How To Dry Bed Sheets Indoors

Here are some ingenious answers to the popular question “how to dry bed sheets indoors” that I’ve put together in a simple guide. Remember, I’ve not used all these tips myself, so proceed with caution!

Imagine sinking into a freshly made bed and drifting off into a peaceful sleep. If you don’t own a tumble dryer, drying bed sheets can be a hassle, especially in the winter. It can become one of the chores you end up dreading, and it may even mean that you wash sheets and bedding less often.

Drying sheets indoors is a common thread that gets discussed in my Facebook group. You can join here if you have some burning questions you’d like answered! Just follow the link!

The higher your thread count, the longer your bedding will take to dry, so bear this in mind when choosing how to dry your bed sheets!

You may also like to read the ultimate guide to washing instructions and How To Quickly Know How Much Detergent To Use For Each Load!

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1. Doors

Drying your laundry over your doors is a quick way to get some air around your bedsheets if you don’t have a garden or tumble drier, but it does have drawbacks. It can cause mold to grow inside your doors over time. Spin it on the highest setting you can on your washing machine and drape it over the tops of the doors. Make sure you wipe the tops of the door clean first and wipe them before hanging them.

This seems like a standard way people dry sheets indoors but try to keep your drying upstairs rather than hanging them all over your living room, as it will make your home feel cluttered.

2. The wardrobe door

This is a similar way to dry your sheets as the over-the-door method, and it comes with the same warnings as a standard door. Ventilate the room well and be careful not to trap moisture in your wardrobe; this could cause your clothes to go moldy!

3. Radiator

If you are drying bed sheets on the radiator, run your machine for an extra two spins, and hang them over the radiators! Giving them an extra spin once they have been washed should speed up the drying time when you put them on the radiator. Switch the sheets around every 30-45 minutes to speed up the drying time.

Make sure the room is well ventilated to prevent mold.

Be careful if you are hanging clothes next to wallpaper, as the dampness can cause the wallpaper to peel where your clothes have been hanging. You can buy a special radiator hanging rail like this one which may help to prevent the problem. Pillowcases and fitted sheets are an appropriate size to dry on the radiators and dry quicker than a king-size duvet cover!

4. Airer

If I put my bedding over my airer, I quickly get overrun with clothes. If you use an airer to dry your clothes, try washing smaller loads to ensure your sheets thoroughly dry before the next wash cycle. You could place your clothes horse in front of the radiator to speed up the drying process.

5. Heated airer.

Heated air dryers like this are fabulous in the winter and come with a special cover to keep the heat in and dry your clothes quicker. They have different drying sessions and come with lots of different racks so that you can fit quite a few clothes in there. When drying bedding, try to put one large item in there at a time.

6. Outside out in the sunshine

Not everyone is lucky enough to have access to a garden. If it is a dry day, put bedding towels, jeans, and joggers out, even in the winter, then the worse of the wet comes out, and things dry quicker than the airer or radiators. The theory is that if the ground is dry outside, the washing will dry. I’ve found this to be mostly true, although you might have to finish them off indoors to get the dampness out.

7. Bannister over the landing.

This is a popular place to hang bedding as it allows all the air to circulate to your linens. Warm air rises, so this is the ideal spot to dry bulky items like duvets, bedding, and towels.

8. The launderette

Take your laundry to the launderette and use their dryers. Using the launderette to wash bedding might not be cost-effective, but it gets the clothes out from under your feet. So, weigh up the pros and cons and see if it is within your budget. You may be able to fit more in one load at the launderette than you could do in your machine at home.

9. Iron them wet.

I would say that this is a desperate measure, but a fantastic way to get out all those annoying creases!

10. Shower rail

Hanging bedding on coat hangers on the shower rail is another way to dry them. However, you do need to be careful that your shower rail is strong enough to hold the weight of wet clothes and that you open the windows well to ventilate the room and prevent mold from growing in your bathroom.

11. Hairdryer.

You can put your bedding on a clothes maiden like this one and blast it a few times with the hairdryer to dry all the corners and boost the drying time.

12. Use a dehumidifier.

It can be dangerous to dry clothes indoors without proper ventilation. A dehumidifier like this one placed in the same room as a clothes horse will dry them much quicker. Hang your bedding over a clothes horse near but not too close to an electric dehumidifier.

13. Upright fan.

Put an upright fan like this one, facing the airer to dry stuff faster.

14. Airing cupboard water tank.

Get two coat hangers with the clips on the ends like these. Use both hangers and drape the sheets between the four clips on your hangers and hang them on the inside of your airing cupboard where the water tank is. Make sure you leave the door open slightly and ventilate the airing cupboard well to prevent mold.

15. Pull-out drying rack or line

My grandparents used to have one of these wooden pull-out racks after washing sheets. It is excellent in the bathroom, but you need to make sure that you keep it away from the cooker if you have one in the kitchen, as it can make your clothes smell of cooking instead of laundry detergent. Make sure your room is well ventilated by opening a window or door. You can leave the bedding to dry for days on one of those racks in a kitchen. With showers being more popular and frequent, you may not leave clothes as long as they would in a kitchen, utility room, or basement. I especially like the drying rack for more oversized bedding items, such as a flat sheet, as it allows plenty of air to circulate the bed linen.

16. Curtain pole over a radiator.

Some people dry their bedding on coat hangers on their curtain poles over a radiator. If you do not mind how it looks outside, go for it, but be careful not to hang anything too heavy on the rail. You do not want it to collapse!

17. Balcony.

If you live in an apartment and have a balcony, dry as much as possible on an airer outside. Be sure to peg things down just as you would on a washing line, especially on a windy day. You do not want your sheets to sail off down the high street!

18. Dry on the mattress

This was one of the most bizarre methods I came across, and I wouldn’t advise doing it as it could cause mold and dampness on your mattress and base.

19. Buy more bedding

It would probably be easier to buy a second bedding set so you do not have to dry your dirty set quickly. Although I’m a great advocate for only having one bedding set as it takes up so much space, it might be better to invest in another set if you must dry indoors then, you can allow your bedding to dry naturally and in less of a hurry.

Whichever way you choose to dry bed sheets, think about getting as much air to flow around your bed linen. If all else fails, run around the house with it over your shoulders and pretend you’re Batman!

If you enjoyed my tips on how to dry bed sheets, you might like to read how to stay on top of the laundry when you’re overwhelmed.

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