Laundry tips to survive wet weather days

There comes a time in your life when the highlight of a sunny day isn’t the beach or a picnic – it’s finally getting the chance to conquer that mountain of laundry.

Australia has already clocked the wettest June in 10 years and various parts of the country will likely keep suffering through wet, soggy days. It’s not ideal if your laundry basket seems to refill itself overnight.

So what’s the best wet weather plan when it’s bucketing outside? Drying laundry indoors can invite mould and moisture into your home and leave a musty pong on your clothes, but don’t worry – CHOICE experts are here to help. 

From smarter washing habits to clever drying strategies, here are their top tips for turbocharging your laundry routine and saving your sanity through wet weeks.

1. It starts with your washing machine

Before you even think about how you’re going to dry your washing in the wet, check the spin cycle speed on your washing machine.

The higher the spin cycle, the more water will be removed from the clothes during the washing process, which means they’ll dry faster. 

Front loaders tend to have much faster spin cycles than top loaders. (Here’s what to know about front loader washing machines.) 

2. Maximise air circulation

Drying laundry is mainly about putting your clothes in a space with air that is sufficiently dry to absorb the evaporating moisture. Outdoors is usually better for this as the air is often warmer (on a sunny day) and circulates better. 

But if it’s really cold outside, and obviously if it’s wet, you’ll have to bring the laundry indoors. In this case, you need to create air circulation artificially. This can be done with a fan, air conditioner or dehumidifier.

A dehumidifier can be used to help your clothes dry faster, and reduce the risk of mould and dust that can result from drying your laundry indoors. Over half the models in our latest dehumidifier review have a specific laundry setting for this purpose.

This function helps dry washing more efficiently indoors by pulling excess moisture from the air. They’re no match for tumble dryers, but CHOICE experts say they’re still a great option if you don’t have outdoor drying space, especially during colder months.

“The moisture has to go somewhere, and if your home doesn’t have good airflow to let moist air escape, you can end up with damp walls and furniture – perfect conditions for mould,” says CHOICE expert Chris Barnes.

Some air conditioners also have specific ‘Dry Mode’ or ‘Dehumidifier Mode’ functions that are designed to remove excess moisture from the air, which can also be helpful for drying clothes indoors. 

If you don’t have air con or a dehumidifier, you can always go old school and use a pedestal or tower fan to help circulate air.

CHOICE testing finds that pedestal fans are usually better than tower fans at delivering strong gusts of air that’ll help with this.

3. Keep it safe – a metre from the heater!

While you might be tempted to drape clothes over a heater, or place your clothes airer or racks quite close to a heater with a fan, this can be both unsafe and costly. 

“Damp clothes hung directly in front of a heater, or over it, can not only be a fire hazard but could also increase your heating bills, as they act as a barrier and potentially prevent your heater from releasing warmth into the room,” says Chris. 

“This means your heater will have to work harder to create a warmer temperature, which adds up to higher energy bills.”

4. Avoid overwashing

Have you got kids that indiscriminately chuck clothes in the laundry basket, dirty or not? Do you wash your jeans after every wear? 

To reduce your laundry load on wet days (and dry ones!) consider whether there are some items you could wear again before washing them.

Not only will this mean less to dry on rainy days, it will also reduce the impact of your laundry routine on the environment. And in many cases it could extend the lifetime of your garments

While you should definitely continue washing your undies and sweaty gym gear after every wear, research from Sustainability Victoria says you can get at least 10 days of wear out of a pair of jeans.

If you look after them, one pair should last at least four years, based on 300 days of wear.

5. Beware of running your clothes dryer 24/7

While it’s tempting to transfer everything straight from the washing machine to the dryer on a rainy day, it can be an expensive exercise that will haunt you come your next power bill.

(Not to mention that many clothes aren’t suitable for tumble drying and could get shrunk or ruined.) 

How much more you’ll pay also depends on factors such as how old your clothes dryer is, how clean the filters are and what type of dryer it is. Heat pump dryers are more efficient and therefore cheaper to run than vented dryers, for example. 

Find out how expensive your clothes dryer is to run.

How to hang your washing for quicker drying

• Don’t overcrowd the airer – more air flow means faster drying.
• Ensure arms or legs in wet shirts and shorts aren’t tucked in or bunched up.
• Hang t-shirts from the bottom end (with pegs) rather than doubling them/folding over the line.
• Undo buttons and zippers on pants and jeans so the fabric isn’t doubled up.
• Put wet business shirts or blouses on coathangers before hanging them up to maximise air flow. (This can also help make ironing easier!)
• Use a portable airer that you can easily move around the house to catch the sun, or put outside if the sun happens to pop out.
• If you’re doing multiple loads in one day, wash heavier items such as jeans and towels first so they have more time to dry.

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Pru Engel

Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.  She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.  Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.  Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney. Find Pru on LinkedIn.

Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.  She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.  Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.  Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney. Find Pru on LinkedIn.