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How to dry clothes indoors in winter without damp

In short: Spin the washing hard, hang it with gaps in one small room you can close off, open the window wide for 5 to 10 minutes several times a day, and keep the humidity between 40 and 60 percent.

Co-authored by Moaz Abdullah✓, BS Textile Engineering Technology

By 6 min readPublisher: Saadat Rafiq

Last updated: 31 October 2026References

Set preferred
Illustration of Jonas hanging a shirt on a folding airer in a small room, with the window wide open on a snowy dayIllustration

At a glance

Air the room
Window wide open 5-10 minutes, at least 3 times a day; not tilted (Verbraucherzentrale)
Humidity
40-60 percent; above 50 percent in winter raises mould risk (Verbraucherzentrale)
Not on
Radiators (Which?)
Dehumidifier
Almost halved drying time in Which?'s test
You need
A folding airer, hangers, a thermo-hygrometer, a cloth
Checked
Advice read 31 October 2026
Checked
October 2026

Jonas rents a small flat in Germany. There's no balcony, no tumble dryer, and it's raining or freezing most of the week. Last winter his bedroom window grew black spots in the corner. Follow him through one load of washing, from the machine to the folded pile, without the damp coming back.

Where are you?

About to hang a wash

Start with the spin. Go to Get less water into the room.

Washing is already up

Air the room now. Go to Air the room.

Windows wet, humidity high

Bring in a dehumidifier. Go to If the air stays damp.

Part 1: Get less water into the room

  1. Run an extra spin before you hang anything.

    Illustration of Jonas turning the dial of his washing machine to the spin setting
    Illustration

    The wash has finished. Before he opens the door, Jonas turns the dial to spin and runs it once more.

    Every drop the machine spins out is a drop that won't end up on your walls (Which?). Use the highest spin speed the care labels allow; wool and delicates may need a gentle spin.

  2. Shake each item out and hang shirts on hangers.

    Illustration of Jonas holding a wet white shirt by the shoulders and shaking it out beside the empty airer, with the laundry basket at his feet
    Illustration

    He takes the shirts out one by one and holds each by the shoulders for a hard shake before it goes on a hanger.

    A shake opens the fabric so air can reach it, and a shirt on a hanger dries with fewer creases. Lay jumpers flat on the airer so they keep their shape.

Part 2: Pick one room and set it up

  1. Choose a small room with a window that you can close off.

    Illustration of Jonas standing the open airer in the middle of a small room, away from the walls and the radiator, with the window behind
    Illustration

    Not the bedroom this time. Jonas opens the airer in his small study, in the middle of the floor, clear of the walls and the radiator.

    The Umweltbundesamt recommends drying in an unheated, well-ventilated room where you can. Keep the heating on low rather than off: the Verbraucherzentrale advises not letting rooms drop below about 16 °C, because cold walls grow mould. Leave a gap between the airer and the walls (Shelter).

  2. Hang everything with a gap between items, then shut the door.

    Illustration of the full airer in the middle of the small room, shirts on hangers at each end, while Jonas holds the door handle on his way out
    Illustration

    Shirts on hangers at the ends, socks and T-shirts on the rails, a gap between each. Jonas heads out and pulls the door shut behind him.

    Gaps let air through, so the load dries faster. A shut door keeps the damp air in one room you can air, instead of letting it spread to cold corners of the flat; this is our general advice, in line with Shelter's advice to shut the kitchen and bathroom doors.

Part 3: Air the room

  1. Open the window wide for 5 to 10 minutes, at least three times a day.

    Illustration of Jonas opening the window fully on a snowy day, with the airer of washing behind him
    Illustration

    Before work, after work and before bed, Jonas opens the study window all the way and sets a timer on his phone.

    Open it fully, not on tilt. The Verbraucherzentrale advises at least three times a day for 5 to 10 minutes, and 3 to 5 minutes when it's below 0 °C outside. The Umweltbundesamt gives the same 5 to 10 minutes for drying washing indoors. Close the window when the time's up so the walls don't cool.

  2. Check the humidity on the hygrometer.

    Illustration of Jonas holding a small thermo-hygrometer, with the airer of washing behind him
    Illustration

    An hour after airing, Jonas picks up the little meter on the shelf. It reads 58 percent: inside the range.

    Aim for 40 to 60 percent. If it stays above 50 percent for long in winter, the risk of mould rises (Verbraucherzentrale). If it's over 60 percent even after airing, go to Part 4.

