8 Creative Ways to Dry Things
Updated: Feb. 10, 2023Waiting for things to dry can feel like an eternity. Thankfully, there are shortcuts.
Quick Drying Laundry Hack
Waiting for clothes to dry can be annoying, especially if you’re in a hurry. I throw in a dry towel with the rest of my wet laundry to speed up the process and get on with my day.
Quick Drying Hanger
Here’s a handy way to dry and store paint brushes. Using a hand saw, cut a slanted slice out of the handle from the hole toward the bristles. After cleaning, hook the brush over a coat hanger and hang it from a ceiling joist. — Paul E. Therrien.
Instant Drying Rack
Does your family have a lot of clothes that can’t go in the dryer? Even those collapsible drying racks with several bars for draping wet clothes still aren’t enough for big laundry days.
To fix your air-drying space shortage:
- Grab a 1×2 board from your scrap stash in the garage.
- Trim it to fit across a few joists overhead in your basement laundry room.
- Tack it in place with a heavy-duty nail in each joist.
- Use hangers to air-dry several more pieces of clothing. Brilliant!
Embrace Air Drying
Save some money and use fresh air to your advantage when drying laundry. Plus, your clothing will smell fresh and clean without dryer sheets. In the winter you can hang a drying rack inside, which also adds moisture to the dry indoor air.
Use a Salad Spinner
If you have some articles of clothing that shouldn’t go in the dryer, remove excess water with salad spinner. Then hang them on a rack to dry.
PVC Drying Rack
This PVC mitten/glove dryer utilizes the heat from the floor vent. Make the racks with a six-inch piece of PVC, a wire hanger, some electrical tape and glue.
Photo: Courtesy of Rev Rider
Behind the Door Storage: Closet Glove Rack
If you don’t have radiators, finding a good spot to dry wet hats and mittens can be tough. Tossing them into a plastic bin gets them out of the way, but they never dry and it’s no fun putting on damp mittens in the morning.
This simple back-of-the-door glove and cap rack allows wet things to dry and keeps easily misplaced items organized. Just string clothespins on aluminum wire (it won’t rust) and stretch it between screw eyes on the back of a closet door. This also works great out in the garage for drying garden and work gloves.
Tomato Cage Drying Rack
An inverted tomato cage makes a great drying rack for rollers, brushes, pads, rags and whatever is wet after painting cleanup. The stuff dries quickly outdoors, and there’s room for everything! — Tom Anderson.
