Where to Place a Wooden Drying Rack so Clothes Dry Faster in the Winter

Being the uber frugal stay at home mom that I am, my clothes dryer doesn't get turned on unless there's some sort of laundry emergency. All the rest of the time, my clothes are hung out outdoors on the clothes line or indoors on a wooden drying rack to air dry. Not only is air drying better for clothes, it saves a hefty chunk of change on our power bill.

While line drying is fine on non-raining days, when winter weather is frigid or precipitation is in the forecast, I have to dry the clothes indoors. Depending on the temperature and humidity in the house, and the thickness of the laundry, winter drying on a wooden drying rack can take up to three days.

From experience, I've learned that some places in the house seem to provide quicker winter drying than others. If you are having the same problem as I have had with clothes taking interminably long to dry on a wooden drying rack, these locations may work for you.

1. Near the furnace.

Even when the heat is turned down to 55 degrees at night, the furnace room tends to stay 10-15 degrees warmer. The warmer temperature plus it's out-of-the-way location makes the furnace room a sensible location for drying all your clothes. When setting up the racks, remember to stay clear of the cold air intakes and heat vents so that air can continue to circulate properly.

2. In a bathroom.

Because the rheostats are located in living rooms, the furnace has to run quite a while to bring up the temperatures of these large areas. With the bathrooms being the smallest room in the house, these rooms often heat up the fastest and retain the heat once once the furnace cycles off. If setting up a wooden rack in the bathroom blocks off access to the commode and sink, think about setting up the rack in the bathtub.

3. Over a vent in the living room or kitchen.

If you are totally cramped for space and the bathroom or furnace room are out of the question, you can set up your wooden drying rack in front of a heat register. While this isn't nearly as effective as placing the rack in a warmer room, the circulating air blowing through the vent will shorten the dry time somewhat. Repositioning the clothes on the drying rack halfway through the cycle will also help speed up drying time.

For more articles about drying with a wooden drying rack, these articles by C. Jeanne can help:
How to use clothes drying rack effectively.
How to care for your wooden drying rack.