Part 4: If the air stays damp

  1. Put a dehumidifier next to the airer and close the window.

    Illustration of Jonas switching on a dehumidifier standing beside the airer, a short distance from the wall, with the window closed
    Illustration

    On the third rainy day the meter stays high, so Jonas borrows his neighbour's dehumidifier. He stands it beside the airer and switches it on.

    In Which?'s test, a dehumidifier almost halved the drying time and pulled about 2 litres of water out of the air from one load. Keep the door and window shut while it runs, stand it at least 20 cm from walls and furniture, and keep it close to the clothes without water dripping onto it (Which?).

  2. Empty the water tank when it's full.

    Illustration of Jonas pouring the water from the dehumidifier's tank into the bathroom sink
    Illustration

    By evening the tank is nearly full. Jonas pours it into the sink: water that would otherwise have ended up on his walls.

    Most dehumidifiers switch off by themselves when the tank is full. Which? found an average running cost of about 26p per litre of water removed; a heat pump tumble dryer is usually cheaper per load if you already have one.

Part 5: Finish and check

  1. Wipe any water off the window in the morning.

    Illustration of Jonas wiping drops of condensation off the inside of the window with a cloth
    Illustration

    Next morning there are a few drops at the bottom of the window. Jonas wipes them off with the cloth before he airs.

    Wipe down the places where condensation collects, such as window panes and sills, before it soaks in (Shelter). Wring the cloth out in the sink, not over the radiator.

  2. Feel the thickest parts, then fold and put away.

    Illustration of Jonas folding dry clothes into a neat pile, with the empty airer beside him
    Illustration

    He checks the seams and the cuffs of the jumper: dry. Jonas folds the load into a pile and folds the airer away.

    Seams, waistbands and hoods dry last. Clothes put away even slightly damp can smell musty in the wardrobe; give them a few more hours if in doubt.

How to tell it worked

Three weeks into winter, the corner of Jonas's bedroom window is still clean.

  • The hygrometer stays between 40 and 60 percent most of the day.
  • No water running down the windows by mid-morning.
  • No musty smell, and no black spots in corners or behind furniture.

Good to know where you live

WhereGood to know
GermanyCheck your rental contract and Hausordnung: many flats don't allow drying washing indoors (Verbraucherzentrale). A shared Trockenraum in the cellar, if your building has one, is the better place.
UKCondensation is the most common form of damp in homes (GOV.UK). If damp or mould keeps coming back, tell your landlord: Shelter explains your rights.
EverywhereDamp and mould are a bigger risk for children, older people, pregnant women and people with breathing problems or weak immune systems (GOV.UK).

If it doesn't work

What happensWhat it meansWhat to do
Windows are wet every morningToo much moisture for the airing you're doingAir more often, or add a dehumidifier (Part 4)
Clothes still damp after two daysThe room is too cold or the airer too fullSpin again, hang with bigger gaps, keep the heating on low
Clothes smell mustyThey dried too slowlyRewash, spin hard and dry with a dehumidifier
Black spots in a cornerMould on a cold wallWipe it, keep furniture away from the wall, and tell your landlord if it comes back

Questions readers ask

Is it bad to dry clothes on the radiator?

Yes. Which? advises against it: it adds condensation and stops the radiator heating the room properly. Put the airer near the radiator, not on it.

Should I leave the window tilted while clothes dry?

No. Open it wide for 5 to 10 minutes at a time instead. A tilted window lets out little damp air but cools the wall around it, and cold walls are where mould starts (Verbraucherzentrale, Umweltbundesamt).

What humidity should I aim for?

Between 40 and 60 percent. If it stays above 50 percent in winter, the risk of mould rises (Verbraucherzentrale). A cheap thermo-hygrometer shows you the number.

Do I need a dehumidifier?

Not always. Airing often may be enough in a small flat. If the hygrometer stays above 60 percent or the window runs with water every morning, a dehumidifier in the drying room helps: in Which?'s test it almost halved the drying time.

Can I dry clothes in the bedroom?

Better not. You sleep there with the door shut for hours, so the damp air has nowhere to go. Choose a room you can air while you're awake.

Is drying indoors allowed in a rented flat in Germany?

Check your rental contract and house rules. The Verbraucherzentrale notes that many flats don't allow it. If yours does, air the room as below.

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