Now that the winter weather has arrived, the cold and damp means drying clothes outdoors is no longer a practical option.
If you don’t own a tumble dryer then drying your washing inside on a clothes airer can be a bit of a pain, and can leave it smelling damp and musty. This is because clothes take longer to fully dry out indoors and retain moisture for longer, particularly if you haven’t been turning your heating on as the air is much colder.
Luckily fans of cleaning guru Sophie Hinchliffe, best known as Mrs Hinch, have come up with some simple - and completely free - tips to help avoid the unpleasant damp odour, saving you the hassle of having to rewash your clothes.
What do Mrs Hinch fans recommend?
Mr Hinch fans have created Facebook groups dedicated to sharing her tips and recommendations. In one group, called Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips, one user asked fellow cleaning enthusiasts how to stop clothes smelling “musty” after drying them inside.
Despite using a clothes airer they said they could not prevent the “bad smell” and ended up rewashing things again to try and get rid of it.
The user wrote: “I’ve been reading some posts recently about how people dry their clothes in the winter because I also really struggle with this. When I put them on my airers, they end up with a terrible musty smell and I end up washing them again because of the bad smell.
“How do you stop the clothes from drying musty? I must be doing something wrong somewhere, thank you.”
Members of the group were quick to respond and offer up advice, with most saying the best and easiest solution is to ensure clothes are spread out on the airer so that they have enough room to dry.
If an airer is too overloaded this makes it harder for the air to circulate and dry clothes properly, and the longer clothes take to dry, the more likely it is they will smell damp and musty.
One user wrote: “Hang on an airer and spread out if possible, hang stuff on hangers in front of radiators or open the window when it is mild. Also put in an airing cupboard to finish off when the hot water is on. I’ve not had my heating on yet and not had anything smell musty or not dry."
Another said: “I usually rotate my washing half way through drying and make sure it is well spread out, it’ll dry quickly.”
Meanwhile another user said that opening windows is very important for banishing the smell as it allows moisture to escape from the room, while also helping clothes to dry faster.
The user said: “I didn’t even know putting too many clothes on the airer was causing a musty smell. I invested in scent boosters, nice smelling detergent and it did nothing.
“Do not bother with anything like that, just ensure windows are open for moisture to escape and your clothes will be dry in no time, with no damp smell at all."
Other simple tips included giving laundry an extra spin in the washing machine to help remove any excess moisture from clothes. While this option does use energy, it is less than a tumble dryer would use and should help clothes to dry more quickly.