to dry clothes indoors without causing damp A load of washing releases litres of water into the air. How to dry clothes inside without wet walls or mould. By [Pete Harvey](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/about/), editor. Updated 14 October 2026. This page links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. [More about how this site is paid for](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/affiliate-disclosure/). ![Washing on an airer in a small closed room, with a dehumidifier drawing the moisture out of the clothes.](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/images/scenes/dry-clothes-indoors-without-damp.svg) > **The short answer** > > Dry the washing in one small room with the door shut, and either open the window or run a dehumidifier in there. Use an airer rather than the radiators, keep it out of bedrooms, and spin the load as fast as the fabric allows first. That stops the water in your clothes ending up on your walls and windows. ## Why wet washing causes damp Every drop of water that leaves your clothes goes into the air of your home. Research by the Glasgow School of Art found that an average load releases around 2 litres of water as it dries indoors. In a closed-up home in winter, that water has nowhere to go. It settles on the coldest surfaces first: windows, outside walls, the corners behind wardrobes. Do that a few times a week and those surfaces stay damp for long enough for mould to grow. The clothes suffer too. Washing that dries slowly in damp air can come out smelling musty. Damp and mould can affect anyone's health, and the government's guidance says children, older people and people with health conditions are at greater risk. If someone in your home has breathing problems, it is worth taking extra care. ## How to dry a load indoors 1. **Spin it hard.** Use the fastest spin the fabric allows. Less water in the clothes means less in the air. 2. **Pick one room.** A small room you can close off works best: a bathroom with an extractor fan, a utility room, or a spare room. Avoid bedrooms, where the damp air stays with you all night. 3. **Shut the door** so the moisture stays in that room instead of spreading through the house. 4. **Get the water out of the air.** Either open the window and leave the extractor fan running, or close the window and run a dehumidifier in the room. Not both at once: a dehumidifier with the window open spends its time drying the outside air. 5. **Space the clothes out** on an airer, so air can move between them. Turn thick things like jeans and towels halfway through. 6. **Wipe the window** in that room afterwards if it has misted up. [Mould risk checker](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/tools/humidity-mould-risk-checker/): Check the room's temperature and humidity while the washing dries to see if it's reaching the point where mould grows. ## Why not the radiators Clothes on a radiator dry quickly, but all that water goes straight into a warm room and then spreads to the cold parts of the house. The clothes also block the heat from the room, so the heating works harder. If you have no other space, use a radiator in the room you've chosen to dry in, with the door shut and the window open. ## Heated airer, dehumidifier or both A **heated airer** warms the clothes so they dry faster than on a plain airer. It doesn't remove any water, so the room still needs a window open or a dehumidifier. A typical three-tier model costs about 39p for a five-hour load. See [heated airer running costs](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/heating/heated-airer-running-costs/) and [which heated airer to buy](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/heating/best-heated-airer/). A **dehumidifier** takes the water out of the air and moves air over the clothes, so they dry without the damp spreading. A 12 litre model running for five hours costs about 26p. See [the best dehumidifier for drying laundry](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/best-dehumidifier-for-drying-laundry/). **Both together** in a small closed room is the quickest way to dry a load indoors. The airer warms the clothes and the dehumidifier collects the water they give off. Costs use **26.32p per kWh**, the [Ofgem price cap, Direct Debit average for England, Scotland and Wales](https://ofgem.gov.uk/news/changes-energy-price-cap-between-1-october-and-31-december-2026) for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Your own tariff may differ. [How we calculate](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/how-we-calculate/). > **Worth knowing** > > Clothes still dry outside on a cold day if it's dry and breezy. Even a few hours on the line before you bring them in takes out a good share of the water, so there is less left to go into your home. ## Tools that help ### To take the water out of the air Pro Breeze OmniDry 12L - **Type:** Compressor - **Extraction:** 12 litres a day - **Power:** 200W - **Noise:** 36dB - **Tank:** 2 litres - **Cost per hour:** 5.3p * Laundry mode Has a laundry mode, which keeps it running at full power instead of stopping at the humidity you set, and a 2 litre tank. At 12 litres a day it is the size most homes need for a weekly wash. [View on Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/dh-comp-12a/) [Manufacturer specs](https://probreeze.com/products/omnidry-12l-quiet-dehumidifier-with-max-extraction) ### To dry clothes faster BLACK+DECKER 63091 3-Tier Heated Airer with Cover - **Type:** Three-tier - **Power:** 300W - **Drying space:** 30 rails - **Holds:** 15kg - **Cost per hour:** 7.9p * Cover included Retailers list it with 30 rails and a 15kg load (BLACK+DECKER doesn't publish its own specs). The cover keeps the heat around the clothes, which helps them dry sooner. It costs 7.9p an hour to run. [View on Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/ha-tier-a/) If you rent and damp keeps coming back however careful you are, read [what your landlord must fix](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/damp-in-rented-home-landlord/). ## Sources - [The Glasgow School of Art: Research highlights health and economic problems caused by our indoor drying habits (2012)](https://gsamediacentre.co.uk/research-highlights-health-and-economic/) - [GOV.UK: Understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/damp-and-mould-understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-for-rented-housing-providers/understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-of-damp-and-mould-in-the-home--2) Checked 14 October 2026. ## Read next - [Best dehumidifier for drying laundry](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/best-dehumidifier-for-drying-laundry/) (Buying guide) What makes a dehumidifier good at drying clothes, and the models whose specs suit it best. - [Best heated airer](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/heating/best-heated-airer/) (Buying guide) How heated airers differ, what they cost to run, and which suit small flats, big families and drying fast. - [Heated airer running costs](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/heating/heated-airer-running-costs/) (Running costs) What heated clothes airers cost per hour and per load at the current price cap, and how that compares with a tumble dryer. - [Dehumidifier running costs: popular models compared](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/damp/dehumidifier-running-costs/) (Running costs) What each popular dehumidifier costs per hour and per month at the current price cap, from its rated power. --- As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to shops are marked, and earning from them never decides what we recommend. [How this site is paid for](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/affiliate-disclosure/). Running costs use 26.32p per kWh for electricity and 7.97p per kWh for gas, the [Ofgem price cap, Direct Debit average for England, Scotland and Wales](https://ofgem.gov.uk/news/changes-energy-price-cap-between-1-october-and-31-december-2026) for 1 October to 31 December 2026.