How to dry children’s clothes (especially in winter)

I dealt with  how to wash children’s clothes some time ago, when in a post (which I suggest you read) we talked about some methods for washing the layette without ruining the clothes, sanitizing everything well and in an eco-friendly way.

But if doing the laundry almost daily is one of the tasks that a parent finds himself having to carry out with the arrival of a baby, finding the fastest and safest way to dry the clothes of newborns follows immediately: lots of clothes to  wash  , lots to dry.
In fact, given the amount of laundry that makes a child dirty, even drying bodysuits, pajamas, rompers, bibs and all the layette is an operation that requires time, space, method and suitable equipment, especially if it is winter.

How to dry children’s clothes (especially in winter)

With the arrival of the bad season, hanging and drying the laundry of the little ones can be a problem especially if you live in the city, if you don’t have a balcony or a garden, or if you have a small house.
So let’s see what can be the possible ways to dry children’s clothes not only in summer.

Hang and dry the clothes in the open air

Drying children’s laundry in the open air is the ideal solution because it’s natural and it’s the cheapest (but it’s better not to do it at night).
It is a good habit to hang the laundry of the little ones well spread out and still wet. This will allow you to obtain linen without too many creases and will save you from using the iron, saving time and energy.

Before hanging out the clothes of the little ones then, make sure that the clothespins are not broken or that they could stain the clothes. To dry chenille onesies instead, it would be better to hang them on hangers (the small ones for children) and avoid clothespins. In fact, these leave marks that are difficult to remove from the chenille.
If you have the opportunity to hang out in the open air, make sure that in the summer and during the hottest hours the clothes are not exposed to direct sunlight. In fact, this yellows white and discolors colored garments, even if it seems that for some types of stains it also acts as a stain remover.

And if you live in the city, be careful: drying the children’s laundry on the terrace might not be the healthiest and most hygienic solution. The polluting agents present in the air can settle in damp fabrics, contributing to dirtying them and making them unhealthy.
A good solution to protect our little ones’ clothes could be to cover the drying rack with a plastic laundry bag, which is also useful in case of rain.

Pre-dry baby clothes with towels

One method to avoid damaging children’s most delicate garments and to reduce drying times at home is to dab and  pre-dry the garments with towels.
To do this, just spread a towel on a surface, place the garment to be dried on it and roll the towel into a roll. A slight pressure must be exerted on this so that the sponge absorbs the excess water. Then spread as usual.

This little foresight is used above all to eliminate excess water from the clothes that could be damaged with the spin cycle (for example wool sweaters), to prevent the clothes from dripping in the house at the foot of the drying rack, to avoid too much humidity if clothes near the radiator.

Hang out and dry the baby’s laundry on the radiator

Hanging the layette near the radiator (or near a stove or fireplace) is the solution that sooner or later everyone adopts, especially if it is not possible to hang the laundry out in the open air. Since it is highly discouraged to place clothes on radiators (they are often dusty and contact with hot material ruins them) there are many types of clothesline suitable for radiators on the market . Just choose the right one and the little ones’ clothes will dry quickly even in winter.

However, it must be said that not everyone likes this solution, especially for those who have humidity problems at home or health problems. In fact, hanging clothes on the radiator as well as being able to ruin clothes and delicate items, alters the correct heating of the environment and increases the humidity rate in the air. This could favor the smell of damp and the proliferation of molds which, as we know, are the cause of many allergic and respiratory problems. In these cases the dryer is recommended.

Dry your clothes with the dehumidifier or tumble dryer

Another way to dry your laundry is to have an air dryer  or dehumidifier.
The air-operated laundry dryer is an electrical device (a kind of large hair dryer) that is hung on the wall at a certain height and allows you to dry a large load of laundry in a short time. The clothes are hung underneath leaving free space in the room. It spreads the fibers from above so creases are very reduced and the motors are generally silent. Many also use it to dry the room and prevent mold.

The dehumidifier,  on the other hand, is used by those who have humidity problems at home. By reducing the humidity, the drying times of the laundry are also reduced and the problem of mold is avoided.
In both cases, however, there is a shopping to do and an electrical appliance to turn on.

Pre-dry baby clothes and toys with double spin

To avoid dripping problems, mold problems or to dry children’s laundry quickly, many use the double spin method. 
In practice, at the end of the wash and before hanging out the clothes and the children’s laundry, a second spin is programmed to allow for the elimination of as much water as possible from the clothes. This method can be used to speed up the drying time of resistant laundry such as towels, underpads, bibs or sheets and of fabric toys, rag dolls and soft toys washed in the washing machine. For delicate garments such as wool sweaters and chenille onesies, it is better to use other methods.

Dry baby clothes in the dryer

And here we are at the much discussed dryer! Having had it at home for many years now, I can no longer do without it, but I will try to list its strengths and weaknesses in the most objective way possible (at least I try).
If you ask me if the dryer can also be used for children’s dresses and layettes, I’ll say YES.

PRO

• The dryer saves a lot of time and space. No more hours hanging out sock by sock, no more drying racks around the house;
• the clothes come out of the dryer soft and fluffy even without using the fabric softener (which it seems is not recommended to use for children’s laundry);
• using the programs well, you no longer iron: bibs, sheets, rompers, bodysuits, pajamas, socks can be folded and immediately stored in the drawer;
• in an hour or so after washing, the little ones’ clothes are already dry. A nice advantage especially in winter and if you don’t have many spare parts available.
• also dry fabric toys and soft toys well.
• wool and delicates can be tumble dried. However, you need to pay attention to the specific programs.

AGAINST

• The garments can shrink a little.  Yes, that’s true, but this mainly depends on using the wrong program or on a fabric that is very sensitive to heat (wool and delicates). In this case, however, I recommend buying a size larger.
• the rubber inserts and applications of some onesies or PUL panties can be damaged by the heat of the dryer;
• there are those who say that the dryer consumes too much , but I didn’t realize it. Maybe because I save money by ironing less?
• takes up space : the dryer takes up a certain amount of space but there are alternative solutions such as placing the dryer and washing machine above and below.

In any case, to find out more, you can read this post I wrote some time ago →  tips for using the dryer  (there are more than 600 comments with questions and answers)

As in all things, however,  common sense is also needed to dry baby and children’s clothes . So yes to trying to optimize time and space, yes to being careful not to waste money and energy, yes to getting information by reading the washing instructions of the garments, but no to any kind of excess and fear. Ruining a few dresses can happen and it won’t be the end of the world.